Otto Lilienthal flying machine being tested in wind tunnel

Before the Wright Brothers flew, a German pilot had managed to slide to fly for the first time. That man was Otto Lilienthal is considered the 'first man to fly,' after conducting a trial with a homemade glider 125 years ago.

Before the Wright Brothers or even the lesser known Gustave Whitehead successfully took to the skies, a German aviator named Otto Lilienthal achieved humanity's first successful gliding flights. One such attempt is pictured above. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1aRYs4)

As reported by Daily Mail, Friday, May 13, 2016, the researchers at the Germany Aerospace Center (Deutschen Zentrums für Luft- und Raumfahrt/DLR) has made a replica of one of the Lilienthal historic flying machine to learn how this plane could be flown, and also to gain insight into the fatal accident that befell this glider.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have replicated one of Lilienthal's historical gliders to understand how the craft would have flown, and gain insight on his fatal crash. Otto Lilienthal is considered 'the first human being to fly,' after conducting trials with a self-built glider 125 years ago. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1aRYs4)

Lilienthal has pioneered early flight effort, and passion that eventually led to his death; on August 9, 1869, when the glider stalled and he fell from a height of about 50 feet, broke his neck. And he died at a hospital in Berlin the next day.

DLR started doing the first tests on the replica of 'Lilienthal glider' at low speed the German-Dutch Wind Tunnel in Marknesse, Netherlands. This test will help you understand how far it can be flown, and what maneuvers that can be achieved. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILY MAIL]

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