A New Biography for Young Readers: The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont

By S. Mark Rhodes

Santos-Dumont helped make aviation into a spectator sport in the early 20th century (Abrams)Alberto Santos-Dumont is the most influential early aviation pioneer you (probably) never heard of; equally urbane and enigmatic, Santos-Dumont lived like a character out of a Jules Verne novel, taking his flying machines out to shop, have coffee (with his good friend Louis Cartier with whom he helped develop one of the first popular wristwatches) or for a quick trip around the Eiffel Tower.

Santos-Dumont’s charming, full life and contributions to aviation are well chronicled in Victoria Griffith’s The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont (Abrams Books for Young Readers).  Ms. Griffith was nice enough to correspond with In Flight USA’s Mark Rhodes about (among other things) her book, Santos-Dumont’s life and times, the illustrations of her artist collaborator Eva Montanari and whether Santos-Dumont would have been good company.

In Flight USA: How did you first hear of Alberto Santos-Dumont?

“When I was living in Brazil, I’d heard Alberto Santos-Dumont mentioned as the ‘Father of Flight’. But it wasn’t until my daughter Sophia was in elementary school that I realized how controversial the story of the airplane’s invention still is. Sophia was told by her American teachers that the Wright brothers flew the first plane. My Brazilian husband was adamant that Santos-Dumont was the airplane’s creator. The more I looked into the story, the more I became fascinated by his life and contributions to aviation. Besides inventing airplanes, he was the only person ever to have used an airship to run daily errands.”

IF USA: Despite his accomplishments Alberto Santo-Dumonto is not terribly well known in this part of the world.  

“Outside of Brazil, that’s true! And it’s one of the things that intrigued me, because when he flew his plane in 1906, he was one of the most famous men in the world. Bakers in Paris used to make cookies and cakes in the shape of his dirigibles! The Times of London confidently proclaimed that Santos-Dumont’s name would never be forgotten. That his fame faded so quickly made me think about how fleeting stardom can be. I also wonder how much nationalism and patriotism play a role in our view of history.”

Santos-Dumont helped make aviation into a spectator sport in the early 20th century (Abrams)IF USA:  Do you think a young reader format is particularly good for telling the story of Santos-Dumont?

“What child hasn’t dreamed of being able to fly? I think the appeal of Santos-Dumont is that he created and flew his airships for the fun of it. From the beginning, the Wright brothers thought of their airplane as a way to make money. That’s why they were so secretive about their invention, and why, when Santos-Dumont flew his plane in 1906, no one in Europe and few in the US had even heard of the Wright brothers. Alberto never made money on his inventions. When he won a competition in 1901 for flying his dirigible around the Eiffel Tower in record time, he gave the prize money to his workers and the poor of Paris.”

IF USA: How did you collaborate with Eva Montanari?

“My editors at Abrams selected Eva for the book, after I had written it. When I got the news, I immediately went online to view her work. I was so excited! I think she’s an incredibly talented artist.”

IF USA: Do you think Santos-Dumont would have been good company? Do you think you would have liked him?

“I certainly would have liked to attend some of his dinner parties! He used to set up tables for guests that were elevated off the floor. The servers had to climb steps with their trays. It was all so that people could get the impression of flight, of towering over the world. I think he was a very generous person and genuinely wanted to give us all the gift of flight. But I don’t think I would have been one of his best buddies. Like many celebrities today, he was a very private person and was close to just a few people in his life.”

For more on Ms. Griffith see www.victoriagriffith.com

For more on illustrator Eva Montanari see www.evamontanari.com