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So, if in fact Whitehead did make the world's first controlled, sustained" flight in a heavier than air flying machine, why has he never received the credit for it? Below are some of the most commonly understood reasons for why his claim was never met with wealth, fame, glory and a spot in the history books.

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There are probably many reasons that Gustave Whitehead, like so many pioneering inventors never acheived any recognition for his work. His profound disorganization: Here was a man who kept no records of any business or technical transactions he made. His goal was to fly, not to be recorded as the first to fly, thus keeping track of times, lengths and heights or making sure there were records on photograph were not the priority of his work. All witnesses, save his assistants, were accidental, he did not even make sure that his wife was present at any of his August 14 flights. His extreme poverty: All of Whitehead’s money went to the construction of his heavier than air flying machines - an editor of the Bridgeport Post who knew Whitehead said of him, “Let Whitehead earn two dollars and a half - enough to purchase a block of steel, and he was off again on his favorite hobby of constructing airplanes.” He certainly wouldn’t have been able to afford to patent his invention even if that had been his goal.

He was far ahead of his time: The public was skeptical - not only of Whitehead’s work, but also of the latecoming Wright brothers. The American patents office rejected the first patent application put forward by the Wrights - exclaiming that their invention contravened the known laws of science - it wasn’t until five years later, after a court battle that their patent was accepted. It wasn’t until 1910 that public interest really peaked in this “new technology” and people began to accept that human flight was possible. He was dissatisfied with his own work: He was never satisfied with these short flights and bumpy rides and did not see what he had done as success. Therefore, he did little to publicize his work, feeling that it all fell short of his own expectations.