Gina Hagler - Orville and Wilbur Wright: The Brothers Who Invented the Airplane

Introduction

I ts difficult to imagine a time when people doubted that flight was possible. Its also difficult to imagine that people risked their lives to try anyway. The first unsuccessful attempts were made by those who thought that gluing feathers to their arms would make flight possible. These attempts were followed by unsuccessful tries by those who thought takeoff speed was the key. Additional failed attempts were made by those convinced that the flapping motion of the arms would make the difference.

Others used stories and drawings to imagine what flight might be like. One Greek myth tells of Icarus, a young man who used wings of wax and feathers. He flew too close to the sun, his wings melted, and he fell from the sky and drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) drew a scene that shows a view of Earth that is said to only be possible when viewed from above. Designs for flying machines also occupied the minds of those intent on flight. Leonardo is just one of the people who drew flying machines that he thought might succeed.

In this image, Icarus is falling from the sky after daring to fly too close to the sun. Icaruss fall is often referred to when an attempt to do something bold and new is announced.

Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest thinkers of all time. His designs for parachutes, airplanes, and a helicopter were the result of his interest in flight.

It is now known that none of these dreamers were correct because none of them imagined the forces in play. Even after Sir George Cayley (17731857) named the aerodynamic forces of lift, thrust, gravity, and drag, the way they worked together wasnt obvious. If thrust didnt come from jumping off a building with feathers glued to the arms while flapping wildly and lift couldnt be attained by jumping off a hill while wearing canvas wings, then how did it work?

When Wilbur (18671912) and Orville (18711948) Wright were young men, the public was fascinated with the possibility of flight. People had seen toys that could fly for a short distance, had flown kites, and had observed birds taking off, hovering, and landing. They were also aware that things that were lighter than air could float in the sky in the form of gigantic hot-air balloons. Shouldnt it be possible to achieve controlled, heavier-than-air, powered flight with a machine? Orville and Wilbur wondered too.

The Wright brothers were first to solve the problem of flight. These brothers were ordinary men who worked together to achieve one of the greatest feats in aviation history. They worked as a team to design, test, and fly the first successful airplanea powered, heavier-than-air object with a passenger aboard under control the entire time. Each brother working alone might have solved some of the problems that arose. By collaborating, they were able to successfully solve them all.

Wilbur and Orville Wright succeeded because they had a new approach and a successful collaboration. Their mutual respect made it possible to trade ideas back and forth. It allowed them to think outside the box to imagine new solutions. And, when things didnt go as expected, their working together gave them the confidence to discover why and to give it another try using what theyd learned. Their collaboration changed the world.