“The sailing flight of birds is the only form of flight which is carried on for some length of time without the expenditure of power.”

—  Otto Lilienthal

The Romance of Aeronautics (1912)

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Otto Lilienthal photo
Otto Lilienthal16
German aviation pioneer 1848–1896

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“By practice and experience a man can (if the wind be of the right strength) imitate the complete sailing flight of birds by availing himself of the slight upward trend of some winds, by performing circling sweeps, and by allowing the air to carry him.”

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