Kudos to you and your contributing artists, researchers and team members. This early flight (pre-flight?) subject is a wonderful and fascinating area you folks are exploring. I see that, as with all of your models, it's the small and innovative "details" you've included such as the #21's instrument panel with the disclaimer "Please don't email us, this is a joke" that reminds me this hobby is not only educational and inexpensive but just plain fun. I'm sorry Chip, but I simply couldn't resist emailing you about it anyway. ;-)...Skip
I am speechless. I have always been a fan of early aviation and have always fantasized about building a series of early attempts at flying aeroplanes. And now............. it looks like I'll be able to do it.....Anthony 11/03
I always heard stories of flying machines that may have flown before the wrights. It sure is interesting to hear Whitehead's story! Really makes me wonder. Well I guess I will just have to build it and find out myself ;-)....Richard P. 11/03
What a wonderful concept -doing a series of early PRE-Wright airplanes.. Brilliant !!Thank you so very much for bringing so much aviation awareness to the world .Philip B
Thanks for the Whitehead Flyer. The Early Flying Machines look like fun! Will you be releasing those as a CD?--David S
Chip! I like it, I like it, I like it!!! :-)) Wonderful to see our work up on the net, makes the effort all worthwhile! Hats off to you for a great job on the upsizing, it looks a treat! Hope you sell a bundle. Derek Roberts (the contributing designer!)
Although today it is a generally accepted fact that the Wright brothers were the first men to perfect a heavier-than-aircraft, it was not always so. One enigmatic figure in aviation history whose supporters say he made controlled flights as early as 1899 was Gustave Whitehead, a poor, German immigrant to the United States. Whitehead clearly built a number of airplanes before the Wrights were successful in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, but did any of his craft really fly?
