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Aviation & Flight InformationFlights Of Fancy
by:
Maya Good luck charm
Frost
Feeling cranky just about air travel? Get a grip.
Not on the arm of your rider seat--on reality, history, and the dumfounding accomplishment of human flight.
We've just celebrated the Ordinal
day of remembrance of the Wright brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. Though there werecertainly others who were experimenting with flying machines--most notably,
Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian who is wide
celebrated in his native country as being the father of
aviation--the Wright Brothers are generally regarded as the 1st to get humans off the ground.
The fascinating thing just about the Wright brothers is that they were not the idealistic dreamers you strength
expect
them to be. They were serious, studious, and determined to numbers things out. It wasn't that they
were obsessed with the dream of soaring high above the ground. They were mechanically-inclined brothers who closely-held a bicycle shop, and they couldn't forget the brief but exciting flight of a cheap toy airplane they'd received as children. They were intrigued by the
engineering challenge.
Let's just say it--they were geeks. Nice thing. Like geeks everywhere, they dug in, immersing themselves
in their research. By following their hunch and testing the euphemism
out of it, they found the key component that
enabled them to create that 1st flying hunk of wood, fabric and wire capable of carrying a man and--key
point here--landing without crashing.
The Wright brothers had the same access to records of tried and failing attempts at flight as all else would-be
aviators of the time. They studied birds, they analyzed physics properties, and they built wind
tunnels--just like everyone else. Sure, it was their pertinacious persistence that
led them to success, but there was thing
else that actually
helped them nail it. They took one piece of the puzzle and worked unrelentingly
to decipher it.
Instead of focusing on the force required to lift the contraption, or the engine required to power it, they zeroed in on the idea of control. No sense having a great flight only to crash into the trees after a few moments of jubilation. It was the issue of control that captured their imagination and led to a design featuring some
maneuverability and safety.
But as focused as they were on guiding the movement of the flying machines, they failing to pay
attention to the continuing
testing and refinement of their ideas. They got distracted by their efforts to
control sales, and the research and development division was left fluttering in the breeze. Spell the Wrights got caught up in patent struggles and
contracts, adventurers about the earth were up on their innovational design and savvy businessmen were building airplanes, airports and flight schools. By 1912, Wilbur had died and Orville was losing interest in flying.
Meanwhile, Santos-Dumont continuing
his passion for being airborne. He is attributable
with launching the 1st
public flight as well as designing the 1st hydroplane. He zipped about Europe, flying to fashionable
restaurants and parking his plane out front, right next to the bound
horses. Wherever
the Wrights were organized
and diligent, Santos-Dumont was a flashy man just about town better-known for his daring and his sense of style. He cut a dashing numbers and glorious
everyone from fashion designers to
engineers. His friend, Joseph louis barrow Cartier, created the 1st watch
for him after Santos-Dumont expressed a need to support track of time spell busily flying his plane.
Santos-Dumont didn't give a rip just about patents. Instead of defrayment his time and money on protective
his designs, he freely offered his ideas to anyone
interested in repetition and up them. He engaged in the computer code package idea: take this, go forth and prosper. We've seen this approach in computer code (Linux) and hybrid-electric cars (Hunter and Amory Lovins), and
though it seldom
leads to great wealth for the creators, it dramatically facilitates access and ingenuity.
After years of flying high, Santos-Dumont suffered from ill health and committed suicide in 1932. I guess
neither engineering talent nor adventurous individualism guarantees a happy ending. The Wrights ran out of
passion, and Santos-Dumont lost his mojo. In their own ways, they just burned out.
It's exciting to think just about how we need some
the plodding perseverance of the Wrights and the free-thinking generosity of Santos-Dumont in every
project we undertake. The greatest invention in the earth wish ne'er
capture the excitement of the
population without those who are fearless in their attempts to apply it. Those who create the buzz are
admittedly standing on the shoulders of those who quietly developed the technology, but we must have some
to bring out the enthusiasm of the early adopters and the cultural change that hinges upon the thought
acceptance of any new idea.
Bill Gates, that geek extraordinaire, has said: "The Wright brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the 1st earth wide web, transfer folk of some languages, ideas and values together."
The next time you're slogging through security, troubled
to put your bag in the overhead compartment, or grousing just about the leg room, pause a moment to reflect on the enormity of human flight. Recognize it for the impressive accomplishment that it is,
and pay tribute to those who lived and died for its creation. Appreciate the risk taking required in the last century to get you that window seat.
Please remain sitting
until the craft
comes to a complete stop, and whisper words of feeling
to the Wright
brothers for their determination in discovering what it takes to do a safe landing.
You may now come freely just about the cabin. Please refrain from complaining.
Thank you for flying for us, Wilbur and Orville.
Just just about the Author
Maya Good luck charm
Frost is a mind masseuse. Her activity has glorious
thinkers in over 70 countries about the world. Her free weekly ezine, the Fri Mind Massage, serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.
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