Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
Brother: Wilbur Wright (Wilbur Wright, 1867.4.16-1912.5.12)
Brother: Orville Wright (1871.8.19-1948.1.30)
[Edit this paragraph] Character background
Both Wright brothers received a good education, but neither Get a diploma. In 1884 the family moved from Richmond, Indiana to Dayton (Ohio). Orville dropped out of college in his third year (1889) and started a printing business with the help of his brother. Wilbur was editor and Orville was publisher of the weekly West Side News (which a few months later became the Evening Item). Affected by the nationwide bicycle craze, the brothers opened a bicycle repair shop (Wright Bicycle Repair Shop, later becoming Wright Bicycle Company) in 1892, and began producing their own brand of bicycles in 1896. They used this unremitting spirit to build their interest in flying. In early 1890, they published articles in newspapers and magazines as well as the aircraft concept drawings of Otto Lilienthal of Germany. In May 1896, Samuel Langley's steam airplane model of Smithsonian College successfully flew, followed by Octave Chanute, a Chicago engineer and authority dedicated to flight research. A series of hours spent flying several model airplanes in the Michigan sand dunes and around lakes caught the attention of the Wright brothers. In May 1899 Wilbur wrote a letter to Smithsonian College requesting aviation information and books. Based on the sketches and inspirations of Sir George CAyley, Chanute, Lilienthal, Leonardo da Vinci, and Langley, the Wright brothers began their experiments in mechanical aviation.
The public image of the Wright brothers has always been one, and they share the fruits of invention and honor. Careful biographer James Tobin discovered that Wilber's "my" machine and "my" plan he wrote in 1899-1900 were later changed from the first person singular to the plural "we" and "our". "It's hard to imagine what kind of power someone as smart as Orville could use to succeed. From a small store in Ohio to negotiating with capitalists and presidents, Orville did it. He was a leader from beginning to end."
After the Wright brothers completed all theoretical research, they began to practice. Their bicycle shop clerk Charlie Taylor became an important member of the team, and the three of them worked together to build the first aircraft engine.
[Edit this paragraph] Character introduction
Flying in the sky like a bird has been the dream of mankind since ancient times. For its realization, people have spent many years of unremitting efforts and even the lives of many pioneers. Finally, on December 17, 1903, the world's first manned powered aircraft took to the skies in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. This aircraft is called "Aviator-1", and its inventors are the American brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. The Wright brothers' first powered sustained flight realized mankind's long-awaited dream, and the era of human flight began.
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, and his brother Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871. They had a strong interest in mechanical assembly and flight since childhood. , engaged in the bicycle repair and manufacturing industry. The Wright brothers originally made a living by repairing bicycles. The brothers were smart and studious. Since 1896, they have been enthusiastic about flight research. Through many studies and experiments, they quickly came to a conclusion: To solve the key unresolved problem of aircraft control, some kind of mechanical device that can make aerodynamics work must be installed. They followed this idea and after several hot and cold tests of a manned glider over the Kitty Hawk Sand Dunes, their dream finally became a reality.
News of Otto Lilienthal's successful glider test made them determined to fly.
The crash of Lilienthal's test flight in 1896 prompted them to focus on the balance control of the aircraft. They studied the flight of birds in particular and delved into almost every book on aeronautical theory written at the time. During this period, the aviation industry suffered successive setbacks. Pilot Peel's plane crashed and killed, Maxim, the inventor of the heavy machine gun, failed in his test flight, and aeronautical scientist Langley fell into the water with his plane and people, etc. This made most people think that the aircraft relied on itself. Powered flight was completely impossible.
The Wright brothers did not give up their efforts. From 1900 to 1902, in addition to conducting more than 1,000 gliding test flights, they also made more than 200 different wings and conducted thousands of wind tunnel experiments, correcting some of Lilienthal's erroneous flight data. , designed a wing cross-section shape with greater lift. After all, the glider's airtime is limited, but if the aircraft is powered and carries enough fuel, it can fly, take off and land freely. As a result, the brothers began the development of powered aircraft. The Wright brothers worked day and night, and soon they designed an engine with excellent performance and an efficient propeller, and then successfully assembled the various components into the world's first powered airplane. In 1903, they built the first aircraft to fly manned under its own power, "Aviator" No. 1. The aircraft had a wingspan of 13.2 meters, an elevator in front, a rudder in the rear, and two pairs of two-blade propellers. Driven by a chain, the landing gear is skid-type and is equipped with a 70kg, 8.8kW four-cylinder engine. This famous aircraft in aviation history is now on display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, USA.
The "Aviator" is an ordinary biplane. Its two pusher propellers are installed on both sides of the driver's position and are chain-driven by a single engine. In 1904, the Wright brothers built the second "Flyer" equipped with a new engine and conducted a test flight at Hoffman Prairie near Dayton. The longest sustained flight time was more than 5 minutes and the flight distance was 4.4,000 miles. meters; in 1905, the third "Aviator" was tested, piloted by Wilbur, and it lasted 38 minutes and flew 38.6 kilometers. On the day of the first test flight, the weather was cold and windy. First, his brother Orville Wright piloted the "Aviator" aircraft, staying empty for 12 seconds and flying 36.5 meters. On the same day, the plane made three more flights, with the best result being his brother Wilbur Wright. He flew the plane continuously for 260 meters in the air.
From December 14th to 17th, 1903, "Aviator" 1 conducted its fourth test flight on a sand dune in Kitty Hawk, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. The first test flight, piloted by Orville Wright, flew 36 meters and remained empty for 12 seconds. The fourth time was by Wilbur. Piloted by Wright, the aircraft flew 260 meters and remained airborne for 59 seconds. In 1906, their aircraft was patented in the United States.
The success of the Wright Brothers' flight was not initially valued and recognized by the U.S. government and the public, and was still doubted by people until 1907. Instead, it was France that first gave their achievements a correct evaluation in 1908. , which set off an aviation craze that swept the world. For this reason, they finally received the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor in 1909. In the same year, they founded the "Wright Aircraft Company". Wilbur. Wright died on May 29, 1912, at the age of 45. After that, Orville Wright worked hard for 30 years to make Wright Aircraft Company a world-famous aircraft manufacturer with a capital of tens of billions of dollars. Orville. Wright died on January 3, 1948.
Quotes
Only a parrot can chatter, but it can never fly high.
[Edit this paragraph] The story of the invention of the airplane
In the winter of 1877, a heavy snowfall fell in the Dayton area of ??the United States, and the hills on the outskirts of the city were covered in white. A group of children came to a hillside covered with thick snow and slid down quickly on a homemade sledge. Bursts of laughter suddenly sounded on the hillside.
Beside them, two boys stood quietly, watching the cheerful sledge passing from top to bottom.
The older boy sighed: "Hey! It would be great if we also had a sledge!"
Another child pouted and said: "Our father is always away from home!" He had an idea. He moved and then said: "Brother, let's do it ourselves!" Upon hearing this, the boy who was called brother laughed and said happily:
"Yes! We can do it ourselves too." "Come on, Orville, let's go back!" So the two children jumped and ran down the hillside quickly towards home.
These two brothers are the Wright brothers, the eldest is Wilbur, and the younger is Orville. They have liked playing with toys since they were young and often play various games together. Their grandfather was a craftsman who made wheels, and there were all kinds of tools in the house. The two brothers regarded it as their paradise and often went to watch their grandfather work. As time went by, they imitated and made some small toys. Therefore, the two brothers decided to build a sledge this time and pull it to the hillside to compete with their companions. That night, the brothers told their mother this idea. When my mother heard this, she said happily: "Okay, let's do it together!"
So, the two brothers ran to their grandfather's workshop and found a lot of wood sticks and tools. Get started.
"No," their mother stopped them and said, "We have to have a plan for everything we do. We must first draw a picture and then do it!"
After the brothers understood this principle, they Design the pattern with my mother. Mother first measured the body dimensions of the two brothers, and then drew a short sledge. "Mom, other people's sledges are very high. Why is the sledge you drew so short? Is this okay?" his younger brother Orville asked in confusion.
"Child, if you want the sledge to run fast, you have to make it short. This can reduce the wind resistance and the speed will be much faster." Mom explained gently. Only then did the brothers understand that they should not be reckless in anything they do, but should first understand the truth.
One day later, the Wright brothers’ dwarf sledge was completed. The two brothers pushed it to a hill. As soon as it was placed on the hillside, a boy ran up.
"Come and look, the Wright brothers have carried a monster!" the boy shouted in a fuss.
After a while, the children gathered around, gesticulating and talking about this strange-looking thing. The Wright brothers disapproved and said bravely: "Who will compete with us!"
The boy who ran over before quickly shouted: "I'll come! I'll compete with them!" After saying that, he pulled his sledge Come over.
Of course, the result of the competition was that the Wright brothers won. The children no longer laughed at the sledge. Instead, they gathered around and looked left and right, as if they wanted to find something from it.
The Wright brothers were very happy and went home with the joy of victory.
Christmas is here, and my father is back from other places. On Christmas morning, their father gave them a gift. The two brothers eagerly opened it and saw that it was an unknown toy, which looked very weird.
Dad told them that it was a flying spiral that could fly high in the air. "A bird can fly! How can it fly!" Wilbur was a little doubtful.
Dad smiled and performed on the spot. I saw that he first twisted the rubber band on it, and when he let go, it made a whining sound and flew high into the air. Only then did the brother believe that in addition to birds and butterflies, man-made things can also fly into the sky. So, the two brothers took it apart and wanted to explore why it could fly into the sky.
From then on, in their young minds, they had the idea that they would create something that could fly high into the sky in the future. This desire has always affected them. In 1896, the Wright brothers saw a piece of news in the newspaper: Germany's Lilienthal died in a glider crash. This news shocked them greatly, and the brothers decided to study air flight.
At this time, the Wright brothers opened a bicycle shop. While they were working to earn money, they were researching information on aviation. Three years later, they had acquired a lot of knowledge about aviation and decided to build a replica of a glider.
They first observed the movements of eagles flying in the air, and then drew them one after another, before starting to design the glider.
In October 1900, the Wright brothers finally built their first glider and took it to Kitty Hawk Beach, far away from Dayton. It was very remote, with no trees or houses around, and the wind was very strong. Large, very suitable for flying gliders.
The brothers spent a week setting up the glider, tying it to a rope and flying it like a kite, and they succeeded. Then Wilbur sat on it to conduct the experiment. Although it flew up, it was only more than 1 meter high.
The next year, the brothers made another glider based on the last one and after many improvements. In the autumn of this year, they came to Kitty Hawk Beach again. After a test, the flight height suddenly reached 180 meters.
The brothers were very happy, but not satisfied. They wondered if they could build a machine that could fly without wind power?
The brothers thought over and over again, gathered together information about flight, and studied it over and over again, but they still could not figure out what kind of power would be used to transport the big glider and people into the air. One day, a car parked in front of the dealership, and the driver asked them to borrow a tool. Come and repair your car's engine. The brothers had an idea and wondered if they could use a car's engine to propel their flight.
From then on, the brothers started thinking about the engine. They first measured that the maximum carrying capacity of the glider was 90 kilograms, so they ordered an engine from the factory that did not exceed 90 kilograms. But the lightest engine at that time was 190 kilograms, and the factory could not produce such a light engine.
Later, an engineer who built the engine learned about this and agreed to help the Wright brothers. After a while, the engineer actually built a 12-horsepower gasoline engine that weighed only 70 kilograms.
The brothers were very happy and soon began to study how to use the engine to propel the glider to fly. After countless experiments, they finally installed the engine on the glider. They just installed a propeller on the glider, and the engine drove the propeller to rotate and drive the glider to fly.
In September 1903, the Wright brothers took their engine-equipped flight to Kitty Hawk for a test flight again. Although the test flight failed, they learned a lot from it. Soon after, they conducted several test flights in a row, either because of propeller failure, engine failure, or driving skill issues.
Undeterred, the Wright brothers continued to fly. At this time, an inventor named Langley, commissioned by the US government, built an airplane with a gasoline engine, which crashed into the sea during a test flight.
When the Wright brothers heard the news, they went to investigate and learned from Lanley's failure. They gained a lot of experience. They conducted strict inspections of every part of the aircraft and formulated a In compliance with strict operating regulations, on December 14, 1903, the aircraft came to Kitty Hawk for a test flight.
This afternoon, the brothers first placed two rails fixed on wood on the ground with a certain slope to allow the plane to glide easily. Then, they put the airplane they made on the rails.
Finally, there was the question of who should fly first. The two brothers couldn't argue, so they had to toss a coin and Wilbur flew first.
After Wilbur got on the plane, he lay down in the middle of the plane. After a while, he started the plane. The engine roared and the propeller slowly turned.
The plane just slid 3 meters on the slope when it broke free from the wires tied behind it and roared into the air.
"It's flying!" Orville shouted excitedly.
Before he finished speaking, the plane suddenly slowed down and quickly fell to the ground. The entire flight takes less than 4 minutes.
Orville hurriedly ran forward. Wilbur had jumped out of the fallen plane. The brothers quickly observed the plane and found that the plane was not damaged.
"What's the problem?" The brothers thought about it and checked one by one. There is nothing wrong with the engine, the propeller turns well, and the technical operation is completely correct. ..."Brother, I know the reason!" Orville said with a smile on his face: "We were taxiing on the slope, and the plane took off with only 3 meters away. At this time, the propeller rotation had not reached high speed, so it fell down immediately. down.
""Yes! Wilbur nodded in agreement, and then said: "We can't use the slope to take off, but must rely on the power of the propeller to fly up." Let's do this, install the rails on a flat place and try it again. ”
They worked for three consecutive days to reposition the rails on a flat ground.
At 10 o’clock in the morning on December 17, 1903, the sky was covered with low clouds. The wind was biting. The farmer who was invited by the brothers to watch the flight was shivering with cold, and repeatedly urged the brothers to fly quickly. This time, Orville climbed onto the plane and lay down. In the driver's seat. After a while, the engine began to roar and the propeller began to rotate.
Suddenly, the plane rose to a height of more than 3 meters, and then flew forward horizontally.
"Fly! Fly! "Several farmers shouted happily, and followed Wilbur, chasing behind the plane.
After the plane flew 30 meters, it landed steadily. Wilbur rushed forward and excitedly He threw himself on his younger brother who had just climbed out of the plane and shouted with tears in his eyes: "We succeeded!" We succeeded! ”
45 minutes later, Wilbur flew again, and the flight distance reached 52 meters. After a while, Orville flew again, this time flying for 59 seconds, and the distance reached 255 meters.< /p>
This was the first successful flight in human history. The Wright brothers told the newspaper, but the newspaper did not believe it and refused to publish the news. The Wright brothers continued to improve their aircraft. Plane. Soon, the brothers built a plane that could carry two people and flew in the air for more than an hour.
After the news spread, people rushed to tell each other, and the US government took it very seriously and decided to let them fly. Wright performed a test flight.
On September 10, 1908, the weather was exceptionally clear, and the place where the aircraft flew was filled with people watching with great interest, waiting for the Wright brothers to fly. < /p>
Around 10 o'clock, his brother Orville flew their plane freely into the sky amidst cheers. Two long wings passed through the sky, just like a flying bird. Eagle.
People could no longer suppress their excitement, raised their heads in the sky, and called the names of the Wright brothers.
The plane in 76. It flew at an altitude of 1 hour and 14 minutes and carried a brave passenger. When it landed, people surrounded it from all sides. In 1908, the Wright brothers founded a flying company with the support of the government. Since then, airplanes have become another advanced means of transportation for people.
[Edit this paragraph] The phenomenon of side rotation of the air pressure center
Smeaton coefficient
During repeated gliding experiments, the Wright brothers discovered the phenomenon of the center of air pressure turning sideways - the center of air pressure on a curved airfoil does not always move in the same direction as the center of air pressure on a flat airfoil. This is a major discovery. Contrary to the arguments of many scientific books - many of the data that scientists have obtained about the pressure of the atmosphere on the wings are incorrect! So in the second half of 1901, the Wright brothers built the world's first model airplane. It took more than two months to use the wind tunnel to conduct more than 200 various types of wing surface tests, obtain a complete set of scientific data, and design the aircraft based on these data.
[Edit this paragraph]Wright Brothers Medal
Wright Brothers Medal
Founded: 1924
Organizer: Aeronautical Engineering Branch of the American Society of Automatic Engineers
p>Award introduction: The Wright Brothers Medal was established in 1924 by the Aeronautical Engineering Branch of the American Society of Automatic Engineers to reward the authors of the best papers in the field of aeronautical engineering. The scope of awards includes aerodynamics, structural theory, aircraft or spacecraft. research, manufacturing and driving. The participating papers must be submitted at the meeting of the Aeronautical Engineering Branch or affiliated institutions in the previous year. If the participating papers on the above award topics do not meet the selection conditions, this medal can also be awarded to the best papers on other aerospace topics. The main criterion for selecting the best paper is its academic innovation.
All papers submitted before the meeting of the Aeronautical Engineering Branch will be evaluated as participating papers. It will take three years after the winner receives the award to be eligible for another award.
The Wright Brothers Medal is named after the two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, to commemorate their great contributions to aviation. The Wright brothers are American aircraft inventors. They have had the ideal of flying in the sky since they were young. In order to realize this ideal, they studied theory on the one hand and worked hard on practice on the other. They conducted many small wind tunnel tests and nearly a thousand flight tests. Finally, in 1903, a manned biplane was designed and built using an internal combustion engine as power, wood as a frame, and canvas as wings. On December 17 of the same year, the Wright brothers successfully made a test flight with their self-made aircraft. Although the flight time was only 59 seconds and the distance was only 260 meters, it left an indelible page in the history of aviation as the world's first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers are also known as the fathers of airplanes.
Prizes named after the Wright brothers include the "Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics" established by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the "Wright Brothers Memorial Lecture" established by the Royal Aeronautical Society. and Orvile Wright Memorial Lecture), both of which allow the recipient to deliver a speech on aeronautics, thereby honoring the recipient and allowing attendees to share his technical achievements. The Wright Brothers Aeronautics Lecture also awards a medal and a certificate.
[Edit this paragraph] The woman behind the Wright brothers
Speaking of the Wright brothers, the inventors of the airplane, everyone is familiar with them. However, behind these two successful men, there is a woman who is silently supporting them, and she is their little sister Catherine Wright.
Became a hostess at the age of 15
The Wrights had seven children, three boys and one girl. The little sister of the Wright family, Katherine Wright, who was loved by all, was born on August 19, 1874 at her home in Dayton, Ohio.
In addition to her eldest brother Lorraine, Catherine has been close and inseparable with her other two brothers Wilbur and Orville since childhood. These two brothers became the Wright brothers who would become world-famous in the future. Sometimes, the two brothers would quarrel like other brothers, and Catherine was the "glue" between them.
When Catherine Wright was 15 years old, her mother Susan Wright passed away. The father was devastated by the loss of his wife and was unable to recover. At this time, the capable Catherine took over her mother's position and became the hostess of the Wright family. Taking care of the food and daily life of his father and brothers and managing the daily affairs of the family have become the backbone of family life.
The burden of housework did not affect Catherine's studies. Talented and talented, she was admitted to Oberlin Normal College in Ohio, becoming the only college student among the three Wright brothers (neither of the Wright brothers graduated from high school). After college, she taught classics at Steele Middle School in Dayton.
The strong backing of the brothers
Between 1899 and 1905, the Wright brothers began to develop their first airplane. During this period, Catherine lobbied and gave speeches to raise funds for the aircraft experiment. She helped her brothers run their bicycle shop so that they no longer had to travel around for daily livelihood and could concentrate on aviation research. When the Wright brothers were refining their flying machine at Huffman's Prairie outside Dayton, Ohio, Katherine even summoned her colleagues to help out. Because the plane and landing mechanism were too heavy, the Wright brothers could not complete the operation alone.
In 1908, Orville was seriously injured during a flight and was rescued in a hospital in Washington, DC. Catherine left her beloved teaching job and rushed to Washington to take care of her brother. Under the careful care of his sister, Orville gradually recovered. At that time, Wilbur was in France promoting another of his new airplanes to Europeans. In early 1909, under the escort of Catherine, Orville successfully arrived in France by boat, and the three brothers and sisters reunited in a foreign land.
After the first airplane invented by the Wright brothers took to space, it caused a great sensation around the world. Many people want to know more about the Wright Brothers and their airplane.
However, the two Wright brothers were shy and introverted, and they did not even know how to sell their aircraft to buyers. Catherine became their mouthpiece, and she successfully explained the manufacturing principles and design of this new aircraft to the world on behalf of her brother.
Wilbur established his own company in France, but the business was not operating well and was full of crises. It was Catherine who stepped in again and quickly helped her brother keep the company in order. In 1912, Catherine herself became an important member of the Wright Company. The Wright Company stock certificates were signed by both Orville and Catherine. Without my sister, perhaps Wright Company would not be operating so smoothly. It’s no wonder that some European newspapers jokingly called her the “third brother of the Wright family.”
When the Wright brothers and sisters left France and returned home, the French government awarded the three brothers and sisters the "Army Honor Award." Very few American women have received this honor, and Catherine is an extremely lucky and proud one.
After returning to the United States from France, the Wright brothers became popular celebrities. Aviation enthusiasts from all over the world traveled thousands of miles and made a special trip to Wright's home to discuss it with the brothers. For a time, the Wright family was crowded with guests and bustling with excitement, and it was Catherine who entertained guests from all directions warmly and thoughtfully.
Due to the legal battle to defend the "honor and rights" of the title "inventor of the airplane", the Wright brothers exhausted all their time and energy. Wilbur, 45, died of typhoid fever in 1912, ending the Wright family's stable "iron triangle" relationship. In 1915, Orville sold the Wright Company. After their father died of illness in 1917, Catherine and her brothers moved to a villa called "Hawthorne Mountain" in southern Dayton.
The belated "spring"
When Catherine was young, she was beautiful, graceful, and had many admirers. One of them was a cadet pilot for the Wright brothers. In his mind, Catherine had "thick black hair, charming blue eyes as deep as the sea, and a kind and warm smile" and was a good girl that everyone loved. Although she was interested and involved in her brothers' flight plans, Catherine had her own space in life. She is multiple hats: president of the Dayton Young Women's Group; a fundraiser for the Dayton Women's Club; and president of the Oberlin College Alumni Association (she also helped establish an English-learning grant at her alma mater). In addition, she received presidents, politicians and even U.S. military dignitaries on behalf of her brother. She was also the only woman invited to join the "French Aero Club". Catherine and her brothers traveled around France, Italy and England, meeting with royalty and business leaders. Anyone who met her was enchanted by her grace. She also bravely flew with her brother and tied a rope at the bottom of her skirt to prevent it from being exposed. Unexpectedly, this way of dressing soon became fashionable, and women at that time imitated it.
Catherine remained single until she was over fifty, living with her brother. Catherine was unmarried due to an unwritten agreement between her and her two brothers. After their mother died, they depended on each other and agreed to be together forever. The two Wright brothers kept their promise and never married.
However, love still comes. After selling Wright, Catherine served on the Oberlin College advisory board, where she met Henry Haskell while attending a college meeting. Henry was a well-known journalist and the majority owner of the Kansas City Star. At that time, Henry's wife had just died, and his wife happened to be a former friend of Catherine. In order to comfort Henry, who was depressed, Catherine began to exchange letters with him. Soon, the seeds of love began to sprout. Catherine has been secretly dating Henry. She doesn't want Orville to know that her two brothers are too dependent on her in life and emotions, which puts her under great pressure. Especially after Wilbur's death, Orville was even more lonely and autistic, and Catherine was his interface with the outside world. Without her, he would not know how to continue living.
In 1926, Catherine decided to marry Henry Haskell and pursue her belated happiness. When she told Orville the news, he became furious and frustrated and refused to attend his sister's wedding. After his sister moved away sadly, he still didn't say a word of blessing to them. Catherine has tried many times to make up for the harm done to her brother and restore the relationship between brother and sister, but all in vain.
Two years after their marriage, Catherine fell ill with pneumonia. Orville didn't say a word of greeting or concern.
On March 3, 1929, Catherine was critically ill, and when she was dying, Orville finally came to his sister's bedside under the persuasion of his eldest brother Lorraine.
Orwell himself died in 1948. The three brothers and sisters were finally buried in the cemetery in their hometown of Dayton, where they became the love of flying for generations. On December 17, 1903, the first airplane "Aviator 1" built by the Wright brothers successfully made a test flight in North Carolina, USA.
They successfully flew a heavier-than-air aircraft of their own design and manufacture. People are skeptical. At the beginning of this year, the respected American scientist Simon Newcomb expressed his opinion and proved that it is impossible to fly by motor power. Seven years ago, Otto Lilienthal, a famous German aviation pioneer, crashed and died while driving an aircraft he built.
However, the Wright brothers said they flew four times over Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina that day. The longest flight lasted about one minute and flew 850 feet. Five other people were present to witness their flight.
The Wright brothers say they solved the problems that would prevent heavier-than-air craft from flying at their bicycle repair shop in Dayton. They said that one of their important inventions was the use of movable wing tips to control the aircraft, a problem that had never been solved by others. They also built a 25-horsepower lightweight engine that was lighter than any before but provided more power than ever before. The brothers then experimented in a wind tunnel with a series of scale models of their own design. They said the work took more than seven years and cost more than $1,000. In any case, they say, they won't be able to publish a detailed description of their aircraft until they obtain a patent. A place for good people to pay homage to.