The du Temple Monoplane was a large aeroplane made of aluminium, built in Brest, France, by naval officer Félix du Temple in 1874.
It had a wingspan of 13 m (43 ft) and weighed of only 80 kg (180 lb) without the pilot.
Several trials were made with the aircraft, and it is generally recognized that it achieved lift-off - described by Dollfus as "short hop or leap" and in Flight International as "staggered briefly into the air" - (from a combination of its own power and running down an inclined ramp), glided for a short time and returned safely to the ground, making it the first successful powered flight in history though not the first self-powered one.
It was displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle ("World Fair") in Paris.
Read more about Du Temple Monoplane: Steam Engine
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