German inventor Gustav Whitehead (his real name was Weißkopf) was obsessed with flying. He designed and built several sailplanes throughout his life, and reportedly flew his engine-powered Number 21 glider in August 14, 1901, before the Wright brothers’ first flight. This fact is still in dispute, since no photographs were taken of that first flight. Whitehead’s glider Number 21 was ultra-light, reportedly built after the model of a bird or a bat. The body was 16 ft. (4.9 m.) long, 2,5 ft. (0.75 m.) at its greatest width, 3 ft. (0.90 m.) deep and had a 36 ft. (11 m.) wingspan. It had bamboo ribs and was braced with steel wires and covered with tightly stretched canvas. Four wheels supported the Number 21 while on the ground. It was powered by two engines: a ground engine, connected to the front wheels, and another one powering the glider’s two propellers. During flight, roll was controlled by the pilot shifting his weight; pitch was controlled by a tail wing; and yaw was controlled by differing the thrust between the two propellers. I recently learned about Whitehead’s claim to fame in a visit to Bamboo & Rattan Works, the supplier that donated the bamboo Whitehead used for the Number 21. Rattan cane was a popular material at the beginning of the 20th century: light, abundant, easily bendable and extremely flexible, Whitehead saw in it the ideal material to withstand the structural demands of his Number 21.
