Description: (Aerospace engineer, Engineer)
Gustave Albin Whitehead was an aviation pioneer who designed and built gliders, flying machines, and engines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He claimed to have successfully flown a powered machine multiple times in 1901 and 1902, predating the Wright Brothers' famous flights. Despite initial recognition and publicity, Whitehead's reputation declined after 1915. His achievements have sparked ongoing debate among scholars and aviation enthusiasts, with mainstream historians generally dismissing his flight claims as mythical. Enthusiasts have since replicated and flown modernized versions of his aircraft.