THE WRIGHT BROTHERS And The Evolution Of Aviation | Upscaled Documentary

The Wright Brothers and the evolution of aviation in the following 5 decades. An upscaled historical documentary about the history of flight.
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, four miles (6 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
In 1904-1905, the Wright brothers developed their flying machine to make longer-running and more aerodynamic flights with the Wright Flyer II, followed by the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the Wright Flyer III. The brothers' breakthrough was their creation of a three-axis control system, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, Wilbur and Orville focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small home-built wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design more efficient wings and propellers.  Their first U.S. patent did not claim the invention of the flying machine, but rather a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated the flying machine's surfaces.
The brothers gained the mechanical skills essential to their success by working for years in their Dayton, Ohio-based shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles, in particular, influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle such as a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.  This was a trend, as many other aviation pioneers were also dedicated cyclists and involved in the bicycle business in various ways. From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, the brothers conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their shop mechanic Charles Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first airplane engine in close collaboration with the brothers.
The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators. Edward Roach, the historian for the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, argues that they were excellent self-taught engineers who could run a small company, but they did not have the business skills or temperament to dominate the growing aviation industry.
#aviation #genius #wrightbrothers

[@Dronescapes]

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[@thomaswyatt1471]

❤l got 1qqq1qq1qqqq🎉15❤1g

[@scottkinnebrew7924]

This is the kind of stuff that makes the internet great. Thank you so much for this!

[@Dronescapes]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tomray8765]

The LAST Plane that Orvile flew was a CONSTELATION in 1946. He was picked up in Dayton and then was allowed to take the yoke in the cockpit for a short time. Then the plane was put on autopilot. Wilbur commented "I always thought a plane should be able to fly itself." Amazing progress in only 43 years.

[@dogfacedponysoldier87]

The Wright bros have always fascinated me. America needs to keep its inventive spirit going.

[@kennedysingh3916]

Watched from Jamaica, great documetry, the interviews with the pionares move me.

[@rodpettet2819]

A brilliant docu. I loved all the cleaned up black and white film of important people of the time and events. The development of instrumentation was particularly interesting along with the interviews of the test pilots. This is for me at least something to be watched several times or more. Once again thanks to all involved!

[@lajosvarga6431]

I agree. However, those interviews seem just too good to be true. They are so seamless and high resolution, so I suspect Deep Fake. Anyway, this program is great.

[@antonioascari3294]

only fly those who take off from the ground with their own means. This feat belongs to a Brazilian .

[@Louis-kk3to]

All my life, im 60 , but this is the greatest story ever told ❤

[@tevvya]

Amazing to hear directly from these famous names of early aviation. If it were not for the all the technology on screen, the soundtrack alone would put this documentary firmly in its time period of the early 50's. Thanks for pulling this out and posting it. It was a hoot! (Had to use a phrase of the period!)

[@dovardross7336]

There was a time in my youth during any activity, with or without friends, looking up whenever hearing and seeing a jet plane in the sky. That was a marvel event in my youth.

[@johnrogan9420]

The years 1900 to 1999 were truly a large step for mankind.

[@katelynjohnson8587]

It's SO mind boggling

[@julianneale6128]

I'd go as far as the beginnings of the industrial revolution. It was a truly incredible time.

[@davidelliott5843]

It was the second Industrial Revolution powered by internal combustion instead of boilers and steam engines.

[@Mrbfgray]

And to be dwarfed by the first 3 decades of this century.

[@stacyhamilton2619]

​@@julianneale6128 Another large step will be when writers stop cluttering their assertions with the meaningless filler word "truly".

[@MikeSmith-bm8fm]

This is the best aviation documentary I have ever seen. i have been in aviation maintenance for going on for 43 years. I feel this should be seen by all people gitting into aviation maintenance for the great history. Thank you very much. I will keep this one!!!!!

[@Dronescapes]

Wow, thank you!

[@mysticalvomit]

Yes. Thanxs for your brown nosed fake comment.

[@aloesecretinc]

I love this! Orville & redenbacher were great pioneers in the era of flight. 💟💟💟

[@stacyhamilton2619]

Boo

[@m.lecollie3565]

Great documentary. To actually hear from the men who were there! Good stuff!!

[@user-qc3gv9xb4e]

I just want to say thanks, the resolution of some of these interviews is so amazing and human. EDIT: You can't convince me that guy isn't drunk. You know the one.

[@barcodenosebleed5485]

That or barbiturates. Blasted on something for sure.

[@tski3458]

Amazing. Looking at all the planes in the sky right this minute on flight aware. The Bros would be in awe. Now back to the flight sim.

[@John-ih2bx]

Wonderful documentary. Thank you.

[@Dronescapes]

Our pleasure!

[@jeremyvance2437]

Thank you so much for all of your videos!!! You are inspirational to all student pilots in the community!!!!!

[@mysticalvomit]

And to human trafficking entrepreneurs.

[@arturoeugster7228]

5:38 The rate of turn in degrees per second is 20 times the angle of bank divided by the true airspeed in knots....At 25 knots and 20 degrees of bank the rate of turn is 16 degrees per second, exactly.

[@cbwilson2398]

This is one of the very best historical accounts I've ever encountered, with the very witnesses to the revolution in the air speaking for themselves.

[@code3responsevideos872]

I love how that old guy said he first started working on Bicycles in the 80’s! Not the eighties I think about in my memory.

[@Ancientlunatic]

😂😂 yeah that was pretty weird

[@noahway13]

@@Ancientlunatic 1880's

[@rodgerraubach2753]

The Wright's were more than simple "bicycle mechanics," and were what we would today call ENGINEERS! They did experiments and built a wind tunnel to test the lift characteristics of different airfoils, as well as building a gasoline engine that worked very well.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

True.

[@antonioascari3294]

They just couldn't prove they were the first because there were no witnesses. Those American voices lost to a Brazilian who flew in front of dozens of French people.

[@ryanreedgibson]

I don't believe the label really matters. Their most important attribute was tenacity. Most have and did give up long before.

[@John-ih2bx]

@@ryanreedgibson Perfectly logical and true statement. I had also heard that the French may have been the first. But as you stated so well, the Wright Brothers spent many years perfecting their designs, with all the issues of not being academically "qualified" to do so (they were just bicycle mechanics), they put the academics to shame. Long live the spirit of the Wright Brothers, and all those who venture into the unknown, with great planning, thought, dedication, and risking their own lives, not others' lives. One (out of many) notes in the documentary, it was only Kitty Hawk weather/? service that had responded by mail to them about the local environment, and the folks were so hospitable. Way to go NC! No, I am not from NC, but it is a great state.

[@giantgeoff]

If you read David Mc,Collough's biography of them you would know that Wilbur had been accepted to Harvard they had been home schooled to a more advanced level than they would have been in a conventional High school. So let's stop denigrating their educational level A more accurate description of their qualifications was that they were the most highly qualified aeronautical engineers in the world at the time.

[@louistracy6964]

First helicopter was "a fine machine only it couldn't fly" is what is great about engineering.

[@stratocaster1greg]

I have a lathe and shaper from Nichols Bros. bicycle shop in Chickasha, Ok. They built the Albatross just a few years after the Wright Bros. I use those machines after restoring them regularly. Great video!

[@skyloveglobalnelsonbarbonc8009]

Globalskylove

[@sheilahammond4260]

Amazing! The Wright Brothers deserve every praise for not only their invention, but for their determination and resiliance too. Every one of us owe them a debt of gratitude for their perseverance. Its hard to imagine how our world would be had it not been for air travel. It certainly would have been a lot slower, thats for sure, and far fewer of us would have visited far off shores and explored exotic destinations. Thats without mentioning all the other benefits that flight has brought. Of course there are some drawbacks, but not yet enough to warrant the stopping all flights at present, to my knowledge..😊

[@khcopter]

Wow, cool video you had Charlie Taylor speaking!! that’s amazing! Didn’t know there was any footage of him!! pretty cool thanks for sharing the video!!

[@itsxstarz9056]

Imagine flying in 1900s were so used to seeing planes but back then to be first to fly is something incredible that 59 seconds probably felt like 10 mins but also 10 secs wish I could experience that

[@machielhoogenes3158]

Beautifull work guys love it. Please consider a layer of kevlar on the inside for safety. Keep up the good work best regards Machiel from the netherlands

[@arturoeugster7228]

Best video presentation thank you! The roll instability is due to the negative dihedral, like on most birds. 11:40

[@jurgeysamuel]

That end credit with Frank Lahm made me cry, we truly stand on the shoulders of giants. He reminds me of my grandpa. Whom I miss everyday. I could watch it a hundred times. 1:50:36

[@skyloveglobalnelsonbarbonc8009]

Globalskýlove

[@watchguy7986]

This is so amazing. So happy I found this thank you

[@Dronescapes]

You're so welcome!

[@akachiazubuike1109]

Great Great doc!!

[@mijyadoc5374]

Well done....

[@mssuxmyass]

That was a great doc! I hadn't seen those particular interviews before, thank you for the share!

[@thelonious-dx9vi]

Outstanding. Cheers.

[@Dronescapes]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you!

[@BarryKellysinger]

Love it Rob 😀

[@alexanderdavila4087]

That was amazing

[@rod1148]

Wilbur made the last flight of the day (Dec. 17) but did not crash the plane at the end of the flight. The brothers were planning on additional flights but a strong gust of wind blew the plane over seriously damaging it preventing further flights.

[@johnwelsh2769]

The front elevator was broken at the end of the 4th flight. They were going to fix it and possibly fly again, and then the wind had its way with the flyer.

[@rod1148]

@@johnwelsh2769 i stand corrected. Thank you.

[@johnwelsh2769]

@@rod1148 A minor detail on that glorious day.

[@metteholtheeriksen7826]

Hello from Norway. My family and and I spent some years in Dayton, Ohio, USA with the Norwegian Airforce, due to the updating of F 16 aircraft. Thank you for a great video.

[@slingerssecretlaboratory]

Most interesting

[@russell-di8js]

Men ahead of their time, true pioneer's!! Wright Bros. RIP

[@user-ud6nm3ws6o]

Very amazing video

[@Dronescapes]

Glad you think so!

[@arturoeugster7228]

22:52 there is no sound barrier, transition to supersonic flight is imperceptible. The myth started with the Prandtl Glauert linear prediction, which indicated infinite drag at mach 1 D = rho×V²/2 × cdo × Area ÷ √(1-M²) division by O ! In 1925 Ackeret predicted the drag and lift above Mach 1, Cd = alpha² / √ (M² -1) also infinite at Mach 1 Thus both equations predicted a barrier at Mach one. It was Ackeret which named the ratio of flight speed to speed of sound the Mach number after Ernst Mach. I graduated under Prof Ackeret, who built the first supersonic wind tunnel, 1933, still in use, where measurements disproved the barrier, just a smooth rise in lift and drag followed by a continuous decrease in drag and lift as asymptotically the equations predicted, hence the name transsonic flow.

[@dukecraig2402]

No kidding, it's only a saying, and it only became a saying in the first place because of typical sensationalistic newspaper men inventing the saying just to hype up stories.

[@barcodenosebleed5485]

Well, I suppose it depends on how you define barrier. Even though there wasn't a physical one, the belief it existed certainly constituted a psychological barrier that hindered progress for a time such that a fictional barrier had real effects. Perhaps that's why the term has stuck around. Good example of the need to keep pushing science forward dispassionately and keep asking questions.

[@arturoeugster7228]

@@barcodenosebleed5485 a good point, but it was Ernst Mach who investigated the crackling noise of rifle bullets and determined the conical shape of the shock fronts at 3 times the speed of sound a = √(1.4 × 287 × T) in m/s T = 273.15 + t °C R gas constant for air = 287 It was the reason Ackeret called V/a the Mach number in this context, the speed of the bullets could be measured as a function of the charge and no deviation from a smooth transition was evident, so Ackeret was motivated, why his prediction failed, so built the first supersonic wind tunnel, 1933, in the Maschinen Laboratorium, next to the main building of the ETH. But none of his Phd students were able to built a transsonic theory to match the test data . There were no computers at the time..just MADAS calculators....Glamorous Glennis astonished Chuck Yeager with the fact that Mach 1 transitions were indicated only with the Mach meter.

[@arturoeugster7228]

The speed of sound next to the surface of the airplane body and wings has locally well passed the speed of sound before the entire airplane flew at the speed of sound. The condition where the speed of the flow on the upper side of the thickest part of the wing reaches the speed of sound is called the critical Mach number, occurs on a B 747 wing root at Mach 0.845 or evel lower.

[@herculydia]

Everything above is what I was going to say.

[@rod1148]

I thought it was Wilbur who won the coin toss for the first attempt that damaged the plane. That would make Orville the one to make the first flight at 10:35 on December 17. the first 12 seconds of powered flight.

[@edmundmaher2045]

You thought correct. I am flabbergasted we live in an age where information is readily available and the amount of inaccuracies in this documentary is inexcusable

[@wilburcowart9590]

Do offset the weight of the engine had to keep the balance balanced 4 1/2 but also left to the right

[@JohnKSedor]

Sorry guys, the first to fly was Gustave Whitehead in 1901 in Bridgeport Connecticut, 2 years before the Wright Bros. (the "Wrong" Bros.). And Whithead may have flown as early as 1899.

[@bobturner3388]

I believe They invented the propellor also which the design is still in use

[@johnr423]

Correct !

[@williampagel5843]

Orville was the first to fly 12 sec. 120 feet!

[@pup1008]

I live about 3 miles from where the Wright ancestral home was in Essex UK - *Kelvedon Hall.*

[@mrminer071166]

3:05 WE HAVE LEFT DAYTON, OH!

[@user-bu5ye3mr5w]

Something that's always puzzled me about the Wrights, is how for about the first 10 years, they put the elevators out front, what made for a highly unstable airplane. Why it didn't occur to them, that every bird in the world, has its elevator feathers in the tail?

[@jackevans7665]

Probably due to weight distribution. From what I remember the engineer and props were behind the centre of mass, so to counter it they added extra weight to the front to keep it balanced.

[@christiancamacho5887]

it would be awesome to get into this...i want to build.

[@jimburig7064]

This technology grew exponentially. Many of the warbirds of WWII were designed thirty years after Kitty Hawk.

[@GOLDVIOLINbowofdeath]

The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell

[@stephanohorse]

Today most people pull down the shade to stare at their phones in silence

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Fitting their familial name perfectly. "What heritage is Wright? English and Scottish: occupational name for a craftsman or maker of machinery, mostly in wood, of any of a wide range of kinds, from Middle English and Older Scots wriht, wright, wricht, writh, write (Old English wyrhta, wryhta) 'craftsman', especially 'carpenter, joiner'.

[@1biggerrynv]

Trying to find any kind of video or audio interview with Orville before he died. He died in 1948 seems to be there should be plenty of time. Some documentarian could’ve done a documentary and interview him of those first few days of flight.

[@soultraveller5027]

who invented the angled flight deck and the steam catapult and landing aids ?

[@dukecraig2402]

The British. So what's your point? This wasn't a video about the history of naval aviation, if it was I'm sure they'd have started out with the fact that the first time an aircraft took off from the deck of a ship and the first time an aircraft landed on one it was in America, which is something else not mentioned in this but why would they because this isn't specifically about the history of naval aviation. If you want to hear about that I'm sure there's plenty of videos about the history of naval aviation that point that out.

[@jondeere5638]

From the book on the Wright brothers, the copycat manufactures were asked in court what was the function of certain features on their planes were supposed to accomplish. They didn't know. They just blindly copied the Wright brothers design.

[@jondeere5638]

The radial engine was among he most reliable engines ever used. They would have several cylinders damaged and still keep flying.

[@edmundmaher2045]

Good documentry but some of the facts not correct including most important Orville not Wilbur was first to fly on 17 Dec 1903

[@johnr423]

yes, you are correct !

[@FayazAhmad-yl6sp]

Thomas Newcoman is the father of modern human beings he invented first atmospheric engine and changed the world which was depending on animals' wind and water energies, to do mechanical work till the birth of human beings on the earth.

[@vrochyterapiasfemininas8920]

Alberto Santos Dumont, o pai da aviação!!!!!

[@cardinalRG]

Aviation has no single parent, but resulted from the work of many people. Santos-Dumont was a part of that, and so were the Wrights.

[@davidastill5008]

nd not a mention of Petawawa

[@natalierogers125]

Wow

[@JoeLattimore-ss2pm]

I was only 20 years old when the plane was made.. back in my day when didnt think it was gonna happen.. dang long time ago.. im getting old. 😂😂.. i waa chilling on the first plane across the beach of carolina to grandfather mountain.. 😂😂

[@rescue270]

They got the first flight sequence backwards. Actually it was Wilbur who won the coin toss and made the first attempt but stalled. Orville made the first flight and they took turns with Wilbur making the fourth and final 59 second flight.

[@davidb6382]

That forward elevator is truly frightening. One wrong move on that super sensitive control and a dive to death.

[@michelestone3194]

A good friend of mine always said he was waiting for the right girl and then I realized Orville and Wilbur had a sister who had become a airline stewardess

[@apurvtrivedi4871]

Invention of powered human flight would not have been possible from 1 single person. It would have been a collective efforts. So secrecy should have been an important aspect of the project.

[@fractuss]

With "The help" of Charlie Taylor, heh.

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

There is debate about who first achieved heavier than air powered flight but the Wright brothers achieved CONTROLLED flight.

[@mebeme1963]

Who is the narrator?

[@jondeere5638]

The narrator is Peter Graves brother of James Arness aka Marshal Dillon

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Had some of the best hair ever, in Hollywood history. Mission Impossible! 6-4 and 6-7 Norwegian/German parents. Proper spelling is Aurnes, an earlier family member, Americanized it. Graves last name was a maternal name used in the family. I love Norway, and all the countries over there. So pretty.

[@user-ud6ui7zt3r]

Back around 1900, how did the Wright Brothers make the links for bicycle chain? Did they have an equivalent of the *punch press,* back then? Without a punch press, I don't see how anyone could make consistently identical chain links, let alone get the cost of such manufacture down to a reasonable price.

[@edmundmaher2045]

To answer your question they sourced their bicycle chains eternally including the ones specially designed for the 1903 flyer

[@Lightningdvc]

Some interesting content. But mostly only from US standpoint. Not the whole picture of history of flight.

[@dukecraig2402]

That's because it's about the Wright Brothers, not the history of flight.

[@Lightningdvc]

@@dukecraig2402 Here’s a tip. Watch the doco before commenting.

[@dukecraig2402]

@@Lightningdvc I did, so yea, it's about the Wright Brothers and not the history of flight. Here's a tip, comprehend that.

[@Dontworryboutit315]

Not sure who you’d expect it to be about, didn’t see anyone else flying before the wright brothers.

[@Lightningdvc]

@@Dontworryboutit315 about 10% is about the Wright brothers.

[@noahway13]

North Carolina was the place of the first heavier than Air flight South Carolina was the place of the first practical submarine that sunk a warship.

[@jesusmares7171]

They know that fly was posible. For one simple reason one obsrvation that they keep on secret til today .

[@johnrogan9420]

Dayton newspaper tells the Wrights brother...59 seconds. .come back when they fly 59 minutes...lol..missed the story of the century!

[@iancanty9875]

Very interesting, except the Wright Bros didn’t make the first powered heavier than air flight. The first powered heavier than air flight was made on 31st July 1894 by Hiram Maxim’s 3.5 ton, 120 foot wingspan plane which he called his “test rig”. It was made from steel tubing and canvas, and was powered by two 180hp compact steam engines and had 17 foot propellors. The rig was supposed to be tethered to a railway but it broke loose at a speed of 42 mph whilst testing and flew 600 feet before crashing. Maxim and 3 other men were on board at the time.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Piston engines flown at moderate speeds are one of the most fuel efficient for the speeds they fly at, 80% efficient. Source? The British inventor of the jet engine.

[@Dronescapes]

Sir Frank Whittle? He was the inventor of the turbojet (yes, it was not a German invention).

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Exactly, the British Govt. didn't help him much, and was not patented, at first, so the Germans STOLE the engineering of it before WW2 happened.@@Dronescapes

[@jaminova_1969]

Why no mention of the American John Montgomery ?

[@josefonseca5540]

Wasn't the Brazilian Santos Dumont who invented the airplane?

[@marlboro9tibike]

Aint nobody have time for that!

[@JohnKitner]

It all started with an idea

[@terryzx6]

Wilbur made the 12/14 flight.

[@arturoeugster7228]

Correct, Orville made the first on the bottom on the side of the workshop, Wilbur the last 59 seconds

[@raymondlancaster3355]

@@arturoeugster7228How do you spend this much time putting a documentary together and not get a basic fact like that correct? You would think it would matter who actually made the first flight. When you see a mistake like this you have to question everything else that someone says.

[@edmundmaher2045]

Quite a few facts incorrect in this considering there are numerous books on the subject. Also pictures show during commentry not matching topic again numerous pictures available including wind tunnel when discussed

[@mikemcgonegal1616]

The Wrights obtained a very broad patent (basically anything that flew in the air), and sat on it for 6 years. They did little or no public flying, just private demonstrations. They weren't interested in a more powerful engine. Wasn't until Glenn Curtiss came along about 1909 that the Wrights got any real competition.

[@stevelangstroth5833]

More importantly, Curtiss was my great grandmother's 2nd cousin. 😁

[@giantgeoff]

@@stevelangstroth5833 unsolicited endorsement: the Glenn Curtiss museum in Hammondsport is well worth the time and the surrounding area is world class beautiful!

[@hertzair1186]

Lilienthal was no failure! The German was the first with a successful manned glider and had hundreds of successful flights.

[@aaronperdue8979]

He failed. His tables were wrong kraut boy. You lost. Sit down and shut up you germán duechbag.

[@jonathanstancil8544]

Lillenthal only "flew" because his gliders had enough wing area to be held aloft by wind resistance. His designs do not generate true lift and are largely uncontrollable. Nevertheless, he IS considered the first man to fly, though when you add power to his designs they do not fly, they are held aloft by wind resistance and the engines would harm the overall effort because his wing designs do not generate true lift. The Wrights put it all together with true lift, a working engine and propeller system for thrust and an effective control system to achieve the first TRUE powered and controllable heavier than air aircraft.

[@dano8613]

@jonathanstancil8544 wow! Nicely stated! I knew about half of what you said and learned the other half just now. I liked how you gave credit where it was due while explaining the difference.

[@thomasdameron4095]

The Brazilians say the same thing

[@donald8354]

@@jonathanstancil8544 I like the way you explain it and accurate. What do you think about some people claim that Santos Dumont was the first to fly.

[@KarldorisLambley]

the may have invented aeroplanes, rudders, all that stuff. but this video makes it sound like they did all the maths to develop the theory of flight. well they didn't. an English vicar did that decades before. George cayley, he discovered the way wing shapes relate to flight, lift, drag, all the clever stuff that needs sorting out before the spanners were picked up.

[@julianneale6128]

04:10 is incorrect, as Sir George Cayley is the father of controlled flight. It is however more than likely that the Wrights were unaware of Cayley's work.

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

The Wrights had studied Cayley and even corresponded with him.

[@julianneale6128]

@ngauruhoezodiac3143 ah ok, I was unaware of that. Kayley really was quite forward thinking, unfortunately he had well passed away before his ideas were proven. The Wright's were also forward thinking and very inventive. The work they did really was priceless.

[@AshleyKellum]

Yeah that's what cracks me up all these well-learned higher educated individuals who think they know all and here are two fellas who they considered beneath them or uneducated were the ones that actually were successful you can have all the education and learned knowledge in the world but it doesn't mean you know anything

[@litestuffllc7249]

Cardinal your arguments are - the Wrights you say didn't use a catapult in 1903 - were you there? My point. No one was there to verify anything; but you do accept they used a skid. Regarding a Catapult, why would they ever use one, particularly later when they had a more powerful engine? Simple, because they didn't have enough power to take off on the aircrafts engine even then; so when they had less power they needed a headwind, they needed to pull it or use a catapult. You can use wheels at Kitty Hawk but you wouldn't choose the loose sand that is likely true; you'd find a more compacted area closer to the water; looking at their own photos it appears to be compacted sand. The only time dragging sticks along the ground can have low drag is when the ground is ice; maybe compact snow like a dog sled. Wheels with lubricated bearings like you have on a bicycle would other wise always have less drag. If sleds were better than wheels we'd be using them instead of cars or bicycles. The original flyer with pilot was about 1000 lbs; you can't drag something that heavy on skids on sand easier than wheels. Now to be fair; I suppose if you put down rails, lubricated it, and put slides over top that could be pretty slick and give some directional control; but then why go to Kitty Hawk?

[@mikearmstrong8483]

"Were you there?" is only the arguement of morons lacking both mental capacity and any slight level of education. There was no Roman Empire and you can't prove there ever was. Were you there? There was no World War Two and you can't prove there ever was. Were you there? There is no nation of Finland and you can't prove there is. Were you there?

[@karloyu3484]

❤👍

[@WillStephensArt]

Smoke monster watching and plotting

[@jeffhubbard4688]

Sikorski "I had my share of failures with the first helicopter, which was a fine machine..............only it couldn't' fly,"

[@joeelliott2157]

I think the first two minutes of this presentation is misleading. It seems to imply that Orville was more critical than Wilbur and provided to imagination while Wilbur brought in mechanical skills. It is pretty much the opposite. Wilbur brought in the imagination. He was the first to really look into flying machines. He had perhaps the most critical insights. Of studying birds, as others have done. That a flying machine must be controllable, and that control would have to be provided by a pilot. And that pilot must have some sort of machine control. And a 'wing flapping' machine like most birds was out of the question but to focus on birds when they soared and glided. The groundwork of the theoretical framework was done before anything was built or Orville even got involved. On the other hand, it was Orville brought who, at least initially, the mechanical skills. We was the tinkerer. He was the one who worked on special complicated projects like building a printing press. By the time the real work on flying got started, Wilbur, learning from Orville, may have become as good a mechanic as Orville. This project needed imagination, a systematic approach to problems, but also a great deal of mechanical aptitude. Likely, either brother working all by themselves would have failed to build a flying machine. Likely, Orville on his own would have never even got started on the project.

[@christiangeiselmann]

I find it mind-boggling how they didn't get rid of their silly front elevator.

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

It was not silly. Canards are used on modern aircraft, especially fighters.

[@johnr423]

it does look silly, but they liked it there in the beginning because it gave them a sense of security while flight testing to minimize possible injury in flight testing

[@ngauruhoezodiac3143]

Maybe they thought that the elevator would give additional lift.

[@davidelliott5843]

We never learn why the Wrights used a front elevator. It seems an odd choice as birds steer with feet and tail.

[@johnr423]

Initially they liked it for the purpose of a safety for in flight testing in case of a nose dive to minimize bodily harm

[@shawngoldsberry747]

Is that tour guide one of them Lumberton Indians?

[@marciocorrea8531]

First flight...in the U.S.

[@apurvtrivedi4871]

"Heavier than air" what a hilarious phrase...it should be something else...instead....