> Sperry flew down the Seine while the firemen’s band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.” he astonished the crowd by holding both of his hands high over his head. The crowd shouted things such as “Extraordinaire! Remarquable! Formidable!” On his next pass, his mechanic, Emil Cachin got out and walked about 7 feet out on the right wing on the plane while Sperry once again help up his hands. …
> Sperry was awarded 50,000 francs ($10,000) as a prize and he appeared on the front pages of many European newspapers. Here in the U.S. however, the New York Times buried the story on page 6, eight days after the fact. The paper remarked: “Of stability commonly understood, no heavier than air flight vehicles will ever have even as much as that dreadfully fragile monster, the dirigible.”
remedialchaostheory6 on
The US doesn’t have the cleanest record for aviation safety to the best of my knowledge.
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https://www.jalopnik.com/lawrence-sperry-inventor-of-the-autopilot-and-the-m-1592623110/
> On this date (June 18th) in 1914, autopilot was demonstrated for the first time on an aircraft, becoming one of the most important innovations to the cockpit in history. …
> American pilot Lawrence Sperry was the last performer in the Concours de la Securité en Aéroplane (Airplane Safety Competition) being held on the banks of the Seine River. …
> Sperry flew down the Seine while the firemen’s band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.” he astonished the crowd by holding both of his hands high over his head. The crowd shouted things such as “Extraordinaire! Remarquable! Formidable!” On his next pass, his mechanic, Emil Cachin got out and walked about 7 feet out on the right wing on the plane while Sperry once again help up his hands. …
> Sperry was awarded 50,000 francs ($10,000) as a prize and he appeared on the front pages of many European newspapers. Here in the U.S. however, the New York Times buried the story on page 6, eight days after the fact. The paper remarked: “Of stability commonly understood, no heavier than air flight vehicles will ever have even as much as that dreadfully fragile monster, the dirigible.”
The US doesn’t have the cleanest record for aviation safety to the best of my knowledge.