The Lilienthal glider project
Lilienthal's biplane glider in flight
The aircraft travelled up to 100 metres – from the dunes to the ocean.
Flow test in the wind tunnel
The Lilienthal construction must be proven in flow tests inside the DNW wind tunnel in the Netherlands, Marknesse. In the lower left corner of the image is the angle of alignment of the front of the glider with the wind. The CP scale on the right side describes the air resistance.
One hundred and twenty-five years of human flight. Otto Lilienthal was a pioneer of aeronautics. He was the first to recognise and document that a curved wing can generate more lift than a flat one – possibly even over twice as much. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) reconstructed his 'normal glider' in accordance with the original plans. The DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology investigated the aerodynamic properties of the first series-produced aircraft in a wind tunnel and was able to confirm Lilienthal as the forefather of modern aeronautics.
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Jens WucherpfennigCorporate Communications, Göttingen and HanoverGerman Aerospace Center (DLR)
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