23 October 1906: At 4:45 p.m., Albert Santos-Dumont climbed into his airplane, N° 14 bis, at the Château de Bagatelle, Paris, France. Starting its Antoinette engine, it  began rolling and quickly balanced on its two wheels. Passed an estimated 30 km/h and travelled approximately 100 meters on the ground before becoming airborne. for a while the height above the ground was minimal. The airplane gradually climbed, remaining perfectly balanced longitudinally. Lateral balance was also good. The airplane began to drift to the right, then more so to the left. Fearing this might become more pronounced, Santos-Dumont cut of the ignition and his airplane slowly descended. On touchdown, the wheels and rudder were damaged.

N° 14 bis powered by a Antoinette 50 ch liquid-cooled V-8 engine two-bladed propeller by Léon Levavasseur, steel with aluminum airfoils. 2 meters in diameter, pitch 1 meter, 8 kg. Thrust: 146 kg.

took off and flew between 50 and 100 meters (164–328 feet) at an altitude of 3–5 meters (10–16 feet).

Unlike Wright Brothers flights, Santos-Dumont made his flights before the public. Flight was certified by

Sources vary as to the dimensions of the airplane. The Smithsonian reports that dimensions taken from the Official List of Records of the Aero Club of France Span 40 feet, length 33 feet, surface 860 sq feet, weight 352 pounds Antoinette 24 h.p.

direct-fuel-injected liquid-cooled 105mm x 105 mm, 50 ch (49.3 h.p.) @ 1,400 r.p.m. 132# (60 kg) 7.27 liters (443.86 cubic inches)

Jane’s All The World Aircraft 1913:  L: 31’10”, WS: 38’9″, wt: 661 pounds. pronoucned dihedral. canard, three-bay (Hargrave’s cells) boxkite/biplane, box elevators forward. standining in a wicker basket.

bamboo poles covered with silk