Santos Dumont, Wright Brothers, and Propeller Basics

I want to clarify that I'm a fan of Santos Dumont, and think he should be honored and remembered for what he did. He was a brave, intelligent, and noble man. He solved many problems regarding use of gasoline piston engines on aircraft which caused the French to jump ahead of the world in aircraft engine technology in the early 1900s. He also gave France a head start in airframe building skills with his airships, along with his 14Bis and 14Bis-2. So once they knew the secrets of the Wrights they could jump into building airplanes with both feet and get the lead on the rest of the world. Just because I don't think he invented the airplane doesn't mean that I don't think he should be remembered as a hero.

lol, the video isn't even up and I already have thumbs down. I knew this video would upset some people, but I didn't know it would do it just with the title and thumbnail.

Brazillian here. I have to apologize for the comments made before this, which I'm fairly sure were made by my fellow countryman. The fact that "Santos Dummont invented the airplane, not the americans" is widely taught here in primary schools and the idea is also propagated by science museums and such. It has become wrapped up in nationalistic pride. People with very little understanding of the history of aviation will, nonetheless, come rushing out to point out that "Actually, Santos Dummont invented the airplane" like it was an article of faith. We should totally still celebrate his acomplishments and all that, but I wish people wouldn't let national pride blind them.

You took the words right out of my mouth. Especially in regards to Dumont. Instead of being recognized for his actual accomplishments, he’s credited as “The guy who was cheated by the Wright Brothers.”

Taking your personal airship out on dates, and then taking the ladies out to breakfast you say? Best use ever of a dirigible indeed!

There are a few channels on YouTube that are simply marvelous. This is one of 'em. Thank you.

It is refreshing to watch a video made by a guy who really knows the depth of the Wright's story. The propeller is often forgotten as a great achievement. You will recall that even Charley Taylor said "I don't think the boys got enough credit for it." Another forgotten aspect of their work was the realization that a person needed to "learn to fly." The Wright's work was not based on trial and error, but when something didn't work they still had to decide if it was the aircraft or the pilot's fault.

As a retired Aeronautical Engineer, I have to tell you that your presentations and your analysis are so excellent! I believe that you present a lot of difficult things in a manner that anyone should be able to understand.

As a student in university for aeronautics and currently studying the origins of flight, I greatly appreciated this presentation! I’ll be forwarding it to my professor.

That was my problem in high school. My parents would never let me use the blimp.

Having gone to school in Brazil, I had to learn that Dumont was in fact the "real" inventor of the aeroplane. Getting more and more interested in technology and aviation, that initially set picture obviously began to crumble, the more facts were accumulated. The discussion about the Wright brothers is only led by people, who don't care to look at the knowledge and engineering performed by the respective individuals. While most "pioneers" relied on guesswork, the Wrights were actually analysing every aspect separately.

I am french and here no one claims Santos Dumont made the first flight. There were claims that Clément Ader was the first but when you see the "Avion 3" there is no way this machine could ever fly.

I'm brazilian and I thank you for your research and clarification on this topic. Very enlightening.

The Wright's strength was experimentation with models and developing the science before proceeding fusing theory and experimentation. They were not merely tinkerer inventors but methodical engineers. An excellent debunking video for those who do not understand the engineering of aviation especially the fluid dynamics and mechanical design. Prior to this people built what looked good without getting quantitative and scalable data as the Wright's did than their predecessors as well as developing knowledge of the material science to actually build the craft.

The Wright brothers also built their own wind tunnel and are responsible for the pedals not falling off your bike by working out that you need the thread pitch to be opposite on each pedal.

Me: I am really tired. Should I go to bed, or get a snack first? YT: Greg's Airplanes and Automobiles Me: oooooohhhhhhhh nnnnnnnooooooooooooo Me: *glances at video length* YT: 50:44 Me: uuuuuuuuggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh Also me: I should get a big snack. *clicks on thumbnail* (don't change the the video length btw, I actually like your level of detail)

I am left speachless. Thank you for posting this video. I can't even imagine the amount of work you put in to it. Thank you.

Greg is the jedi master of explaining aviation concepts and technology.

I am 71 years old now, but from my earliest memories I remember going to Henry Ford's Greenfield Village and being absolutely enthralled by the Wright Brothers' home and bicycle shop that Ford moved from Dayton to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. We would go often because it was just a 15 minute drive and a neighbor worked there and we would often be given free tickets from him. (It was also much more affordable for a working class family back then.) As an adult, when I would see videos or read books about the Wright's work with propellers, airfoil shapes, engines and wing warping it was like - Yeah, I learned that when I was ten. Nowadays, when we go, I am still just enthralled. I am still amazed how these two brothers were able to develop so much and in such a professional manner that would give credit to any modern research and development team. BTW my wife usually has to pull me out of the bicycle shop. "Come on already, we have to go look at the Heinz 57 House across the street."

Louis Bleriot's mustache had a better aspect ratio than his early propellers.