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{{short description|German aviation pioneer (1848–1896)}}
{{Use British English |date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Otto Lilienthal
| image         = otto-lilienthal.jpg
| caption       = Lilienthal, {{circa|1895}}
| birth_name    = Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1848|05|23|df=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Anklam]], [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|Province of Pomerania]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Confederation]]
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1896|08|10|1848|05|23|df=y}}
| death_place   = [[Berlin]], [[Province of Brandenburg]], [[Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Empire]]
| death_cause   = [[Cervical fracture]] sustained in a hang glider crash
| resting_place = [[Lankwitz]] Cemetery, Berlin
| nationality   = [[Prussia]]n, [[Germany|German]]
| known_for     = Successful gliding experiments; "Father of Aviation"
| education     = College Mechanical Engineer Major
| occupation    = Engineer
| height        = {{convert|1.88|m}}
| spouse        = {{Marriage|Agnes Fischer|1878|1896}}
| children      = 4<ref name=FamilyTree/>
| relatives     = [[Gustav Lilienthal]] (brother)
| signature     = Unterschrift (1) Otto Lilienthal (1848 -1896).png
}}

'''Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal''' ({{IPA|de|ˈkaʁl ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈʔɔto ˈliːliəntaːl}}; 23 May 1848 – 10 August 1896) was a German pioneer of [[aviation]] who became known as the "flying man".<ref>{{citation |url=https://lilienthal-museum.museumnet.eu/archiv/objekt/15851 |title=Killed In Trying To Fly |work=New York Herald |date=August 12, 1896|access-date=11 June 2019}}</ref> He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with [[Glider (aircraft)|glider]]s,<ref>[http://www.dlr.de/dlr/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10280/385_read-16705/year-all/#/gallery/21944 ''DLR baut das erste Serien-Flugzeug der Welt nach''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126135109/https://www.dlr.de/dlr/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10280/385_read-16705/year-all/#/gallery/21944 |date=26 November 2018 }} 2017. Retrieved: 3 March 2017.</ref> therefore making the idea of [[heavier than air|heavier-than-air aircraft]] a reality. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favourably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical.

Lilienthal's work led to his developing the concept of the modern wing.<ref>{{cite web|author=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum |url=http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/eotto.htm |title=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam |website=Lilienthal-museum.de |date= |access-date=2022-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dlr.de/content/en/dossiers/2019/lilienthal-glider-project.html |title=The Lilienthal glider project – DLR Portal |website=Dlr.de |date= |access-date=2022-03-04 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307224806/https://www.dlr.de/content/en/dossiers/2019/lilienthal-glider-project.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> His flight attempts in 1891 are seen as the beginning of human flight<ref>{{cite web|author=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum |url=http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/e34.htm |title=Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam |website=Lilienthal-museum.de |date= |access-date=2022-03-04}}</ref> and the "[[Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat]]" is considered the first airplane in series production, making the ''Maschinenfabrik Otto Lilienthal'' in [[Berlin]] the first airplane production company in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aeroreport.de/en/good-to-know/like-a-bird |title=Like a bird &#124; MTU AEROREPORT |website=Aeroreport.de |date= |access-date=2022-03-04}}</ref> He has been referred to as the "father of aviation"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dpma.de/english/our_office/publications/milestones/airandspacepioneers/ottolilienthal/index.html |title=DPMA &#124; Otto Lilienthal |website=Dpma.de |date=2021-12-02 |access-date=2022-03-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cobaltrecruitment.co.uk/blog/2017/11/in-perspective-otto-lilienthal|title=In perspective: Otto Lilienthal|website=Cobaltrecruitment.co.uk|access-date=5 March 2022|archive-date=26 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226160700/https://www.cobaltrecruitment.co.uk/blog/2017/11/in-perspective-otto-lilienthal|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/prospero/2011/09/20/remembering-germanys-first-flying-man|title=Remembering Germany's first "flying man"|date=20 September 2011|access-date=5 March 2022|newspaper=[[The Economist]]}}</ref> and "father of flight".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scihi.org/otto-lilienthal-glider-king/ |title=Otto Lilienthal, the Glider King |publisher=SciHi BlogSciHi Blog |date=2020-05-23 |access-date=2022-03-04 |archive-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226135401/http://scihi.org/otto-lilienthal-glider-king/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 9 August 1896, Lilienthal’s glider [[stall (fluid dynamics)|stalled]] and he was unable to regain control. Falling from about {{convert|15|m}}, he broke his neck and died the next day.

==Early life==
Lilienthal was born on 23 May 1848 in [[Anklam]], [[Pomerania Province (1815-1945)|Pomerania Province]], in the German kingdom of [[Prussia]]. His parents were Gustav and Caroline, née Pohle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carnetdevol.org/Otto/naissance.html |title=Carnet De Vol |access-date=2015-02-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923200545/http://www.carnetdevol.org/Otto/naissance.html |archive-date=2015-09-23 }}</ref> He was baptised in the evangelical-lutheran St. Nicholas church<ref>{{cite web |title=St Nicholas' church |url=https://www.ikareum.de/en/st-nicholas-church |website=IKAREUM Lilienthal Flight Museum |access-date=10 August 2020}}</ref> and confirmed in St. Mary's church in Anklam.<ref>{{cite web |title=Confirmation document |url=https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/QYSXTFGIUQQBWKKFPY5WQBHZOHBBMS65 |website=German Digital Library |access-date=27 November 2021 }}<br />Nevertheless, some sources falsely claim him to be Jewish:<br />
*{{cite web |last1=Singer |first1=Isidore |title=LILIENTHAL, OTTO |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9985-lilienthal-otto |website=Jewish Encyclopedia |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=1906 }}
*{{cite web |title=Lindbergh Pays Tribute to the Jewish Avlation Pioneer, Otto Lilienthal |url=https://www.jta.org/1928/08/28/archive/lindbergh-pays-tribute-to-the-jewish-avlation-pioneer-otto-lilienthal |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=August 28, 1928 }}
*{{cite web |last1=Chessin |first1=Judy |title=The man who inspired the Wright brothers |url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/archives/the-man-who-inspired-the-wright-brothers/article_23d69e51-c9bb-5b53-8e13-0ce475300ffa.html |website=Cleveland Jewish News |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=July 3, 2003 }}
*{{cite web |last1=Bush |first1=Lawrence |title=August 9: The Jewish Wright Brothers |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/august-9-the-jewish-wright-brothers/ |website=Jewish Currents |access-date=8 August 2020 |date=August 8, 2013 }}
*{{cite web |last1=Freeman |first1=Tzvi |title=Hang Gliding |url=https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/video_cdo/aid/627342/jewish/Hang-Gliding.htm |website=Chabad.org |access-date=8 August 2020 }}
*{{cite web |last1=Skaldman |first1=Rami |title=The Wright Brother's First Flight |url=http://israelphilately.org.il/en/catalog/articles/751/Wright%20Brothers%27%20Flight |website=Israel Philatelic Federation |access-date=8 August 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415112231/http://israelphilately.org.il/en/catalog/articles/751/Wright%20Brothers%27%20Flight |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lilienthal's middle-class parents had eight children, but only three survived infancy: Otto, [[Gustav Lilienthal|Gustav]], and Marie.<ref>Anderson 2001, p. 156.</ref> The brothers worked together all their lives on technical, social, and cultural projects. Lilienthal attended grammar school and studied the flight of birds with his brother Gustav (1849–1933).<ref>''Encyclopedia of Transportation.'' New York: Rand-McNally, 1977.</ref> Fascinated by the idea of manned flight, Lilienthal and his brother made strap-on wings, but failed in their attempts to fly. He attended the regional technical school in [[Potsdam]] for two years and trained at the Schwarzkopf Company before becoming a professional design engineer. He later attended the [[Technische Hochschule]] in Berlin (now [[Technische Universität Berlin]]).

In 1867, Lilienthal began experiments in earnest on the force of air, but interrupted the work to serve in the [[Franco-Prussian War]]. Returning to civilian life, he was a staff engineer with several engineering companies and received his first patent, for a mining machine. He founded his own company to make boilers and steam engines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/edampf.htm |title=Lilienthal Museum |access-date=2018-06-01}}</ref>

On 6 June 1878, Lilienthal married Agnes Fischer, daughter of a deputy. Music brought them together; she was trained in piano and voice while Lilienthal played the [[French horn]] and had a good [[tenor]] voice.<ref>Anderson 2001, p. 157.</ref> After marriage, they took up residence in Berlin and had four children: Otto, Anna, Fritz, and Frida.<ref name=FamilyTree>[http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Otto_Lilienthal.aspx "Otto Lilienthal."] ''Encyclopedia of World Biography,'' 2004. Retrieved: 7 January 2012.</ref> Lilienthal published his famous book ''Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation'' in 1889.

==Experiments in flight==
[[File:Whitestorkflight.png|thumb|left|Mechanics of [[white stork]] flight in his {{lang|de|Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst}} (1889)]]
Lilienthal's greatest contribution was in the development of heavier-than-air flight. He made his flights from an artificial hill he built near [[Berlin]] and from natural hills, especially in the [[Rhinow]] region.

A U.S. patent filed in 1894 by Lilienthal directed pilots to grip the "bar" for carrying and flying the hang glider.<ref>[https://patents.google.com/patent/US544816 "Flying-Machine Otto Lilienthal.] ''Patents''. Retrieved: 16 November 2012.</ref> The A-frame of [[Percy Pilcher]] and Lilienthal echoes in today's control frame for [[hang gliders]] and [[ultralight trike|ultralight]] aircraft.  Working in conjunction with his brother Gustav, Lilienthal made over 2,000 flights in gliders of his design starting in 1891 with his first glider version, the [[Derwitzer Glider]], until his death in a gliding crash in 1896. His total flying time was five hours.<ref name=Wright>[http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/ewright.htm "From Lilienthal to the Wrights."] ''Otto Lilienthal Museum.''  Retrieved: 8 January 2012.</ref>

[[File:Otto Lilienthal gliding experiment ppmsca.02546.jpg|thumb|Lilienthal in mid-flight, Berlin {{circa|1895}}]]
At the beginning, in the spring of 1891, Lilienthal managed the first jumps and flights on the slope of a sand pit on a hill between the villages of Derwitz and Krielow in [[Havelland]], west of Potsdam ({{coord|52|24|48|N|12|49|22|E|format=dms|display=inline}}). This is the site of man's first flight.<ref name=Dachner>{{cite web |url= https://lilienthal-museum.museumnet.eu/sites/lilienthal-museum.museumnet.eu/files/archivalie/digitalisatepublic/id15751_publik_0.pdf |title= Otto Lilienthals erste Flugversuche in Derwitz/Krielow |last=Dachner |first= Hans-Georg |date=April 2015 |access-date=29 April 2023 |language=de |trans-title= Otto Lilienthal's first flight attempts in Derwitz/Krielow}}</ref> Later he made his flight attempts on an artificial hill near Berlin and above all in the Rhinow Hills. 
In 1891 Lilienthal succeeded with jumps and flights covering a distance of about {{convert|25|m|ft}}. He could use the [[updraft]] of a {{convert|10|m/s|ft/s|adj=on}} wind against a hill to remain stationary with respect to the ground, shouting to a photographer on the ground to manoeuvre into the best position for a photo. In 1893, in the Rhinow Hills, he was able to achieve flight distances as long as {{convert|250|m|ft}}.  This record remained unbeaten for him or anyone else at the time of his death.<ref name=Wright/>

Lilienthal did research in accurately describing the flight of birds, especially [[storks]], and used [[Polar curve (aviation)|polar diagrams]] for describing the [[aerodynamics]] of their wings. He made many experiments in an attempt to gather reliable aeronautical data.

===Projects===
[[File:Lilienthalgleiter modelle.jpg|thumb|Models of his gliders]]
[[File:Lilienthal hang glider.jpg|thumb|Restored 1894 glider displayed at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] It is one of five surviving Lilienthal gliders in the world.]]
[[File:Otto Lilienthal patent DE-1893-84417.png|thumb|1893 patent filing showing bird-wing design for a glider]]
During his short flying career, Lilienthal developed a dozen models of [[monoplane]]s, [[ornithopter|wing flapping aircraft]] and two [[biplane]]s.<ref name=Discovery>[http://www.yourdiscovery.com/flight/pioneers_of_flight/otto_lilienthal/index.shtml "Pioneers of Flight: Otto Lilienthal."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111129125659/http://www.yourdiscovery.com/flight/pioneers_of_flight/otto_lilienthal/index.shtml |date=2011-11-29 }} ''[[Discovery Channel]].'' Retrieved: 8 January 2012.</ref> His gliders were carefully designed to distribute weight as evenly as possible to ensure a stable flight. Lilienthal controlled them by changing the [[center of gravity]] by shifting his body, much like modern [[hang glider]]s.  They were difficult to manoeuvre and had a tendency to pitch down, from which it was difficult to recover.  One reason for this was that he held the glider by his shoulders, rather than hanging from it like a modern hang glider.  Only his legs and lower body could be moved, which limited the amount of weight shift he could achieve.

Lilienthal made many attempts to improve stability with varying degrees of success.  These included making a biplane which halved the wing span for a given wing area, and by having a hinged tailplane that could move upwards to make the flare at the end of a flight easier.  He speculated that flapping wings of birds might be necessary and had begun work on such a powered aircraft.

{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan="8" style="text-align:center;"|Aircraft produced by Otto Lilienthal<ref>Nitsch: Die Flugzeuge von Otto Lilienthal. Anklam 2016. {{ISBN|978-3-941681-88-0}}</ref>
|-
!rowspan=2| Name
!rowspan=2| Date
!colspan=3| Wing
!colspan=2| Glider
!rowspan=2| Notes
|-
! Span<br />([[Foot (unit)|ft]])
! Area<br />([[Square foot|sq ft]])
! Max. length<br />(ft)
! Length<br />(ft)
! Weight<br />(kg)
|-
|align=left| [[Derwitzer Glider]]
| 1891
| 25<br />(later 18)
| 108<br />(later 84)
| 6.6
| 12.8
| 18
|align=left| Wing curvature: 1/10 of length.
|-
|align=left| [[Südende Glider]]
| 1892
| 31
| 158
| 8.2
| 3.3
| 24
|align=left| Wing curvature: 1/20 of length.
|-
|align=left| [[Maihöhe Rhinow Glider]]
| 1893
| 22 or 23
| 150
| 8.2
| 14.3
| 20
|align=left|
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Small Ornithopter|Small Ornithopter]]
| 1893–1896
| 22
| 129
| 8.2
| 5.5
|
|align=left| Weight with CO2 cylinder: 10&nbsp;kg.
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat|Normal soaring apparatus]]
| 1894
| 22–23
| 140–146
| 7.9 / 8.2
| 16.1 – 17.4
| 20
|align=left| At least nine gliders sold.<br />Original gliders or fragments are preserved in museums in London, Moscow, Munich and Washington.
|-
|align=left| [[Sturmflügelmodell]]
| 1894
| 20
| 104
| 6.6
| 14.8
|
|align=left| Original can be seen at the [[Technisches Museum Wien]].
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Vorflügelapparat|Experimental Monoplane "Vorflügelapparat"]]
| 1895
| 29
| 204
| 9.8
| 18.4
|
|align=left|
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Small Biplane|Small Biplane]]
| 1895
| 19.7 / 17.1
| 104 / 105
| 7.2 / 6.9
| 15.7
|
|align=left|
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Large Biplane|Large Biplane]]
| 1895
| 21.6 / 20.7
| 146 / 112
| 7.5 / 7.5
| 16.1
|
|align=left|
|-
|align=left| [[Lilienthal Big Ornithopter|Big Ornithopter]]
| 1896
| 27.9
| 188
| 8.2
| 17.4
|
|align=left|
|}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13741, Gustav Lilienthal und Paul Baylich.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The unveiling ceremony of the new monument in Berlin. Gustav (left) and Paul Baylich, August 1932]]

While his lifelong pursuit was flight, Lilienthal was also an inventor and devised a small engine that worked on a system of tubular [[boiler]]s.<ref>[http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/edampf.htm "Documentation of the only preserved Lilienthal engine"] ''Otto Lilienthal Museum.'' Retrieved: 12 February 2018.</ref> His engine was much safer than the other small engines of the time. This invention gave him the financial freedom to focus on [[aviation]]. His brother Gustav (1849–1933) was living in [[Australia]] at the time, and Lilienthal did not engage in aviation experiments until his brother's return in 1885.<ref>Runge and Lukasch: Erfinderleben. Die Brüder Otto und Gustav Lilienthal. Berlin 2007. {{ISBN|978-3-8333-0467-5}}</ref>

There are 25 known Lilienthal patents.<ref>[http://lilienthal-museum.museumnet.eu/archiv?field_archivalie_objekt_tid=139&field_archivalie_urheber_tid=2048&field_archivalie_titel_value= "Patent archives of the Museum."] ''Otto Lilienthal Museum.'' Retrieved: 12 February 2018.</ref>

===Test locations===
Lilienthal performed his first gliding attempts in the spring of 1891 at the so-called "Spitzer Berg" near to the villages of Krielow and Derwitz, west of Potsdam.<ref name=Dachner/><ref>Seifert and Waßermann: Otto Lilienthal. Leben und Werk. Eine Biographie. Hamburg 1992: pp.&nbsp;62–65. {{ISBN|3-924562-02-4}}</ref>

In 1892, Lilienthal's training area was a hill formation called "Maihöhe" in [[Berlin-Steglitz|Steglitz]], Berlin. He built a {{Convert|4|m|ft}} high shed, in the shape of a tower, on top of it. This way, he obtained a "jumping off" place {{Convert|10|m|ft}} high. The shed served also for storing his apparatus.<ref name="The Flying Man">Chanute, O. [http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Lilienthal_Flying.html "The Flying Man."] ''Progress in Flying Machines.'' Retrieved: 16 November 2012.</ref>

In 1893, Lilienthal also started to perform gliding attempts in the "Rhinower Berge", at the "Hauptmannsberg" near to Rhinow and later, in 1896, at the "Gollenberg" near to Stölln.<ref>Seifert and Waßermann: Otto Lilienthal. Leben und Werk. Eine Biographie. Hamburg 1992: pp.&nbsp;73–80. {{ISBN|3-924562-02-4}}</ref>

In 1894, Lilienthal built an artificial conical hill near his home in [[Lichterfelde (Berlin)|Lichterfelde]], called ''[[:de:Fliegeberg|Fliegeberg]]'' (lit. fly hill).<ref>[http://journeytoberlin.com/content/the-man-who-jumped-off-hills-otto-lilienthals-fliegerberg "The man who jumped off hills: Otto Lilienthal's Fliegerberg."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105004039/http://www.journeytoberlin.com/content/the-man-who-jumped-off-hills-otto-lilienthals-fliegerberg |date=2012-11-05 }} ''journeytoberlin.com.'' Retrieved: 8 January 2012.</ref> It allowed him to launch his gliders into the wind no matter which direction it was coming from.<ref name=Discovery/> The hill was {{Convert|15|m|ft}} high. There was a regular crowd of people that were interested in seeing his gliding experiments.<ref>Shlomovitz, Netanel. [http://www.iaf.org.il/5642-35964-en/IAF.aspx "Before the Beginning."] ''Israeli Air Force.'' Retrieved: 8 January 2012.</ref>

In 1932, the Fliegeberg was redesigned by a Berlin architect [[:de:Fritz Freymüller|Fritz Freymüller]] as a memorial to Lilienthal.<ref>[http://www.berlin.de/mauer/mauerweg/lichtenrade_lichterfelde/index.en.php "From Lichtenrade to Lichterfelde Süd" (in German)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121184354/http://www.berlin.de/mauer/mauerweg/lichtenrade_lichterfelde/index.en.php |date=2012-01-21 }} ''Berlin.de.'' Retrieved: 8 January 2012.</ref> On top of the hill was built a small temple-like construction, consisting of pillars supporting a slightly sloping round roof. Inside is placed a silver globe inscribed with particulars of famous flights.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1038/130270b0|title = Monument to Otto Lilienthal|journal = Nature|volume = 130|issue = 3277|page = 270|year = 1932|bibcode = 1932Natur.130R.270.|doi-access = free}}</ref> Lilienthal's brother Gustav and the old mechanic and assistant Paul Baylich attended the unveiling ceremony on 10 August 1932 (36 years after Otto's death).

==Worldwide notice==
Reports of Lilienthal's flights spread in Germany and elsewhere, with photographs appearing in scientific and popular publications.<ref name=noextlinkspls/> Among those who photographed him were [[History of photography|pioneers]] such as [[Ottomar Anschütz]] and American [[physicist]] [[Robert Williams Wood]]. He soon became known as the "father of flight" as he had successfully controlled a heavier-than-air aircraft in sustained flight.

Lilienthal was a member of the ''[[Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt]]'', and regularly detailed his experiences in articles in its journal, the ''Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt und Physik der Atmosphäre'', and in the popular weekly publication ''Prometheus''. These were translated in the United States, France and Russia. Many people from around the world came to visit him, including [[Samuel Pierpont Langley]] from the United States, Russian [[Nikolai Yegorovich Zhukovsky|Nikolai Zhukovsky]], Englishman [[Percy Pilcher]] and Austrian [[Wilhelm Kress]]. Zhukovsky wrote that Lilienthal's flying machine was the most important invention in the aviation field. Lilienthal corresponded with many people, among them [[Octave Chanute]], James Means, [[Alois Wolfmüller]] and other [[List of aviation pioneers|flight pioneers]].

==Final flight==
On 9 August 1896, Lilienthal went, as on previous weekends, to the Rhinow Hills. The day was very sunny and not too hot (about 20&nbsp;°C, or 68&nbsp;°F). The first flights were successful, reaching a distance of {{Convert|250|m|ft}} in his normal glider. During the fourth flight Lilienthal's glider pitched upward and then headed down quickly.  (It is believed that his glider stalled.) Lilienthal had previously had difficulty in recovering from this position because the glider relied on weight shift which was difficult to achieve when pointed at the ground.  His attempts failed and he fell from a height of about {{Convert|15|m|ft}}, while still in the glider.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harsch |first1=Viktor |first2=Benny |last2=Bardrum |first3=Petra |last3=Illig |title=Lilienthal's Fatal Glider Crash in 1896: Evidence Regarding the Cause of Death |journal=[[Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine]] |volume=79 |issue=101 |date=October 2008 |pages=993–994 |doi=10.3357/ASEM.2283.2008 |pmid=18856192 }}</ref>

Paul Beylich, Lilienthal's glider mechanic, transported him by horse-drawn carriage to [[Stölln]], where he was examined by a physician. Lilienthal had a fracture of the [[Cervical vertebra 3|third cervical vertebra]] and soon became unconscious. Later that day he was transported in a cargo train to [[Berlin Hauptbahnhof|Lehrter train station]] in [[Berlin]], and the next morning to the clinic of [[Ernst von Bergmann]], one of the most famous and successful surgeons in Europe at the time. Lilienthal died there a few hours later (about 36 hours after the crash).

There are differing accounts of Lilienthal's last words. A popular account, inscribed on his tombstone, is "{{Lang|de|Opfer müssen gebracht werden!}}" ("Sacrifices must be made!"). The director of the Otto Lilienthal Museum doubts that these were his last words.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Reichhardt |first=Tony |url=http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/last-words-otto-lilienthal-180960084/ |title=The Last Words of Otto Lilienthal |journal=[[Air & Space/Smithsonian]] |date=August 10, 2016 |access-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> Otto Lilienthal was buried at [[Lankwitz]] public cemetery in Berlin.

[[Guinness World Records]] recognizes Otto Lilienthal as the first person recorded to be fatally injured in a glider accident.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guinness World Records - First glider pilot fatality |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/107424-first-glider-pilot-fatality }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Lilienthal's research was well known to the [[Wright brothers]], and they credited him as a major inspiration for their decision to pursue manned flight. They abandoned his aeronautical data after two seasons of gliding and began using their own wind tunnel data.<ref>Crouch 1989, pp. 226–228.</ref>

[[File:Aviation Pioneer Lilienthal Bronze Plaque..jpg|right|thumb|upright|Bronze plaque medal of Stölln, where Lilienthal had his fatal accident]]
[[File:Lmom.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Lilienthal monument, Berlin 2006]]

{{blockquote|Of all the men who attacked the flying problem in the 19th century, Otto Lilienthal was easily the most important.&nbsp;... It is true that attempts at gliding had been made hundreds of years before him, and that in the nineteenth century, [[George Cayley|Cayley]], [[Charles Green Spencer|Spencer]], [[Francis Herbert Wenham|Wenham]], [[Louis Pierre Mouillard|Mouillard]], and many others were reported to have made feeble attempts to glide, but their failures were so complete that nothing of value resulted.|source=Wilbur Wright<ref>''Aero Club of America Bulletin'', September 1912.</ref>}}

Before its closure in 2020, Berlin's then busiest airport, [[Berlin Tegel Airport|Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport]], was named after him.<ref name="SCM">{{cite news |title=Postmarks: Otto Lilienthal|work=Stamp and Coin Mart |publisher=Warners Group Publications |date=February 2018 |page=31}}</ref>

In September 1909, Orville Wright was in Germany making demonstration flights at [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport|Tempelhof]] aerodrome. He paid a call to Lilienthal's widow and, on behalf of himself and Wilbur, paid tribute to Lilienthal for his influence on aviation and on their own initial experiments in 1899.

In 1938 the Federation Aviation Internationale (FAI) created an annual award called the [[Lilienthal Gliding Medal]] for a recent outstanding achievement in gliding.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fai.org/news/80-years-tradition-and-new-award-prestigious-awards-fai-gliding-commission-igc |title=80 Years of Tradition and a New Award - Prestigious Awards from the FAI Gliding Commission (IGC) |date=3 August 2017 |publisher=[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] |access-date=6 October 2025}}</ref>  

In 1972, Lilienthal was inducted into the [[International Air & Space Hall of Fame]].<ref>Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. ''These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame''. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-57864-397-4}}.</ref>

In 2013, American aviation magazine ''[[Flying (magazine)|Flying]]'' ranked Lilienthal No. 19 on their list of the "51 Heroes of Aviation".<ref>[http://www.flyingmag.com/photo-gallery/photos/51-heroes-aviation?pnid=41832 "51 Heroes of Aviation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917080110/http://www.flyingmag.com/photo-gallery/photos/51-heroes-aviation?pnid=41832 |date=17 September 2021 }} ''Flying''. Retrieved: March 24, 2019</ref>

A [[German Air Force]] tanker, [[Airbus A310 MRTT]] registration 10–24, has been named "Otto Lilienthal" in his honour.

The [[Lilium Jet]], a prototype German [[EVTOL|electric vertical take-off and landing]] (eVTOL) electrically powered airplane and the company which designed it, [[Lilium GmbH]], were named after him.<ref>{{cite news | title=Successful test flight brings Lilium electric air taxis closer to reality | author=Hodgetts, Rob | date=25 April 2017 | publisher=CNN | url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/25/aviation/lilium-electric-vtol-jet/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://freigeist.com/posts/lilium-ipo/ | title=Freigeist Capital | date=30 March 2021 }}</ref>

An authentic replica of the ''Normalsegelapparat'' made by the [[Otto Lilienthal Museum]] has been investigated by the [[German Aerospace Center]] in [[wind tunnel]] and flight tests. The results prove that the glider is stable in pitch and roll and can be flown safely at moderate altitudes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Raffel |first1=Markus |first2=Felix |last2=Wienke |first3=Andreas |last3=Dillmann |title= Flight Testing Stability and Controllability Otto Lilienthal's Monoplane Design from 1893 |journal=[[Journal of Aircraft]] |volume=56 |issue=4 |date=July 2019 |pages=1735–42 |doi=10.2514/6.2019-2815|s2cid=197452838 |url=https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.C035399 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>[https://www.dlr.de/content/en/videos/video-first-flight-replica-otto-lilienthal-s-biplane-glider.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705195110/https://www.dlr.de/content/en/videos/video-first-flight-replica-otto-lilienthal-s-biplane-glider.html|date=5 July 2022}} Video of the first flight of the replica of Otto Lilienthal’s biplane glider Retrieved: 15. Febr. 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0Pt08CUyGM | title=Otto Lilienthal: "FIRST IN FLIGHT" – 7 Sekunden für die Ewigkeit | website=[[YouTube]] | date=March 2021 }}</ref>

In 1989, a Soviet-era [[Ilyushin]] [[Ilyushin Il-62|IL-62]] passenger jet was flown to Gollenberg, and landed in a nearby field. It now serves as a museum of early flight, and has been named 'Frau Agnes' (German for Lady Agnes), after Lilienthal's wife. The back of the aircraft operates as a registry office, decorated for marriages. The jet previously served with East Germany's state airline [[Interflug]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Remembering Germany's first "flying man" |url=https://www.economist.com/prospero/2011/09/20/remembering-germanys-first-flying-man |access-date=2024-01-23 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* Lilienthal was featured on a commemorative postmark in [[Berlin]] in 1953.<ref name="SCM" />
* Lilienthal plays a major part (''[[wikt:in absentia|in absentia]]'') in [[Theodora Goss]]'s short story "The Wings of Meister Wilhelm," nominated for a [[World Fantasy Award]] and published in her anthology ''In the Forest of Forgetting''.
* A Lilienthal glider serves as a major plot element in Paul Gazis's [[Webserial]] "The Airship Flying Cloud, R-505".<ref>[http://airships.paulgazis.com/004/FlyingCloud004.htm "The Airship Flying Cloud, R-505."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907150547/http://airships.paulgazis.com/004/FlyingCloud004.htm |date=7 September 2011 }} ''airships.paulgazis.com.'' Retrieved: 16 November 2012.</ref>
* "Lilienthals Traum" ("Lilienthal's Dream") is a song by [[Reinhard Mey]] that charts Lilienthal's flights and death.<ref>[http://www.reinhard-mey.de/start/texte/alben/lilienthals-traum. Mey, Reinhard, lyrics: 'Lilienthals Traum'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304110022/http://www.reinhard-mey.de/start/texte/alben/lilienthals-traum. |date=2016-03-04 }} ''Reinhard Mey.'' Retrieved: 21 December 2016.</ref>
* "[[Lilienthal Berlin]]" is a German watch brand named after Otto Lilienthal <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lilienthal.berlin/|title=Lilienthal Berlin – Preisgekrönte Designeruhren|website=Lilienthal.berlin|access-date=5 March 2022}}</ref>

==Gallery==
Lilienthal was regularly joined by photographers at his request. Most of them are well known, like [[Ottomar Anschütz]]. Lilienthal also took his own photographs of his flying machines after 1891.<ref name=foto>Lukasch, Bernd. [http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/efoto.htm "Lilienthal and Photography."] ''Otto Lilienthal Museum.'' Retrieved: 13 January 2012.</ref> There are at least 145 known photographs documenting his test flights, some of excellent quality. All of them are available online at the Otto Lilienthal Museum website. The only negatives, preserved in the [[Deutsches Museum]] in Munich, were destroyed during [[World War II]].<ref name=noextlinkspls>[http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/ebarchi.htm "Lilienthal Photo archives."] ''Otto Lilienthal Museum.'' Retrieved: 13 January 2012.</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:MuehlenbergDerwitz.jpg|Flight attempt of Lilienthal on the [[Derwitzer Glider]],<br />Derwitz, 1891
File:Otto is going to fly.jpg|Lilienthal preparing for a Small Ornithopter flight,<br />16 August 1894
File:More_otho_flying.JPG|''Vorflügelapparat'',<br />29 May 1895
File:Lilienthal in flight.jpg|[[Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat|Normal soaring apparatus]] with the enlarged tail,<br />29 June 1895
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
* [[Lilienthal Gliding Medal]]
* [[Otto Lilienthal Museum]]
* [[Aviation history]]
* [[Albrecht Berblinger]]
* [[Abbas Ibn Firnas]]
* [[George Cayley]]
* [[Jean-Marie Le Bris]]
* [[John Joseph Montgomery]]
* [[German inventors and discoverers]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
* Anderson, John D. ''A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines.'' Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2001, First edition 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-521-66955-9}}.
* Crouch, Tom D. ''The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright''. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989. {{ISBN|0-393-30695-X}}.
* Jarret, Philip. "Soaring Inspiration: Otto Lilienthal's Influence in Britain". ''[[Air Enthusiast]]'', No. 65, September–October 1996, pp.&nbsp;2–7. {{ISSN|0143-5450}}.
* Lilienthal, Otto. [http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/e6.htm ''Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation.'']  First edition, 1911 reprinted 2001: {{ISBN|0-938716-58-1}}. (Translation from German edition, Berlin 1889: [http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/6.htm ''Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst''] reprinted 2003: {{ISBN|3-9809023-8-2}}.)
* Nitsch, Stephan. ''Vom Sprung zum Flug (From the jump to the flight)''. Berlin, Brandenburgisches Verlagshaus, 1991. {{ISBN|3-327-01090-0}}. Modified second edition: ''Die Flugzeuge von Otto Lilienthal.  Technik – Dokumentation – Rekonstruktion. (The airplanes of Otto Lilienthal. Technique – Documentation – Reconstruction)''. Otto-Lilienthal-Museum Anklam, 2016. {{ISBN|978-3-941681-88-0}}.

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|v=no|n=no|s=no|b=no}}
* [http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/ebiog.htm Biography] / [http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/estamm.htm family tree] of Otto Lilienthal
* [http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/inventors/i/Lilienthal/library/Prog_Lilienthal_Flying.html Lilienthal's appendix] from Chanute's book ''Progress in Flying Machines'' 1893.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060219041804/http://firstflight.open.ac.uk/liliienthal/lilienthal.html   Movies and simulations]
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200210.html "Lilienthal in England"] a 1967 ''Flight'' article
* {{Answers.com|otto-lilienthal}}
*Otto Lilienthal (1889) [http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/eng_tech/id/3596 ''Der Vogelflug als Grundlage der Fliegekunst''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029112335/http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/eng_tech/id/3596 |date=29 October 2020 }} – digital facsimile from [[Linda Hall Library]]
*Otto Lilienthal (1911) [http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/eng_tech/id/3597 ''Birdflight as the basis of aviation, compiled from the results of numerous experiments made by O. and G. Lilienthal''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309170457/http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/eng_tech/id/3597 |date=9 March 2016 }} – digital facsimile from [[Linda Hall Library]]
* {{PM20|FID=pe/011448}}

{{Lilienthal aircraft}}
{{Aviators killed in early aviation accidents}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents before 1920}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Germany}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilienthal, Otto}}
[[Category:Otto Lilienthal| ]]
[[Category:1848 births]]
[[Category:1896 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century German aviation]]
[[Category:19th-century German inventors]]
[[Category:Technische Universität Berlin alumni]]
[[Category:Aviation inventors]]
[[Category:German aviation pioneers]]
[[Category:Engineers from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]]
[[Category:German aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:German aviation record holders]]
[[Category:German glider pilots]]
[[Category:Glider flight record holders]]
[[Category:Inventors killed by their own invention]]
[[Category:People from Anklam]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Pomerania]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1896]]
[[Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany]]