   #copyright

Alberto Santos-Dumont

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Engineers and inventors

   Santos-Dumont in his trademark Panama hat. Image courtesy of the
   Smithsonian Institution
   Santos-Dumont in his trademark Panama hat. Image courtesy of the
   Smithsonian Institution

   Alberto Santos-Dumont ( 20 July 1873 – 23 July 1932) was an important
   early pioneer of aviation. He was born, grew up, and died in Brazil.
   His contributions to aviation took place while he was living in Paris
   France.

   Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew the first practical dirigible
   balloons (i.e., airships). In doing so he became the first person to
   demonstrate that routine, controlled flight was possible. This
   "conquest of the air", in particular winning the Deutsch de la Meurthe
   prize on 19 October 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower,
   made him one of the most famous persons in the world during the early
   1900s.

   In addition to his pioneering work in airships, Santos-Dumont made the
   first public flight of an airplane in Paris in October 1906. That
   aircraft, designated 14 Bis or Oiseau de proie (French for "bird of
   prey"), is considered to be the first to take off, fly, and land
   without the use of catapults, high winds, launch rails, or other
   external assistance. Thus some, particularly in Brazil, consider him to
   the "Father of Aviation" as well as the inventor of the airplane.

   Much controversy persists around the many competing claims of early
   aviators. See first flying machine for more discussion.

Childhood in Brazil

   Santos-Dumont was born in Cabangu, a village in the Brazilian town of
   Palmira, today named Santos Dumont in the state of Minas Gerais. He
   grew up as the youngest of eleven children on a coffee plantation owned
   by his family in the state of São Paulo. His French-born father was an
   engineer, and made extensive use of the latest labor-saving inventions
   on his vast property. So successful were these innovations that
   Santos-Dumont's father gathered a large fortune and became known as the
   "Coffee King of Brazil."

   Santos-Dumont was fascinated by machinery, and while still a young
   child he learned to drive the steam tractors and locomotive used on his
   family's plantation. He was also a fan of Jules Verne and had read all
   his books before his tenth birthday. He wrote in his autobiography that
   the dream of flying came to him while contemplating the magnificent
   skies of Brazil in the long, sunny afternoons at the plantation.

   According to the custom of wealthy families of the time, after
   receiving basic instruction at home with private instructors including
   his parents, young Alberto was sent out alone to larger cities to do
   his secondary studies. He studied for a while in " Colégio Culto à
   Ciência", in Campinas.

Move to France

   In 1891, Alberto's father had an accident while inspecting some
   machinery. He fell from his horse and became a paraplegic. He decided
   then to sell the plantation and move to Europe with his wife and his
   youngest son. At seventeen, Santos-Dumont left the prestigious Escola
   de Minas in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, for the city Paris in France. The
   first thing he did there was to buy an automobile. Later, he pursued
   studies in physics, chemistry, mechanics, and electricity, with the
   help of a private tutor.

Balloons and dirigibles

   Santos-Dumont #6 rounding the Eiffel Tower in the process of winning
   the Deutsch Prize. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution (SI
   Neg. No. 85-3941)
   Enlarge
   Santos-Dumont #6 rounding the Eiffel Tower in the process of winning
   the Deutsch Prize. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution (SI
   Neg. No. 85-3941)

   Santos-Dumont described himself as the first "sportsman of the air." He
   started flying by hiring an experienced balloon pilot and took his
   first balloon rides as a passenger. He quickly moved on to piloting
   balloons himself, and shortly thereafter to designing his own balloons.
   In 1898, Santos-Dumont flew his first balloon design, the Brésil.

   After numerous balloon flights, he turned to the design of steerable
   balloons or dirigible type balloons that could be propelled through the
   air rather than drifting along with the breeze (See Airship).

   Between 1898 and 1905, he built and flew 11 dirigibles. With air
   traffic control restrictions still decades in the future, he would
   glide along Paris boulevards at rooftop level in one of his airships,
   commonly landing in front of a fashionable outdoor cafe for lunch. On
   one occasion he even flew an airship early one morning to his own
   apartment at No. 9, Rue Washington, just off Avenue des Champs-Élysées,
   not far from the Arc de Triomphe.

   To win the Deutsch de la Meurthe price Santos-Dumont decided to build a
   bigger balloon, the dirigible Number 5. On August 8, 1901 during one of
   his attempts, his dirigible lost hydrogen gas and started to decend
   while he was piloting the dirigible and was unable to clear the roof of
   the Trocadero Hotel. A large explosion was heard and miraculously he
   survived from the explosion and he was hanging in a basket from the
   side of the hotel. With the help of the crowd he climbed to the roof
   and survived this accident without any injuries.

   The zenith of his lighter-than-air career came when he won the Deutsch
   de la Meurthe prize. The challenge called for flying from the Parc
   Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than thirty minutes.
   The winner of the prize would need to maintain an average ground speed
   of at least 22 km/h (14 mph) to cover the round trip distance of 11 km
   (6.8 miles) in the allotted time.

   On 19 October 1901, after several attempts and trials, Santos-Dumont
   succeeded in using his dirigible Number 6. Immediately after the
   flight, a controversy broke out around a last minute rule change
   regarding the precise timing of the flight. There was much public
   outcry and comment in the press. Finally, after several days of
   vacillating by the committee of officials, Santos-Dumont was awarded
   the prize as well as the prize money of 100,000 francs. In a charitable
   gesture, he donated half of the prize money to the poor of Paris. The
   other half was given to his workmen as a bonus.

   Santos-Dumont's aviation feats made him a celebrity in Europe and
   throughout the world. He won several more prizes and became a friend to
   millionaires, aviation pioneers, and royalty. In 1901 he was considered
   by many to be the most famous person in the world. In 1904, he went to
   the United States and was invited to the White House to meet US
   President Theodore Roosevelt. The public eagerly followed his daring
   exploits. Parisians affectionately dubbed him le petit Santos. The
   fashionable folk of the day mimicked various aspects of his style of
   dress from his high collared shirts to singed Panama hat. He was, and
   remains to this day, a prominent folk hero in his native Brazil.

Heavier than air

   Santos-Dumont's balloon Number 14 with the 14-bis, meaning "14 again",
   tethered below it for trials. Later the balloon was removed.
   Enlarge
   Santos-Dumont's balloon Number 14 with the 14-bis, meaning "14 again",
   tethered below it for trials. Later the balloon was removed.

   Although Santos-Dumont continued to work on dirigibles, his primary
   interest soon turned to heavier-than-air craft. By 1905 he had finished
   his first airplane design, and also a helicopter. He finally achieved
   his dream of flying an airplane on 23 October 1906, when, piloting the
   14-bis before a large crowd of witnesses, he flew a distance of 60
   metres (200 ft) at a height of two to three metres (10 ft). This
   well-documented event was the first flight verified by the Aero-Club De
   France of a powered heavier-than-air machine in Europe, and the first
   public demonstration in the world of an aircraft taking off from an
   ordinary airstrip with a non-detachable landing gear and on its own
   power (self-propelled) in calm weather, proving to the spectators that
   a machine "heavier than air" could take off from the ground by its own
   means. With this accomplishment, he won the Archdeacon Prize founded by
   the Frenchman Ernest Archdeacon in July of 1906, to be awarded to the
   first aviator to fly more than 25 meters. On 12 November 1906,
   Santos-Dumont succeeded in setting the first world record in aviation
   by flying 220 meters in less than 22 seconds.

   Santos-Dumont made numerous contributions to the field of aircraft
   control. The most noteworthy one was the use of effective ailerons at
   the outer wings. Although ailerons had been used in sailplanes before,
   Dumont pioneered their application for aircraft. He also pushed for and
   exploited substantial improvements in engine power-to-weight ratio, and
   other refinements in aircraft construction techniques.
   The 14-bis on its historic first flight.
   Enlarge
   The 14-bis on its historic first flight.

   Santos-Dumont's final design was the Demoiselle monoplane (Nos. 19 to
   22). This aircraft was employed as Dumont's personal transportation and
   he willingly let others make use of his design. The fuselage consisted
   of a specially reinforced bamboo boom, and the pilot sat beneath
   between the main wheels of a tricycle landing gear. The Demoiselle was
   controlled in flight partially by a tail unit that functioned both
   elevator and rudder and by wing warping (No. 20).

   The high-wing Demoiselle aircraft had a wingspan of 5.10 m and an
   overall length of 8 m. Its weight was little more than 110 kg with
   Santos-Dumont at the controls. The pilot was seated below the
   fuselage-wing junction, just behind the wheels, and commanded the tail
   surfaces using a steering wheel. The cables supporting the wing were
   made from piano wire. Initially, Santos-Dumont employed a liquid-cooled
   Dutheil & Chalmers engine with 20 hp. Later, the inventor repositioned
   the engine to a lower location, placing it in front of the pilot.
   Santos-Dumont also replaced the former 20-hp engine by a 24-hp
   Antoniette and carried out some wing reinforcements. This version
   received the designation No. 20. Due to structural problems and
   continuing lack of power Santos-Dumont introduced additional
   modifications in Demoiselle’s design: a triangular and shortened
   fuselage made of bamboo; the engine was moved back to its original
   position, in front of the wing; and increased wingspan. Thus, the No.
   21 was born. The design of No. 22 was basically similar to No. 21.
   Santos-Dumont tested opposed-cylinder (he patented a solution for
   cooling this kind of engine) and water-cooled engines, with power
   settings ranging from 20 to 40 hp, in the two variants. An interesting
   feature of the water-cooled variant was the liquid-coolant pipeline
   which followed the wing lower side lofting to improve aerodynamics.
   The Demoiselle
   Enlarge
   The Demoiselle

   The Demoiselle airplane could be constructed in only fifteen days.
   Possessing outstanding performance, easily covering 200 m of ground
   during the initial flights and flying at speeds of more than 100 km/h,
   the Demoiselle was the last aircraft built by Santos-Dumont. He used to
   perform flights with the airplane in Paris and some small trips to
   nearby places. Flights were continued at various times through 1909,
   including the first cross-country flight with steps of about 8 km, from
   St. Cyr to Buc on 13 September 1909, returning the following day, and
   another on 17 September 1909 of 18 km in 16 min. The Demoiselle that
   was fitted with two-cylinder engine became rather popular. The French
   World War I-ace Roland Garros flew it at the Belmont Park, New York, in
   1910. The June 1910 edition of the Popular Mechanics magazine published
   drawings of the Demoiselle and affirmed that Santos-Dumont's plane was
   better than any other that had been built to that date, for those who
   wish to reach results with the least possible expense and with a
   minimum of experimenting. American companies sold drawings and parts of
   Demoiselle for several years thereafter. Santos-Dumont was so
   enthusiastic about aviation that he released the drawings of Demoiselle
   for free, thinking that aviation would be the mainstream of a new
   prosperous era for mankind. Clément Bayard, an automotive maker,
   constructed several units of Demoiselles, which was sold for 50,000
   Francs.

Controversy vis-a-vis Wright brothers

   Editors’ Note: The claim to the first flying machine is still the arena
   for disputes about definitions, facts, and merits. These polemics are
   often fueled by strong nationalistic or cultural feelings. The editors
   of this article have made a sincere effort over time to present a
   Neutral Point of View. Despite this effort, disagreements persist. The
   reader is invited to read this section critically, with particular
   awareness of possibly biased language which might favour one of the
   many points of view.

   In some countries, particularly Brazil and France, Santos-Dumont is
   considered to be the inventor of the airplane, because of the official
   and public character of the 14-bis flight as well as some technical
   points (see below.) This has been traditionally the official position
   of the Brazilian government, especially since the Getúlio Vargas
   dictatorship. Vargas instituted a department within his government for
   "Information and Propaganda", following the trend in many other
   countries. This department created schoolbooks praising all things
   Brazilian; when the Vargas dictatorship ended in 1945, the
   department-influenced schoolbooks endured.

   The strongest technical criticism of the Wrights' early aircraft is
   that, while it is clear that these aircraft could sustain controlled
   flight, they always used some sort of assistance to become airborne.
   The assistance ranged in form from requiring a stiff headwind, the use
   of launch rails, and/or the use of external thrust (a catapult) to
   obtain the necessary airspeed for launch. As such, none of the Wrights'
   early craft took off under their own power in calm wind from an
   ordinary ground surface as was achieved by the flights of the 14-bis.

   In some other countries, particularly the United States, the honour of
   first effective heavier-than-air flight is most frequently assigned to
   the Wright brothers for their flight of 39 meters (120 feet) in 12
   seconds on 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.
   Nonetheless, even in these nations there remains a high regard for
   Santos-Dumont's accomplishments, and a recognition of the 14-bis flight
   as an important event in early aviation.

   Supporters of the Wrights' claim point out that the use of ground rails
   in particular was necessitated by the Wrights' choice of airfields --
   the sand at Kitty Hawk and the rough pasture at Huffman prairie --
   rather than the relatively smooth and firm parkland available to
   Santos-Dumont and was not a reflection of any aerodynamic weakness in
   their design. Accordingly, the catapult used at Huffman Prairie allowed
   the use of a relatively short ground rail thus avoiding the
   time-consuming drudgery of positioning hundreds of feet of rail needed
   for launches without a catapult.

   Supporters of the Wright Flyer claim also point out that 1) although a
   stiff head wind was required, the aircraft moved under its own power;
   2) the Wrights were the first to develop effective aircraft control,
   which made practical flight possible, even in breezy or windy
   conditions which are common, as well as in calm conditions. They
   introduced far superior control mechanisms well before all other winged
   aircraft, including Santos-Dumont's 14-bis; 3) the Wright Brothers
   accurately described several principles of flight (including
   aerodynamics and propeller design) that previous pioneers had either
   described inaccurately or not at all; 4) the flight has been reproduced
   experimentally using a carefully recreated replica of the original
   aircraft.

   It is this last point, the construction of replicas of the original
   Wright Flyer, that has exacerbated the controversy in recent years.
   Some of these replicas were modified using modern aerodynamic knowledge
   to improve their flight characteristics. Other replicas failed to fly
   at some public events. However, at least one flying replica was built
   without being modified. This aircraft, part of the the Wright
   Experience project, through painstaking research of original documents,
   photographs, and artifacts from the original Flyer (conducted much like
   an archaeological expedition), is believed to be an accurate
   recreation. The Wright Experience project had the stated purpose of
   building an exact replica of the original aircraft, whether or not it
   would actually fly. As it turned out, the aircraft did indeed make
   several successful flights.
   Headline from page 8 of the 18 December 1903 edition of The Dayton
   Daily News.From the archives of the Dayton Metro Library[1] Article
   refers to Wright's flight's without the "gas bag" assistance of
   Santos-Dumont's earlier Airships.
   Headline from page 8 of
   the 18 December 1903 edition of
   The Dayton Daily News.From the archives of the Dayton Metro Library
   Article refers to Wright's flight's without the "gas bag" assistance of
   Santos-Dumont's earlier Airships.

   Much of the controversy with regard to Santos-Dumont vs. the Wrights
   arose from the difference in their approaches to publicity.
   Santos-Dumont made his flights in public, often accompanied by the
   scientific elite of the time, then gathered in Paris. In contrast, the
   Wright Brothers were very concerned about protecting their intellectual
   property and made their early flights in remote locations and without
   many international aviation officials present. The defense of their
   flight was also complicated by the jealousies of other American
   aviation enthusiasts and disputes over patents. In November 1905, the
   Aero Club of France learned of the Wrights' alleged flight of 24 miles.
   They sent a correspondent to investigate the Wrights' accounts. In
   January 1906, members in the Aero Club of France's meeting were stunned
   by the reports of the Wrights' flights. Archdeacon sent a taunting
   letter to the Wrights, demanding that they come to France and prove
   themselves, but the Wrights did not respond. Thus, the aviation world
   (of which Paris was the centre at the time) witnessed the products of
   Santos-Dumont's work first hand. As a result, many members, French and
   other Europeans, dismissed the Wrights as frauds (like many others at
   the time) and assigned Santos-Dumont the accolade of the "first to
   fly".

   In any case, early reports of the Wrights' activities and the
   disclosure of key design features in their 1904 European patent filings
   certainly helped many airplane developers in succeeding years,
   including Santos-Dumont. Moreover, Santos-Dumont's success was aided by
   improvements in engine power/weight ratio and other advances in
   materials and construction techniques that had taken place in previous
   years.

   There were many machines that got up into the air in a limited fashion
   and many variations of heavier-than-air titles to which varying amounts
   of credit have been awarded by various groups. For example, in the
   former USSR Aleksandr Fyodorovich Mozhaiski is sometimes credited as a
   "Father of Aviation", for his powered heavier-than-air machine going
   airborne (generally recognized as the second such flight in that
   category) in 1884. The disputes about the proper definition of "powered
   heavier than air flight" still go on. For example, with regard to
   gliders fitted with small engines that are used non-continuously; these
   debates do not extend to methods of take off systems. The issue of
   assisted takeoff can be an issue with early flights, however, since any
   help given is more significant for how long they were airborne for
   short flights.

   Just as some seek to broaden the accomplishments of the 14-bis flights,
   there are others who seek to narrow them, although this is less common.
   One criticism is that the low altitude at which the 14-bis flew
   permitted the lift to be augmented by ground effect. The often low
   flights of many aviation pioneers, including some of the Wrights
   initial flights, fall prey to a complex debate over classifications of
   machines that are aided by this phenomenon.

   Also, there have been some questions of the Aero-Club De France's
   conflict of interest concerning their involvement with Santos-Dumont's
   claim. The questions largely arise from their incomplete knowledge of
   the Wrights and their involvement with Santos-Dumont.

Santos-Dumont and the wristwatch

   The wristwatch had already been invented by Patek Philippe, decades
   earlier, but Santos-Dumont played an important role popularizing its
   use by men in the early 1900s. Before him they were generally worn only
   by women, as men favoured pocket watches. As a result, Brazilians
   consider Santos-Dumont the inventor of the wristwatch for men.

   The story goes that in 1904, while celebrating his winning of the
   Deutsch Prize at Maxim's Restaurant, Santos-Dumont complained to his
   friend Louis Cartier about the difficulty of checking his pocket watch
   to time his performance during flight. Santos-Dumont then asked Cartier
   to come up with an alternative that would allow him to keep both hands
   on the controls. Cartier went to work on the problem and the result was
   a watch with a leather band and a small buckle, to be worn on the
   wrist.

   Santos-Dumont never took off again without his personal Cartier
   wristwatch, and he used it to check his personal record for a 220 m
   (730 ft) flight, achieved in twenty-one seconds, on 12 November 1906.
   The Santos-Dumont watch was officially displayed on 20 October 1979 at
   the Paris Air Museum next to the 1908 Demoiselle, the last aircraft
   that he built.

   Cartier today has a collection of wristwatches honouring Santos-Dumont
   called Santos de Cartier. Publicity involved photographs of
   Santos-Dumont and his achievements.

Later years

   Santos-Dumont continued to build and fly airplanes. His final flight as
   a pilot was made in Demoiselle on 4 January 1910. The flight ended in
   an accident, but the cause was never completely clear. There were few
   observers and no reporters on the scene.

   Santos-Dumont fell seriously ill a few months later. He experienced
   double vision and vertigo that made it impossible for him to drive,
   much less fly. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He abruptly
   dismissed his staff and closed his workshop. His illness soon led to a
   deepening depression.

   In 1911, Santos-Dumont moved from Paris to the French seaside village
   of Bénerville where he took up astronomy as a hobby. Some of the local
   folk, who knew little of his great fame and exploits in Paris just a
   few years earlier, mistook his German-made telescope and unusual accent
   as signs (almost certainly false) that he was a German spy who was
   tracking French naval activity. These suspicions eventually led to
   Santos-Dumont having his rooms searched by the French military police.
   Upset by ignominy of the charge, as well as depressed from his illness,
   he burned all of his papers, plans, and notes. Thus, there is little
   direct information available about his designs today.

   In 1928 (some sources report 1916), he left France to go back to his
   country of birth, never to return to Europe. His return to Brazil was
   marred by tragedy. A dozen members of the Brazilian scientific
   community boarded a seaplane with the intention of paying a flying
   welcome to the returning aviator on the luxury liner Cap Arcona.
   Instead, the seaplane crashed with the loss of all on board. The loss
   deepened Santos-Dumont's growing despondency.

   In Brazil, Santos-Dumont bought a small lot on the side of a hill in
   the city of Petrópolis, in the mountains near Rio de Janeiro, and built
   a small house there filled with imaginative mechanical gadgetry.

Controversy regarding private life

   Some controversy exists over Santos-Dumont's private life, in
   particular his sexual orientation. Although he was an active member of
   the Paris social scene, there are no reports, public or private, of his
   having been romatically involved with anyone. This has led some to
   speculate that Santos-Dumont was a homosexual. However, historians have
   noted that any affair, with either a man or a woman, would have been
   impossible to keep a secret given Santos-Dumont's notoriety in his
   time. This lack of any evidence of romantic entanglements have led some
   to speculate that he was asexual.

   Historians have noted that both Wright brothers, around whom much
   controversy still exists vis-a-vis Santos-Dumont, also had personal
   lives apparently devoid of any overt sexual activity. However, no
   comparable suggestions of possible homosexuality have been made about
   them.

   Santos-Dumont did seem to have a particular affection for a married
   Cuban/American woman named Aída de Acosta. He allowed her to fly his
   No. 9 airship (Thus she likely became the first woman to pilot a
   powered aircraft.) and he kept a picture of her on his desk until his
   death.

Death and beyond

   Alberto Santos-Dumont — seriously ill, and said to be depressed over
   his multiple sclerosis and the use of aircraft in warfare — is believed
   to have committed suicide by hanging himself in the city of Guarujá in
   São Paulo, on 23 July 1932. He was buried in the Cemitério São João
   Batista in Rio de Janeiro. There are many monuments to his work and his
   house in Petropolis, Brazil is now a museum. He never married nor had
   any known children.

Cultural influences

    1. Santos-Dumont is a small lunar impact crater that lies in the
       northern end of the Montes Apenninus range at the eastern edge of
       the Mare Imbrium
    2. The aviator gives his name to the city of Santos Dumont, in the
       state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In this municipality is located the
       Cabangu farm, where he was born. The Faculdades Santos Dumont is a
       group of private higher learning colleges in the same city.
    3. The city of Dumont, in the state of São Paulo, near Ribeirão Preto
       is so named because it is located where it used to be one the
       largest coffee farms in the world, between 1870 and 1890. The farm
       was owned by Alberto Santos-Dumont's father, a wealthy engineer of
       French descent. It was sold in 1896 to a British company, the
       Dumont Coffee Company.
    4. The airport for domestic flights of Rio de Janeiro is also named
       after him (see Santos Dumont Regional Airport)
    5. The Rodovia Santos Dumont is a highway in the state of São Paulo.
    6. The Brazilian Air Force (Command of Aeronautics) concedes to
       important personalities in the world of aviation the Santos Dumont
       Medal of Merit. The state government of Minas Gerais has a similar
       medal.
    7. Réseau Santos-Dumont is the name of a cooperative university
       network between France and Brazil, instituted by the French and
       Brazilian Ministries of Education in 1994, with 26 universities in
       each country.
    8. The American Office of Naval Research of San Diego, California has
       named one of its research airships as the 600B Santos Dumont .
    9. The Historic and Cultural Institute of Aeronautics of Brazil has
       instituted the Santos Dumont Annual Prize of Journalism to the best
       reports in the media about aeronautics.
   10. Santos-Dumont serves as the inspiration and namesake for a small
       Coffee and Ice Cream Shop in Milford, New Hampshire.
   11. Lycée Polyvalente Santos-Dumont is a lyceum in Saint-Cloud, France;
   12. Tens of thousands of streets, avenues, plazas, schools, monuments,
       etc., are dedicated to the national hero in Brazil.
   13. The official Brazilian Presidential Aircraft, an Airbus Corporate
       Jet tail number FAB2101, was baptized with the name of Alberto
       Santos Dumont.
   14. A popular Chilean rock band of the 1990s adopted the name Santos
       Dumont.
   15. A restaurant located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in New
       York City, is named Quatorze bis, apparently after the Santos
       Dumont airplane of the same name. However, on November 12, 2006
       they had no observance or recognition of the fact that it was the
       100th anniversary of the record breaking flight of Santos Dumont's
       Quatorze bis.

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