Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont dreamed of making flight accessible to the general public. In 1907, he unveiled a design he hoped would meet this goal: a tiny aircraft he called the Demoiselle, or Damselfly. Weighing only 300 pounds, its airframe was compact and easy to build, and served as a viable starting point for budding aviators. By 1910, Popular Mechanics magazine published plans for the latest model of the aircraft with high praise, inspiring a number of early enthusiasts to build their own. In this audio interactive, explore a replica of a 1909 Demoiselle #20 and discover the unique design features of the world’s first ultralight sport plane.
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