• Introduction and About the Exhibit
• Acknowledgements
• Rights and Reproductions
• Coming to America
• Engineering
• Accomplishments
• Aeronautics
• World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago
• Spreading the Word
• The Next Step
• Building and Testing Gliders
• Lilienthal-Type Machine
• Katydid
• "How Does it Feel to Fly?"
• The Experiments Continued
• 1896 Chanute-Type Biplane
• Would Be Aviators Contacted Him
• The Wright Brothers
• The Last Major Article by Chanute
• Highlights from Aviation History
• Space

Katydid 

The next machine, Chanute’s design of a soaring machine, was the Katydid , a multi-plane glider. It was re-rigged six times; each new experiment preceded by releasing bits of feather-down in front of the machine and watching the path of air currents sweeping past the wings. The most successful wing variation used five sets of wings in the front and one as tail.

Chanute showing off the multi-plane soaring machine “Katydid”. Three-quarter left front view, note that each wing is marked, so that proper records can be made after each new experiment. Photo taken early in September 1896 near Dune Park. Courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institute. Negative 1A-20406 A49477L

Flights Before the Wrights: Octave Chanute, Chicago aeronautical pioneer, engineer, teacher

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