A Century of Flight
 

On this day in 1903, the Wright brothers and their sister took to the skies over Kitty Hawk. This single act set the wheels turning for a century more eventful than any in recorded history. IN their footsteps would follow the likes of Lindburgh and eventually Armstrong. From a meager handfull of seconds gliding inches above the ground to roaring through the sky in a column of fire and smoke, aeronautics paved the way for emigration, communication, and more. If not for powered flight, transatlantic messages might still be carried soley by telephone wire. Television as we know it would not exist without satellites to bounce the signals around the atmosphere.

Other events, too, would have been totally different. Without their fiercesome airborne firepower, would the Germans have been so successful? Without airplanes, might the US have escaped WW2 unscathed? For with no aircraft, there would have been no kamikaze attack on Pearl Harbor.

So, stop and think how a couple of bicycle repairmen have changed the world when they fulfilled one of man's oldest desires, to soar with the birds.

Peace be with you,
G

Isn't it crazy to think that these guys had the perserverance to get it done? Think of this...without these guys, WW2 wouldn't have been what it was. International travel wouldn't be what it is. In my opinion, the most profound effect these guys had on the world...09/11/2001. Without them the World Trade Center Towers would still be standing.

There are definitely some things that wouldn't be what they are today. You touched on TV & radio...those things are for sure.

truly one of mans most phenomenal and daring feats.

and to think... that in about 60 years, man went from Kitty Hawk to the Moon.

amazing.

It's cool and all, but I think the above mentioned events would still have happened. Someone else would have figured it out in short order.

But you have to respect the men who DID do it, because hundreds if not thousands of others were trying for years to do the exact same thing. There are a lot of old moving pictures of failed attempts.

I used to live right down the street from the Wright Brothers museum in Dayton, Ohio. Never went in, I don't think the actual flyer is there anyhow.

I believe it is in the smithsonian

It truly was an amazing feat. The genious it took for such exacting measurements and educated guesses just blows me away.

100 years.

And all we have to show for it is a tiny-ass bag of peanuts.

Nice one!

I'm a flight junkie and I'm all for reenactments of historic occasions, but I'm not too upset that the Flyer replica didn't get airborne yesterday. I thought we were gonna see a mangled pilot, 'cause that thing is bloody unstable and hard to fly.

It was a ground breaking moment.

Agreed. It was a great moment that set into motion a series of events which led to what I consider the greatest achievement of mankind: Landing on the moon. Landing on the moon proved how much mankind as a whole has evolved in their understanding of the universe, proved what man is capable of doing, and showed us our potential for the future. It's amazing how this wouldn't have been possible without two bicycle repairmen and their dream to fly.

It wasnt all that its made out to be. There was a much longer sustained flight in Brazil a few months later and that vehicle was completely self propelled while the Wright Brothers plane was dependent on favorable weather conditions (which may be why the replica didnt work). Shortly after that there was one in Austrailia and Germany I believe. Props to them for getting off the ground first but their plane wasnt even the best one to fly that year.

Hmmm . . don't know about the Brazil thing (I'm not disputing it), but I know the Wright Bros had a lot of problems patenting their flyer - they ended up going to France with it in 1906 - 3 years after their first flight - to prove to the French (Who claimed to be "first in flight") what a <i>real</i> airplane could do. It seems that a French flyer (who's name escapes me) had been flying straight lines a couple of feet off the ground for 10 seconds per flight. When the Wrights took off, and made numerous turns and altitude changes around the field, the French were stunned. They even flew flights up to an hour long.

Yes - the airplane was going to be invented soon without the Wright brothers, but let's give them their credit - what they did in the time they did it was nothing short of amazing. They not only took glider design to the next level, but they invented wing warping for turns, the rudder (to stabilize and sustain turns), the propeller, and even an engine to power the thing. Sure - as was pointed out - they needed a little help to get started down the track, and good weather, but hey - it was 1903, after all.

I was watching hte discovery channel. Apparantly other propellers of the time were achieving maybe 30% efficiency but the Wright propeller pulled off an incredible 80% efficiency.

Alberto Santos-Dumont is the Brazilian guy
Here's the link.