Cleared for Takeoff

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED . . .
Strange Shapes in the Sky (Part One)

In the early years of aviation, inventors struggled to find the best shape for flying machines. Trial and error was the only way, and that led to many odd designs. Some flew, some didn’t. Some proved lethal, and one here, the 14-bis by Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont, won a prize for completing the first officially observed flight of over 82 feet.