Leading aviation authority Jane's All the World's Aircraft has conceded that the Wright Brothers were not the first to achieve powered flight.
Jane's editor Paul Jackson belives that German emigre Gustave Whitehead flew a heavier-than-air aircraft near Bridport, Connecticut, on August 14, 1901.
Although there have been many rivals for the Wright Brothers' claim, Jane's has always supported the claim, but now has reversed that in light of research by Australian historian John Brown.
In an executive overview written on March 8 this year, Jackson outlined the details of Whitehead's flight in his flyer he called The Condor.
"In the early hours of 14 August 1901, the Condor propelled itself along the darkened streets of Bridgeport, Connecticut, with Whitehead, his staff and an invited guest in attendance. In the still air of dawn, the Condor's wings were unfolded and it took off from open land at Fairfield, 15 miles from the city, and performed two demonstration sorties. The second was estimated as having covered 1½ miles at a height of 50 feet, during which slight turns in both directions were demonstrated."
Evidence of the flight consists of witness statements, lithographs and some very blurry photographs. The Chief Editor of the Bridport Herald was there with a camera, and the photograph taken was used as a basis for a lithograph etching (common practise in those days due to the cost of printing photos). The newspaper, a weekly, reported the flight four days later.
According to Brown, 86 newspapers of the day reported the flight, including in Australia.
John Brown's research, upon which Jane's has relied for its change of heart, can be found on his website here.