In the 1890's, how did Lawrence Hargrave's experimental work with kites and wing surfaces in Australia form the basis for powered, controlled flight on two different continents more than 10,000 miles away? And were the Wright Brothers the first to make a powered flight?
This companion video to 'Father of Flight' uses much of the same footage to examine Hargrave's life and inventions but also investigates the role of the French-American Octave Chanute as the conduit for the worldwide use of Hargave's work. His relationships with Hargrave's contemporaries the Wright Brothers and Alberto Santos-Dumont enabled simultaneous development of powered flight in the USA and France.
Hargrave and Santos-Dumont were both pacifists and dismayed that the outbreak of World War One accelerated the use of aeroplanes for military use. This ultimately had tragic outcomes for them both.
This digital download of the DVD version follows Hargrave's sixty-five year life and how his un-patented inventions were refined and used by others to create stable and controlled powered flight.
The 41 minute video includes observations from journalist Peter Fitzsimons and scientist Dr.Karl Kruszelnicki - as well as historic footage and photos of Hargrave's designs and models. There is also archive film of early flights by the Wright Brothers and Alberto Santos-Dumont - including the first aerial footage from a powered aircraft.
- Narrator: Peter McCallum
- Director: Geoffrey Sykes