Chanute, Octave (1832–1910)

French-born US aerial navigator whose family emigrated to the USA in 1838. He conducted the first scientific experiments in America on gliding in 1896–97, and then built a biplane glider that the Wright Brothers used as a model for their first glider. He also wrote pioneering works about the engineering and navigational problems of flight.

He was born in Paris, France. He had a successful career as a civil engineer, building iron rail bridges.