@minego more specifically, they didn't really get the first powered flight

pretty important part of the whole "flight" thing is taking off, which they couldn't do without a 20mph headwind which kinda invalidates the whole "powered flight" thing

who should really get credit for the first powered flight is a bloke called Alberto Santos-Dumont

@noelle @minego they needed to either slide down a hill to pick up speed, use a catapult, or have a massive headwind to take off!

I could bloody fly if you send me down a ramp or fling me from a catapult!

I'd probably get further than they did as well!

@noelle @minego and therefore fulfil the "self-powered" part of the brief

for something to be a powered flight it has to be able to take off by itself, not just get blown into the sky like a badly assembled tent

@noelle @minego bad analogy on my part, I went for the amusing visual rather than accuracy

but yeah, 20mph headwind needed to generate enough lift on the wings for the thing to get off the ground, in other words, couldn't take off on its own

@noelle @minego my point is that if it can't take off under its own power then what you've got there isn't a plane, it's (at best) a glider

which people had been messing about with for a while

@noelle @minego a fighter jet can take off under its own power, the assistance isn't necessary to get it airborne it just gets it there faster

the wright flyer couldn't get airborne under its own power and so it shouldn't count