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First Motion Picture from an Airplane

Updated: Apr 11, 2020

April in Aviation History:
On April 24, 1909, on a flight Wilbur Wright made in Rome, Italy, the first motion picture from an aircraft was taken.

Wilbur made five flights that day, with King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy present. On one flight his passenger was photographer Frederico Valle, who shot the footage. The “from-the-air” footage was included in a silent film short titled “Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine” by French cinematographic company Société Générale des Cinématographes Eclipse. Most of the film consists of pre-flight shots and views from the ground of the plane in flight. The portion of this film which is shot from the air is only about the last third of the 3:28 long movie, which can be seen in the YouTube video below. (If you want to