31 July – In a 7½-hour flight from Berlin-Tempelhof to Briesen, Germany, German meteorologists Arthur Berson and Reinhard Süring climb to 10,800 meters (35,433 feet) in the free balloon Preussen, setting a world altitude record for human flight which will stand until 27 May 1931.[5]
3 October – Wilhelm Kress trials his Drachenflieger twin-hulled tandem triplaneseaplane, the first powered marine aircraft, in Austria-Hungary. It begins to become airborne when Kress slows and tries to turn to avoid an obstruction, capsizing the aircraft.[7]
29 October – The Aero Club of the United Kingdom, predecessor of the Royal Aero Club, is established.[9]
22 November – The Wright brothers begin wind tunnel experiments at Dayton, Ohio, to optimise the wing design of what will become their 1902 glider. During their experiments, which last into December, they will in essence develop the modern understanding of aerodynamics.[10]
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 15.
^Layman, R.D., Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1989, ISBN0-87021-210-9, p. 17.
^Crouch, Tom, The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989, p. 207.
^Crouch, Tom, The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1989, p. 208.