Santos Dumont 14-Bis

GearDown Simulations

SANTOS DUMONTBRAZILPARIS14 BIS

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GearDown Simulations, in partnership with RPSimulations and the Aviões e Músicas channel, launches the incredible Santos Dumont 14 Bis for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The 14-Bis is an iconic and historic aircraft that played a significant role in the development of aviation. Designed and built by Brazilian inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont, the 14-Bis was one of the first aircraft to successfully take off and perform a controlled flight.On October 23, 1906, in Paris, Santos-Dumont conducted a public flight with the 14-Bis, flying a distance of about 60 meters at an altitude of approximately 6 meters. This flight was considered the first successful public flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft. The 14-Bis is also known as the "Oiseau de Proie" (Bird of Prey) or "Le Petit Poucet" (The Little Thumb). The 14-Bis featured an innovative design for its time. It was a lightweight aircraft with a fixed trapezoidal wing and a tail in the form of a rudder, powered by a specially designed gasoline engine by Santos-Dumont. The pilot sat in an open seat positioned beneath the wing, controlling the direction with a steering wheel and control cables.

The flight of the 14-Bis attracted worldwide attention and admiration. Santos-Dumont demonstrated that controlled and sustained flight was possible, paving the way for future advancements in aviation. His achievement was internationally recognized and was considered a milestone in the history of aviation.

The 14-bis is a single-engine, single-seat Pioneer Era biplane developed by Brazilian aviation inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont. The 14-bis took its maiden flight on September 13, 1906 and flew a total of nine times. It was retired after its final flight on April 14, 1907.

Alberto Santos-Dumont was a successful aeronaut, a pilot of lighter-than-air vehicles such as hot air balloons. Inspired by the successes of the Wright Brothers in 1903, Santos-Dumont embarked on an initiative to create and fly a heavier-than-air flying machine. His design was a canard-style biplane with a pusher prop, where the main wing assembly was located at the rear of the aircraft. The craft was framed with pine and bamboo and covered with silk. The main wing was composed of aerodynamic cells similar to conjoined box kites. The design comprised an articulated foreplane (canard) assembly located at the nose of the airframe. The box kite-like canard was moveable via cables extending to the cockpit basket, allowing pitch and yaw control of the 14-bis. Large ailerons provided roll control. The aircraft was powered by a 50-horsepower V-8 piston engine that turned a 2-blade paddle propeller.

Santos-Dumont initially tested the aircraft by hanging it beneath his Number 14 airship, hence the name “14-bis,” which means “14 again,” a reference to the two craft being airborne at the same time. The first flight on its own power was a mere hop of just over 20 feet. It flew again on October 23, 1906, which was the first publicly viewed flight of a heavier-than-air vehicle in Europe. Throughout its 9 flights, the longest it remained in the air was 21 seconds and the farthest it traveled was 720 feet.

The 14-bis measured 31 feet, 6 inches in length, stood 12 feet, 4 inches tall, and had a wingspan of 37 feet, 7 inches. It had a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour.