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On this day in 1903 @ Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright made some of the first sustained flights. The first flight was a approx. 120 feet lasting about 12 seconds. As you travel this holiday season this about how far we've come in just 100 years! It might not seem that way if there are delays though!
Happy Flight of the Wright brothers day
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
Dec 17, 2008 06:30 AM
Flying |
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Richard William Pearse achieved powered flight in 1902, and he was just a farmer with no education. I don't understand why he doesn't get any attention when people talk about the history of powered flight.
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Probably because he
* didn't publicize his achievements,
* no pics (without pics, it didn't happen!) ,
* he trashed his equipment,
* etc.
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Alberto Santos Dumont (brazilian) achieved the first autonomous powered flight in 1906. It had a real takeoff, starting from the ground and achieving flight without any "aditional help", in France. And it was widely documented by journalists and photographers.
I really do not understand why we americans have this thing on Wright brothers and ignore the rest of the world...
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The Wrights invented modern powered heavier-than-air flight. Period. The metric isn't who barely got off the ground first or who had the best pictures. The Wrights were the only ones who fully understood the theory behind three-axis control and using the dynamic instability of an aircraft to help turn it in the air.
Even the Wrights were disappointed with their 1903 flights. But after more tinkering and refinement, by 1905 they had an airplane that was flying distances measured in miles under full control. When this aircraft was publically demonstrated in France the crowd was stunned at the manouverability. The crowd initially was suspicious and slightly hostile towards the Wrights. The French had made huge strides in aeronautics since 1903 but realized quickly there was nothing comparable to the '05 Wright flyer. NO ONE could match the performance - not Santos-Dumont, not Bleriot, not Langely.
Try reading some actual history next time instead of just spouting some trendy anti-american propoganda you got off Wikipedia.
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