demonstrated the extraordinary stability of the D.5 to an amazed audience that
Among the legendary flying machines, the Dunne
D.5 was an experimental aircraft built in the United Kingdom in 1910. Designed
by British John William Dunne (1875-1949)
and built by Short Brothers, it was a swept wing tailless biplane. The D.5 took
off under its own power on its first attempt, piloted by Dunne himself on 11
March 1910. It proved to be aerodynamically stable in flight, and was one of
the first fixed-wing aircraft ever to do so; it was an airplane fare ahead of
its time. On 20 December 1910, Dunne
demonstrated the extraordinary stability of the D.5 to an amazed audience that
included Orville Wright. He continued his design efforts for
another three years.