Man Won't Fly For 50 Years
Dave Hanks
January 12, 2002
800 Words
Orville and Wilbur Wright were ordinary men with an extraordinary desire. They wanted to fly.
"If God had wanted man to fly, He would have given him wings," doubters scoffed. Others just thought they were lunatics. Wilbur wrote to Samuel Langley the director of the Smithsonian Institution who was known to be working on a flying machine, "I believe that simple flight at least is possible to man. I am an enthusiast, but not a crank. I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then if possible add my bit."
Orville and Wilbur went right to work on developing their own flying machines. They tested many of their theories and designs on gliders, but what they really wanted was a self-powered flying machine.
Wilbur watched how birds used their wings, and applied that information to his own wing design. Together, he and Orville built a small wind tunnel to test many different shapes that were scale models of the actual wings that would eventually be on the flying machine. At length, they found a design that would be able to lift the aircraft in a strong wind.
In order to turn their glider into a true flying machine, however, it would have to be able to make itself fly. This meant that it needed a motor for power and a way to harness that power to propel itself forward.
Unable to find a suitable motor that would be strong enough for their machine, Orville and Wilbur designed and built their own motor and propellers with the help of a mechanic at their bike shop.
Finally, in mid December 1903, the Wright Brothers took their "flyer," as they had come to call it, to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where they had previously tested their gliders. Wilbur won a coin toss to see which of them would get to fly first. His attempt was unsuccessful and caused minor damage to the left wing, one of the skids, and several other parts, which took them two days to repair.
The morning of December 17, 1903 was freezing. Ice had formed over puddles in their camp. The brothers and several men from the nearby Kill Devil Hill Life Saving Station, who were assisting them, had to warm themselves frequently over a fire they had built in a large can. The "biting cold" wind as Orville labeled it, was strong, almost too strong for them to perform their test. Orville later recalled that he was amazed that they dared to test the flyer under such harsh conditions.
The flyer rested on a 60 foot long monorail track whose purpose was to guide the flyer into the wind in a straight course. A wire held the machine in place until the test was ready. Orville was to be the pilot this time since Wilbur had already taken his turn. He ran the motor for a minute or two to make sure it was warm, released the wire, and the flyer began to move forward. It moved more slowly than when Wilbur had made his attempt. This time it was facing a 27 mile-an-hour wind. Wilbur ran along side holding the wing tip to keep it balanced. He stayed by the side until it lifted from the track after traveling 40 feet. Orville Wright was in the air and flying.
He struggled to keep the flyer level in the unsteady wind, as he was not yet used to the controls. It climbed and fell sharply, then climbed again. After about 100 feet, it dived, and Orville was not able to pull it up in time to avoid landing. The 12 second, 120 foot long flight was over. The first manned flight of a self-powered craft had flown without losing speed, and landed on ground as high as where it had begun. Orville calculated that on a calm day, such as with Wilbur’s initial attempt, this would have been equivalent to a 540 foot long flight.
This was an amazing accomplishment from two ordinary men, one of whom had once stated, "The boys of the Wright family are all lacking in determination and push. None of us has, as yet, made particular use of the talent in which he excels other men."
****
A note: 2 years before the flight, Wilbur said, "Man wont fly for 50 years"... thus the title
January 12, 2002
800 Words
Orville and Wilbur Wright were ordinary men with an extraordinary desire. They wanted to fly.
"If God had wanted man to fly, He would have given him wings," doubters scoffed. Others just thought they were lunatics. Wilbur wrote to Samuel Langley the director of the Smithsonian Institution who was known to be working on a flying machine, "I believe that simple flight at least is possible to man. I am an enthusiast, but not a crank. I wish to avail myself of all that is already known and then if possible add my bit."
Orville and Wilbur went right to work on developing their own flying machines. They tested many of their theories and designs on gliders, but what they really wanted was a self-powered flying machine.
Wilbur watched how birds used their wings, and applied that information to his own wing design. Together, he and Orville built a small wind tunnel to test many different shapes that were scale models of the actual wings that would eventually be on the flying machine. At length, they found a design that would be able to lift the aircraft in a strong wind.
In order to turn their glider into a true flying machine, however, it would have to be able to make itself fly. This meant that it needed a motor for power and a way to harness that power to propel itself forward.
Unable to find a suitable motor that would be strong enough for their machine, Orville and Wilbur designed and built their own motor and propellers with the help of a mechanic at their bike shop.
Finally, in mid December 1903, the Wright Brothers took their "flyer," as they had come to call it, to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where they had previously tested their gliders. Wilbur won a coin toss to see which of them would get to fly first. His attempt was unsuccessful and caused minor damage to the left wing, one of the skids, and several other parts, which took them two days to repair.
The morning of December 17, 1903 was freezing. Ice had formed over puddles in their camp. The brothers and several men from the nearby Kill Devil Hill Life Saving Station, who were assisting them, had to warm themselves frequently over a fire they had built in a large can. The "biting cold" wind as Orville labeled it, was strong, almost too strong for them to perform their test. Orville later recalled that he was amazed that they dared to test the flyer under such harsh conditions.
The flyer rested on a 60 foot long monorail track whose purpose was to guide the flyer into the wind in a straight course. A wire held the machine in place until the test was ready. Orville was to be the pilot this time since Wilbur had already taken his turn. He ran the motor for a minute or two to make sure it was warm, released the wire, and the flyer began to move forward. It moved more slowly than when Wilbur had made his attempt. This time it was facing a 27 mile-an-hour wind. Wilbur ran along side holding the wing tip to keep it balanced. He stayed by the side until it lifted from the track after traveling 40 feet. Orville Wright was in the air and flying.
He struggled to keep the flyer level in the unsteady wind, as he was not yet used to the controls. It climbed and fell sharply, then climbed again. After about 100 feet, it dived, and Orville was not able to pull it up in time to avoid landing. The 12 second, 120 foot long flight was over. The first manned flight of a self-powered craft had flown without losing speed, and landed on ground as high as where it had begun. Orville calculated that on a calm day, such as with Wilbur’s initial attempt, this would have been equivalent to a 540 foot long flight.
This was an amazing accomplishment from two ordinary men, one of whom had once stated, "The boys of the Wright family are all lacking in determination and push. None of us has, as yet, made particular use of the talent in which he excels other men."
****
A note: 2 years before the flight, Wilbur said, "Man wont fly for 50 years"... thus the title
posted by Dave | 12:32 PM
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