Wilhelm Kress was a pioneer in aviation

Aviation

Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

s and constructor of aircraft.

Life

Kress came to Vienna in 1873, where he developed the first modern delta-flying hang glider in 1877. This hang-glider was a major achievement for the time, where many engineers still struggled with "heavier than air"-developments of non-motorised airvehicles.

During the turn of the century he was one of the world-wide contestors for break-through motor aircraft. In 1900 he developed the stick control for aircraft but did not apply for a patent. (Instead, a patent was awarded to the French aviator, Robert Esnault-Pelterie

Robert Esnault-Pelterie

Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Pelterie was a pioneering French aircraft designer and spaceflight theorist. He was born in Paris, the son of a textile industrialist...

 who applied for it in 1907.) Kress' aircraft, the Drachenflieger, was constructed for water takeoff and made a first successful attempt (it was not a controlled flight like the one of the Wright brothers

Wright brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...

 in 1903, but more or less larger 'hops') in 1901 at the Wienerwaldsee

Wienerwaldsee

The Wienerwaldsee is a shallow reservoir, located 20 kilometres west of Vienna, Austria.It is located just north of Austria's main motorway, the West Autobahn, between Tullnerbach and Neu-Purkersdorf. It was created over three years, 1895-1897, by damming the Wienfluss and letting it fill the...

 near Vienna. A controlled longer flight was not possible because the engine (made by Daimler

Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was a German engine and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, it was based first in Cannstatt...

) was twice as heavy as Kress had specified in his order, and could be operated only at half of its nominal power output. During one of his attempts at flight taking off from water, his plane was destroyed when it became entangled on debris floating in the lake.

See also

• Wright brothers
  Wright brothers
  The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
  
  
• Aviation
  Aviation
  Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
  
  
• List of Austrian scientists
• List of Austrians