Thank you for sharing this tv series about flight. The creative process of the human mind, mistakes, successes, adjustments, observation, contributed to the creation of the aircraft. Transform the abstract into reality.
"Every aviation pioneer of that era, including: Langley, Lilienthal, Maxim, Chanute, Herring, Pilcher, Archdeacon, Ferber, Dumont, Delagrange, Farman, Weisskopf (Whitehead), Esnault-Peltrie, Levavasseur, and Bleriot believed that succussful flight could only be acheived by the concept of "Inherit Stability", where the machine would be designed to maintain level (with lift generated by the pressure against the underside of it's wings), and a turn would be accomplished by the shifting of weight, sometimes combined with a rudder to act like a boat's rudder, to complete a turn. Because of the air machine's "Inherit Stability", input from its pilot would only be necessary if the machine moved from a level condition. "Wilbur Wright believed the opposite was true, as he had observed that birds maintained control, while soaring, by constantly inputing minor changes (with their wingtip feathers) to constantly correct themselves, in otherwords; "Inherit Instability". Its understandable why the Wrights understood this fundemental difference, as they were bicycle builders and bicycles require the same equilibrum balance as an airplane requires, especially considering an airplane must operate in a 3-dimensional world." "The magnitude of what they had done could be appreciated only by those who fully understood the steps they had taken and the problems they had solved through four years of work. That included the two of them and no one else in the world. They had flown, barely. But they were utterly alone in their comprehension of what that really meant."
Every time I watch a doc on here about the Wright brothers, there are a bunch of comments claiming they weren't really the first. REMEMBER THIS: The Wrights were the first to achieve CONTROLLED flight. If you don't think that matters, just strap yourself to a catapult and see how well that kind of flight works for ya.
Yup...they were the first to have a reliable and controllable machine, whereas others got something "off the ground" perhaps slightly earlier. The fact that they waited for years to actually reveal it is a testament to how far ahead they were.
eddie telleed The Wright brothers did more to hinder the development of powered than than they ever did to promote it. They achieved their first flights then became obsessed with patenting their device. If not for they work done by many before them, they most certainly would not have succeeded. Testament to this is the fact that many others achieved powered, controlled and sustained flight independently of the Wrights, albeit shortly after. If the Wrights had put their energies towards development of flight rather than pursuing every other airman at the time, perhaps they would have produced good aircraft and deserved the acclaim afforded to them by America and it's tailored version of history. Glen Curtiss is your true father of American aviation.
Tom Martin The Wright's patents did hinder the advancement of aircraft design by others for a few years. That is why the government bought the patents and put them in the public domain. But by admitting that, you have agreed that they had made CRITICALLY IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS to aircraft design. As eddie telleed stated, others had made powered flights before the Wrights, but they were not under control. The Wrights were the first to see the need for dynamic roll control. NOBODY else had thought it important at all. The Wrights invented ailerons, which were included in their patent for wing warping. Other aircraft designers saw the Wright's planes and immediately realized the need for roll control and they built planes with roll control in violation of the Wright's patent. Curtis was one of the builders who stole their ideas, and he was made to pay in court. Also, early on, the Wrights used Lilienthal's tables to built a glider and discovered Lilienthal was mostly wrong. The Wrights did their own research and developed their own accurate tables. Nobody else in the world had tables that were accurate. They all thought Lilienthal's tables were good. The Wrights were systematic in their research, which was an attribute their competitors seriously lacked.
***** Do you know that there are lower case letters? Do you know that every reasonable person on the planet knows that the Wright brothers were the first to fly?
The Wrights were the 1st to fly an aircraft that's heavier than air, powered, landed at an elevation at, or above it's take-off point, AND MOST IMPORTANT HERE, CONTROLLED! Other inventors beat the Wrights to get a plane into the air, but they lacked full control. Without full control, they were too scared keep going up their craft. The fact is that the Wright's 1st plane only flew because it was at sea level, and the air temp that day was very cold. The plane needed the densest possible air to get off the ground. But witnesses attested that it did get off the ground under its own power. Ultimately, it didn't matter that the engine they used was useless under normal conditions. Others were developing lighter, more powerful engines, but the Wrights were the only ones working on full control systems. When they started doing testing in Ohio, the plane wouldn't get off the ground without a strong head wind, plus, the field they used was small, soggy, and bumpy. They had to decide if they wanted to spend money on a better engine, or just focus on improving the controls. Knowing they could get a good engine later, they decided to go with a catapult instead of wasting money on an engine. The Europeans were so impressed with how well the Wright plane was controlled, they admitted the Wrights were superior. By 1908, the Wrights had a better engine, but continued to use the catapult and rail system because it got them into the air quicker, and more safely. Airstrips at the time were not smooth, and accidents on the ground were a risk to avoid. In 1908, Wilbur's altitude record breaking flight was denied because the French record keepers said the catapult was a cheat. He promptly took off without the catapult, having only skids, no wheels, and still broke the record.
"I simply cannot describe my feelings during the first few minutes. When it was well above the tree-tops it continued on a level course in easy circles about the field, for more than half an hour, as timed by several spectators present. ....."Respectfully yours, Henry Webbert, Dayton, Ohio November 24, 1906
ok.. I am officially weird... At the funeral of my grandpa I was not emotional at all...didn't even blink. But to see the birth of modern aviation....I am on the edge of crying right now. I would kill to be able to time travel and be there in kitty Hawk on that special 17th December...
Just to note, the Wrights sent Aero Club of America a list of over sixty reputable persons who had witnessed their flights in Huffman prairie. I will share some of their letters and comments. These flights were made in 1904 and 1905 when the Wrights were developing and improving their machine. The original Flyer used for these flights can be seen at the Dayton Aviation Historic Park.
"My dear sir: In response to your request of November 21, I take pleasure in telling of my observance of the Wright Brother's aeroplane. Early in October, 1905, it was my privilege to witness a very successful flight made by Mr. Wilbur Wright in the aeroplane of their own invention....."Very truly yours, E.W. Ellis, Assistant City Auditor" Dayton Ohio, December 5, 1906 (part of his letter)
"Gentlemen: In reply to your inquiry of recent date, I would state that I witnessed a flight of the Wright Brothers aeroplane and there exists in my mind no doubt that, to the Wright Brothers is due the credit of the solution of aerial navigation without the aid of balloons or like contrivance. The day I witnessed their flight the aeroplane remained in the air at a height of between 50 to 100 feet for a period of about 23 minutes, ...."Yours very truly, Howard M. Meyers, Dayton Ohio, November 25, 1906.
+warp13your liars in others comments - atention: patents proof the motorized flights, photos proof the motorized flights --- which item of patent present the airplane in race takeoof and land under its own power, please present the item- no exist, but in your liars you present the patent.
+Gilberto Nedel Junior beto I guess not, there were no aero clubs on the Outer Banks back in 1903. They didn;t know too many scientist, although Octave Chanute, a leading authority on Aeronautics did know of their work, and visited their camp and was very impressed, some much so that Wilbur was invited to speak before the Western Society of Engineers in 1901. Chanute also mentioned the work of the Wrights to Ferber and Archdeacon, who later mentioned it to Dumont and many others in Europe, so that their work was COPIED.
Mr Gilberto, please read a good biography of the Wright brothers. there's no doubts they were the first to fly. There are dozens and dozens of interviews to citizens around Huffamn Prairie that confirmed even a 40 minutes flyght performed by the brothers. If you want to continue to think that it's not true, you're one in a million (or maybe more, much more).
+Giuliano Quaranta - flights in papers and conversations - hahahahahahah is comic guy. the brothers never present the airplane between 1903 and 1907, guy. look the patent, guy, which patent item indicate the airplane with capacity for race, takeoff, land under its own power and landign, look the patent, guy, please look the reality
+troxa troxa There are photos and dozens and dozens of witnesses around Kitty Hawk and Huffman Prairie that confirmed even a 40 minutes flyght performed by the brothers. If you want to continue to think that it's not true, you're two in a million (or maybe more, much more).
On 22 June 1896, Chanute, his son Charles, Herring, Avery, Butusov, two dogs, and several reporters took two gliders - an "improved Lilienthal" and a multiwing machine dubbed the Katydid - to the sand dunes around Miller .Chanute-Herring biplane glider was the most advanced flying machine in the world. Wright brothers inspired by Santos Dumont with his dirigible in 1901 with a propeller in a ballon, they installed a propeller in the Chanute-Herring Biplane Glider went down in a sand dune that was the 1903 first non-official flight in the presence of nobody, then catapult in the plain field. without wind no one could fly it, like their replica 100 years after,only the brothers, they never improved their plane untill 1915. PROPAGANDA !!! MARKETING !!! COUNTRY PROUDNESS. All Pioneers helped to invent the airplane.
Well, the first problem is that there was no catapult in 1903. (The Wright Brothers introduced their catapult in 1904 at Huffman Prairie. It didn't exist at Kitty Hawk in 1903.)
"If only some of our people in England could see or imagine what Mr. Wright is now doing I am certain it would give them a terrible shock. A conquest of the air by any nation means more than the average man is willing to admit or even think about. That Wilbur Wright is in possession of a power which controls the fate of nations is beyond dispute." ...Major B. F. S. Baden-Powell, President of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain
You can't find the songs separately anywhere, because they were written exclusively for the Wings soundtrack -- your only option is to rip them from the videos and then remove the narration and the airplane noise.
I have the F-18 and F-14 episodes (the old ones) in my playlist -- look it up! (The new ones have been blocked for some reason -- don't know why :-( ).
Bilal Khan Absolutely correct. - And furthermore, the Wright brothers at no time ever claimed to have been the first to "achieve some sort of flight." In fact, they were very clear about the fact that they were aware of previous attempts by others, had studied those attempts and even built upon the work of others in many areas such as construction techniques. - Sadly, deficient reading and listening comprehension skills appear to be the new norm.
Richard Pearse FIRST powerd flight Wrights first Controlled flight history has been corrected Wrights where still floating around on gliders Pearse had a 2 cylinder 4 stroke engine ,front mounted mono wing with full controls. look it up.
Pearse's flight was only a brief, non-sustained hop ending in a crash -- so he did NOT make the first powered flight! (Whitehead might have, but if so, it was only partially controlled.)
before them (they were blofers.their machines did not work really -replicas were made its prooved)was santos.but cause he was not american history talks about the brothers wright only as the first.And actually before them long long ago were dedalus and icarus.
Para algumas pessoas que parecem não saber a definição de motor, máquina: mo·tor |ô| adjetivo 1. Que dá movimento. 2. [Anatomia] Que transmite movimento. substantivo masculino 3. Tudo que em mecânica imprime movimento, como o vapor, a água, o vento, etc. 4. Sistema material que transforma em energia mecânica outras formas de energia. 5. [Figurado] Aquilo que induz ou instiga. 6. [Moçambique] Carga portátil. "motor", in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa [em linha], 2008-2013, www.priberam.pt/dlpo/motor [consultado em 22-12-2014]. má·qui·na (latim machina, -ae) substantivo feminino 1. Aparelho destinado a produzir movimentos ou a transformar determinada forma de energia. 2. Instrumento ou aparelho formado de peças móveis. = MAQUINISMO, MECANISMO 3. [Informal] Locomotora. 4. [Informal] Qualquer veículo, geralmente motorizado. 5. [Artes gráficas] Prelo. 6. [Figurado] Obra grandiosa e reveladora de .gênio. 7. Conjunto de meios, órgãos e serviços que constituem determinada estrutura ou organização. 8. Pessoa que só faz o que lhe dizem. = .AUTÔMATO, ROBÔ 9. [Informática] Computador. "máquina", in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa [em linha], 2008-2013, www.priberam.pt/dlpo/m%C3%A1quina [consultado em 22-12-2014].
Yes, but they made the first manned, powered one that was controllable and capable of sustained flight. They may not have made the first airplane, but they made the first practical one
Ok, so I just read an article saying he reportedly made a powered flight on August 14, 1901 that said his plane flew for a half mile. So even if that's true, that's nowhere near your distance estimate. That is impressive though