Otto Lilienthal

Who was Otto Lilienthal?

Otto Lilienthal was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. He followed an experimental approach established previously by Sir George Cayley. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favorably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical. For his contributions to the field of aviation at such a crucial time he is often referred to as "The Father of Flight."

He died of injuries sustained when his glider stalled and he was unable to regain control; falling from about 15 m, he fractured his neck.