Ouch, first powered flight in 1901 by a German immigrant.
Jane's All the World's Aircrafts 2013 credits Gustave Whitehead with the first powered flight, two years before the Wright brothers.
It won't change the North Carolina license plate or the murky history of aviation we were taught it in schools anytime soon.
And the Smithsonian keepers of the Wright brothers' plane did in fact sign a contract in which they commit to never say that anybody else had made a powered flight prior to the Wrights.
The blurred photograph advanced by the Whitehead supporters or the press coverage of the 1901 flight are being summarily dismissed by the Wright camp.
The Smithsonian curator made a clear statement backing the Wright brothers.
We analyzed the statement carefully and believe that it is just a tad too emotional, or shall we say grumpy, in its dismissal of the Whitehead flight.
The prize stays in the US, so what's the big deal?
Why not change the license plate to "Germans give you wings", in memory of Whitehead and the guys who took us to the moon?
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