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| Monoplane | |
|---|---|
 The Du Temple Monoplane | |
| General information | |
| Type | Experimental Steam aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Félix du Temple |
| History | |
| First flight | 1874 |
The du Temple Monoplane was a steam-powered aircraft made of aluminium, built in Brest, France, by naval officer Félix du Temple in 1874. It had a wingspan of 13 m (43 ft) and weighed 80 kg (180 lb) without the pilot.
Several trials were made with the aircraft, and it is generally recognized that it achieved lift-off. It was described by Dollfus as a "short hop or leap"; Flight International described the plane as having "staggered briefly into the air" – (from a combination of its own power and running down an inclined ramp)[1][2] It glided for a short time and returned safely to the ground, making it the first successful powered flight in history, though not the first self-powered one.
It was displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle ("World Fair") in Paris.
- ^ Gibbs-Smith, Charles H. (1959), "Hops and Flights: A Roll Call of Early Powered Take-offs", Flight, 75: 468
- ^ Jarrett, Philip (21 January 1984), So what's new?, Flight International, p. 216