Image: Lilienthal hang glider

Description: The Lilienthal glider in the NASM collection (Smithsonian - National Air and Space Museum) was built by the German experimenter Otto Lilienthal in 1894. It was purchased from Lilienthal by the American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in the spring of 1896. Hearst sponsored test flights of the glider on a Long Island estate in April and May 1896 in an effort to create publicity and boost the circulation of his newspaper, the New York Journal. Harry Bodine, a New Jersey athlete, made most of the flights, although Journal reporters and other spectators were also allowed to test their skill. Flights as long as 115 m (375 ft) at altitudes of up to 15 m (50 ft) were made with the glider. Further flight testing, however, ceased after Lilienthal's death in August. The glider was placed in storage until January 1906, when it was displayed at a New York Aero Club show. It then passed into the hands of John Brisben Walker, editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, who presented it to the Smithsonian Institution on February 2, 1906. Minor refurbishing was done in 1906 and 1928, and in 1967 the glider was completely restored. The horizontal tail is not original. The NASM Lilienthal glider is one of six remaining in the world.
Title: Lilienthal hang glider
Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3346467331/sizes/l/
Author: cliff1066™
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
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