Alberto santos-dumont was one of a handful of aviators who were equally at home in balloons and aeroplanes. Having designed, built and flown the world’s first practical dirigibles, he convincingly proved that routine, controlled flight was possible, thus conquering the air. As if that were not enough, he also made one of the first public demonstrations of a heavier-than-air powered aircraft, becoming a worldwide celebrity.

Born in Palmira, Brazil on July 20, 1873, Santos-Dumont once wrote that the dream of flying came to him while contemplating the magnificent skies of Brazil during the long, sunny afternoons at the family coffee plantation. In 1891, Alberto’s family moved to Europe and he continued his studies in Paris. Paris was the centre of world aeronautical activity at the time. Santos-Dumont soon began a long association with balloons—first as a passenger, then as a pilot and finally as a designer. In 1898, he flew his first balloon creation, the Brésil. However, he did not fancy drifting wherever the wind might take him, so he switched to steerable (or dirigible) balloons, later called airships.

Santos-Dumont set his heart on the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize offered to the first person to fly from St. Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in under 30 minutes. The winner needed to maintain an average ground speed of at least 22 km/hour to cover the distance in the specified time. On October 19, 1901, after several trials and attempts, he achieved the feat using his cigar-shaped dirigible, Number 6, marking the peak of his lighter-than-air exploits. First to own a personal flying machine in which he could roam at will, he reportedly kept his dirigible tethered to a gas lamppost in front of his Paris apartment and would fly to go shopping, or visit friends, besides navigating every night to his favourite restaurant for dinner. Over a span of seven years, he built and flew 11 dirigibles, some engine powered and some pedal powered, that displayed unmatched agility, speed, endurance and ease of control.