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Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat

🇩🇪 Germany ·first flew 1893· glider

🪂 glider no engine
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. -ILA2016- Den Lilienthal-Gleiter von allen Seiten sehen (27294478982): DLR German Aerospace Center· CC BY 2.0
  2. 2. Berlin 2014 -German Museum of Technology- Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat - by-RaBoe 66: © Ra Boe / Wikipedia· CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  3. 3. Lilienthal hang glider: cliff1066™· CC BY 2.0
  4. 4. Lilienthal im unruhigen Gleitflug: Ottomar Anschütz· Public domain
  5. 5. Lilienthal Normal-Segelapparat Glider 1894 LSideFront DMFO 10June2013 (14583537181): Valder137· CC BY 2.0
  6. 6. Lilienthal Normal-Segelapparat Glider 1894 RSideFront DMFO 10June2013 (14586852495): Valder137· CC BY 2.0
  7. 7. Lilienthal steuerte sein Fluggerät durch Verlagern der Beine (27294479082): DLR German Aerospace Center· CC BY 2.0
  8. 8. Lilienthal-Gleiter - Das erste Serienflugzeug der Welt (27116526810): DLR German Aerospace Center· CC BY 2.0
  9. 9. Lilienthal-Glider unter der Kuppel (27294478942): DLR German Aerospace Center· CC BY 2.0
  10. 10. Lilienthal-Normalsegelapparat: Heino Rhoden· CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat, photo 1 of 10
1/10 DLR German Aerospace Center· CC BY 2.0

what is it?

The Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat (German: "Normal soaring apparatus") is a glider designed by Otto Lilienthal in Germany in the late 19th century. It is considered to be the first aeroplane to be serially produced, examples being made between 1893 and 1896. Nine examples are known to have been sold, the buyers including Nikolai Zhukovsky and William Randolph Hearst.

base stats

  • built 10made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 133 years ago, in 1893.

no engine: No engine: it glides on rising air.

spec sheet

first flight
1893
number built
10
role
glider
origin
🇩🇪 Germany
makers
Otto Lilienthal
engines
none (glider)
length
5.3 m
wingspan
6.7 m
top speed
—
range
—

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q1999406, Wikipedia: Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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