Legendary Alberto Santos-Dumont – First sportsman of the air

The Brazilian pioneer was the first to demonstrate that controlled flight was possible thanks to his dirigible balloons. He flew his « Number 6 » round the Eiffel Tower as early as 1901. He designed and flew the 14-bis « Oiseau de proie » (Bird of prey) in 1906. This invention was the first fixed-wing flying machine witnessed by the European press and French aviation authorities to achieve an actual controlled flight.

He designed and flew the Demoiselle (Damselfly) in 1908. This aircraft was controlled by wing warping, and a tail unit equipped with a rudder, and an elevator.

VIDEO:

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Harrier and Vision SF50/SJ50 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

AV-8B Harrier II - Photo © Paulmaz (Wikipedia)
Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA-231) AV-8B Harrier II - Photo © Paulmaz (Wikipedia)

Harrier during Airshow AirVenture 2011 video:

Cirrus Aircraft Vision SF50 - © Jackmar1 - Wikipedia
Cirrus Aircraft Vision SF50 - © Jackmar1 - Wikipedia

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X-47B bat-winged unmanned aircraft – Maiden flight

The US Navy X-47B UCAS-D (Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration) successfully completed its first flight at Edwards AFB on February 4, 2011.

The flight which was conducted by a US Navy/Northrop Grumman test team, lasted 29 minutes. The flight test was aimed to provide test data to check the system software for guidance and navigation, and the aerodynamic control of the tailless drone. The X-47B is deemed to safely take off from, and land on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Other flight tests should be performed to validate the airworthiness of the drone in Naval Air Station Patuxent River (NAS Pax River), Maryland till 2013. Here is the maiden flight video:

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Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk – Stealth Aircraft

F-117 Nighthawk specifications video:

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Pilot survives race plane accident at Reno

Special thanks again to Xavier (http://passiondesavions.blogspot.com) who provided the links to these videos.

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