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Ferdinand Ferber (1862-1909) is little known among the precursors of French aviation. While his aeronautical work covers only a decade, it remains of fundamental importance because he was the first Frenchman to have understood the significance of the test flights of Otto Lilienthal which were the inspiration for his first aircraft. In his desire to create a public opinion in favour of aviation, he devoted himself tirelessly to his writings, to his lectures, and especially to his experiments in public. He tried also to enter into relationship with all those working on heavier than air models. That is how he came into contact with Octave Chanute and the Wright brothers. His untimely death, just after the?publication of his remarkable L'Aviation, brought to a close the era of the heavier-than-air precursors.