Karl Jatho

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Karl Jatho (February 3, 1873 - December 8, 1933) was a German pioneer and inventor, performer and public servant of the city of Hanover.

Karl Jathos Zweidecker I, 1903

On August 18, 1903 he flew with his self-made motored gliding airplane 4 months before the first flight of the Wright Brothers. His first attempts he made with a plane having three lifting surfaces, but switched to two surfaces soon. They were modelled after the Zanonia seed, a seed that was known for its gliding capability. In contrast to the Wright Brother's planes, the wings were flat in profile and not curved.

He had four witnesses for his flight. In November 1903 he flew for nearly 200 feet at the altitude of 18 feet but just as Gustave Whitehead his flight is considered a non-controlled flight.

Karl Jathos Zweidecker I, front view, 1903

The plane was equipped with a single-cylinder 10 horsepower (7.5 kW) Buchet engine driving a two-bladed pusher propeller and made hops of up to 200 ft (60 m), flying up to 10 ft (3 m) high. In comparison Orville Wright's first controlled flight four months later was of 36 m (120 ft) in 12 seconds although Wilbur flew 59 seconds and 852 ft later that same day.

He founded a flying school and a plane factory, but did not have much success.