Nå for tiden har Discovery enkelte små innslag i reklamepausene om "Airbus celebrating 100 years of flight", og der viste de en liten film om Gustav Weisskopf som skal ha fløyet sitt monoplan ca. 800 meter i høyder opp til 15 meter den 14. august 1901! Mer enn 2 år før Wright-brødrene fikk sitt fly i luften...

 

Jeg har aldri hørt om denne tyskeren før, men å søke på nettet etter Gustav Weisskopf / Gustave Whitehead (hans amerikanske navn) får mange treff, og det virker som det er en del folk som prøver å anerkjent Weisskopf som den første som gjennomførte en motorisert flyging.

fant dette på nettet:

 

For years, Gustav Whitehead's followers have fought for the acknowledgement of the German-born American as one of the pioneers of aviation. A reconstruction of his legendary flying machine No. 21 has now successfully accomplished a comprehensive flight test program.

 

When the reconstruction, designated No. 21B, took off on February 20, 1998, the Gustav Whitehead historic flight supporters group, (FFGW), was once more convinced: Gustav Whitehead, who was born in Leutershausen, Germany, is the true pioneer of powered flight. Supposedly, Whitehead accomplished the first powered flight in history near Bridgeport, Connecticut, on 14 August 1901 - over two and a half years before the Wright Brothers succeeded with their historically confirmed first flight.

 

Unfortunately, Whitehead's first flight is not documented, proving that the flight actually took place. Furthermore, there are no photos to ascertain that this and other alleged flights of Gustav Weisskopf, as he is called in Germany, really occured. The potentially historic flight was only confirmed later in the thirties by various eyewitness reports. This explains why, to date, there is no final proof that the Wright Brothers were not the real flight pioneers after all.

 

Hade han bare hatt vett til å fått flygningene sine dokumentert så hadde vi nok feiret 100 år jubileum for første motoriserte flight for 3 år siden

 

Jan Roar Rød