It seems that many people around the world still have no idea what makes an airplane controllable. Many experimenters crashed and some died because they did not know what they were doing. The narrator fails to mention that Langley's invention was launched from a boat and went right into the drink. One of the best parts of aircraft history to me is when Glenn Curtis walked around a Wright Flyer and understood what the various controls accomplished. He went home and invented ailerons. The Wrights did not like that. It got much like a soap opera at that point. Entertaining video pick, Merle! Thank You!
Langley was a putz. But he had the backing of fedgov.
ReplyDeleteWhat I understand is that T. Edison advised the Wrights not to patent their work, this due to the weak patent laws. G. Curtis swooped in under the Wrights, using his connections with Army to win Army contracts. This after the Wrights had tried to gain Army interest. Always Army held some objection. Army opened the doors wide open for Curtis even though his machine differed very little from that of the Wrights.
In the last 20 years or so, the USAF has expressed interest in the bending wing such as the Wrights used in place of separate ailerons.
RE: the video.
ReplyDeleteThe Wrights themselves made no claim of first in powered flight. They were first in *controlled* powered flight; controllable in all three axis.
Rick, I have always been impressed with the methodology the Wrights used. They figured out the problems in turning that were causing experimenters to crash, plus they invented the wind tunnel, tested various windfoils, and worked out how to build a proper propeller for a flying machine. Don't forget that they had to build their own aluminum block engine.
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