The Lilienthal ''Normalsegelapparat'' (German: "Normal soaring apparatus") is a

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of glidin ...

Otto Lilienthal Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal (23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the "flying man". He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with gliders, therefore making ...

in Germany in the late 19th century. It is considered to be the first aeroplane to be serially produced, examples being made between 1893 and 1896. Nine examples are known to have been sold, the buyers including Nikolai Zhukovsky and

William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...

. Three original "normal gliders" are preserved in museums in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, and

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, and a fragment of one is preserved in Munich. A similar glider, the ''Sturmflügelapparat'' ("storm wing apparatus") is preserved in the Technisches Museum in Vienna. Lilienthal's flights using this glider typically achieved a distance of starting from the top of the launching mound that he had constructed. A bow frame or "Prellbügel" was used to reduce the impact in case of a crash. Later the Normalsegelapparat was developed into a biplane. An authentic replica of the ''Normalsegelapparat'' made by the Otto Lilienthal Museum have been investigated by the

German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center (german: Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany ...

wind tunnel Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...

and flight tests. The results proved that the glider was stable in pitch and roll and can be flown safely at moderate altitudes.
Video of the first flight of the replica of Otto Lilienthal’s biplane glider Retrieved: 15. Febr. 2020.

Specifications (typical)

References

Bibliography

* Nitsch, Stephan. ''Vom Sprung zum Flug (From the jump to the flight)''. Berlin, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, 1991. . Modified second edition: ''Die Flugzeuge von Otto Lilienthal. Technik - Dokumentation - Rekonstruktion. (The airplanes of Otto Lilienthal. Technique - Documentation - Reconstruction)''. Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam, 2016. .

External links

Lilienthal Museum website

{{Lilienthal aircraft 19th-century German experimental aircraft Lilienthal aircraft Glider aircraft German inventions Otto Lilienthal 1893 in transport 1893 in Germany Vehicles introduced in 1893 Aircraft first flown in 1893 Monoplanes