Stunning Movie Of Man‘s First Flight Captured In A Hundred Snapshots

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pioneer aviator Otto Lilienthal was the first man to learn to fly, using self-built gliders in 1894.
  • Filmmaker Johannes Hogebink created a unique "movie" simulating Lilienthal's historic flight, as no actual footage exists.
  • This film was ingeniously made by piecing together 145 historical photographs, taken from multiple angles, from the Otto Lilienthal Museum.
See a mistake? Contact us.
Man's First Flight Captured In A Hundred Snapshots

The first man who learned to fly did not do so in a plane. He did so by jumping off a hill that he had created thousands of times with wings he had built himself in 1894. His name was Otto Lilienthal and the images of his descent have become iconic in the history of aviation.

While his flights were never filmed, filmmaker Johannes Hogebink has magnificently created a movie of what Lilienthal’s infamous flight would have looked like by piecing together 145 photographs from the Otto Lilienthal Museum in Germany. Since he was photographed from almost every angle, Hogebink realized that ordering the images in the correct sequence would enable viewers a glimpse of what man’s first flight really looked like.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get the latest Plane & Pilot Magazine stories delivered directly to your inbox

SUBSCRIBE