In 1910, Harry Houdini magically flew over a field near Melbourne, Australia. OK, he was in an airplane. But I hadn't known that the great magician was an aviation enthusiast. Houdini's demonstration was the first heavier-than-air flight in Australia. Apparently, it was a real nail-biter that ended in success. Now, Smithsonian Air & Space reports on the effort to find Houdini's plane, if it still exists.
He flew a Voisin biplane that he'd bought in Germany the year before. Powered by a British ENV engine capable of 60 to 80 horsepower, it sailed over trees, rocks, and fences, reported the Melbourne Argus, then wavered slightly. "Ah! Cabre, cabre!" shouted Antonio Brassac, Houdini's French mechanic. "The word signifies the action of a rearing horse," continued the Argus, "and it indicates that the plane, like the horse, will almost inevitably come to grief."
