ASK OCE — May 10, 2006 — Vol. 1, Issue 8

One hundred years ago, aviation pioneer Traian Vuia successfully took off and landed in his Vuia 1 airplane.

Vuia, a Romanian who is credited by some with building and flying the first “heavier-than-air” machine to feature a self-contained propulsion system and landing gear, made his historic flight on March 18, 1906 in Montesson, France.

Vuia 1 accelerated on the ground for approximately 50 meters before taking flight at a height of roughly one meter. It flew 12 meters before its propeller stopped and the aircraft touched down.

Vuia went on to build other flying machines, including an early version of a helicopter.