Would you believe it?

Lets talk about the first heavier than air flight.  Would you have believed it happened if you were alive in 1903?  How did the Wright Brothers prove it?

Transcript

Paula: 0:00

For the Best Aerospace Era this is mansplaining. Here is the host Anthony L. Sealey

0:09

Welcome aerospace enthusiasts. Now, I have covered why 1975 is the bookend year for the best aerospace era. But I have not yet covered the first year, 1903. One of the main themes of the Mansplaneing podcast is the advancement from flying machines at the beginning of the best aerospace era to the jet age with airliners that can fly its passengers around the world comfortably. Yes. We are finally going to cover the first flight here on Mansplaneing with the question, would you have believed it happened if you were alive in the first decade of the 20th century? Today we are bombarded with endless information in this modern world we live in today from 24 7 news networks, the internet, social media, and of course podcast. It is more difficult than ever to determine what is the real facts and what is really true in this world of Photoshop, ai, deep fakes, media agendas and conspiracy theories. Now unless you see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears, then you are inclined to be skeptical or outright not believe something at all. This applies to images, videos, news, stories, anything. This was also true for those living during the best aerospace era when news of the first flight of a heavier than air flying machine made news around the earth. Our question here is have these two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright. Prove to the world that they had made history on December 17th, 1903. And just for the record, this is my real voice and I am a real human being. I don't use voice cloning or use artificial intelligence to research or write my Mansplaneing episodes or anything like that. I do use a few AI tools like my AI flight attendant, as I call her for my announcements or intros and outros. She is not real. She only says what I typed down for her to say,

Paula: 2:56

This is the best podcast ever.

2:58

Do you see what I mean? But that's really the only AI I use. Now let's first look at what was going on in 1903. Shall we? Teddy Roosevelt as president? He became president after William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Why don't we talk about William McKinley's assassination? Why doesn't McKinley's assassination get near as much press or attention as president Lincoln or Kennedy? I'm not sure why myself, the most common modes of transportation were trains, ships, bicycles, horses, and one's on two feet. Speaking of bicycles, the first tour de France took place in 1903. I will be bringing up bicycles again later. The Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan. Harley Davidson was also founded that year, and I have been to the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I do recommend you visit there. The World heavyweight boxing champion was James Jackson. Jeffries in Major League Baseball. The Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Cy Young was on that team. The United States gained exclusive rights to the Panama Canal after a deal was made with the just recognized independent Panama government that same year. The first box of Crayola Crayons was sold. The Russian Democratic Labor Party split into two factions, the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks, who were led by Vladimir Lenin. You may have heard of him. A devastating fire ignited the Iroquois Theater. In Chicago killing over 600 people and injuring many more. The silent film, the Great Train Robbery premiered. And of course, the first accessible flight of a heavier than air flying machine. Now, Orvil and Wilbur Wright were not scientists or aircraft engineers. Around the time of the turn of the century, they were business partners who operated a humble bicycle repair shop out of Dayton, Ohio. They shared a keen interest though in making something heavier than air fly. This interest most likely came from toys they played with in their backyard as kids growing up in the late 18 hundreds, they did not lose enthusiasm for this enterprise into adulthood. They worked away in the back room of their shop building and testing prototypes after the workday to figure out how to make this fly. The Wright brothers finally designed a glider that showed promise. In 1902, there were many experiments with wing designs, and they even used a wind tunnel to see which prototypes. We were worth taking to the beaches for test flights. They were trying to solve the many problems of not just getting into the air, but staying airborne in a controlled manner. As dangerous and frustrating as this endeavor was, Wilbur and Orville Wright stuck with it. This was their hobby and they set as much time as they could outta their busy schedules as possible for this endeavor. After many tests with the wind tunnel and real glider tests, wing number 12 showed the most promise. This set the stage for the first successful flight on December 17th, 1903. The site kill Devil Hills Beach. Near the town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina was chosen because the strong winds from the ocean should provide some lift. The dunes provided an elevated takeoff point, and in the event of a crash, sand is better than other alternatives. The brothers flipped the coin to see who would make the first flight attempt. Wilbur won the coin toss, but he was not able to stay airborne. Just after takeoff on his first attempt, the flyer slowly crashed into the sand. He was not badly hurt though. Repairs were made and then it was Orville Stern. The flying machine was made simply of wood, wire and fabric similar to the gliders that they tested before. It was fitted with a primitive 12 horsepower engine that barely weighed less than 200 pounds. The engine was made by their mechanic and employee from the bicycle shop named Charlie Taylor. As the craft was pushed, the engine was started up. It happened with the engine running the propellers, spinning the wind, lifting the wings, and Orville at the controls the Wright Flyer. Clumsily stayed aloft in the air and flew along the beach at a distance of 120 feet and lasted only 12 seconds. Imagine the exhilaration Orville felt before landing in the sand. The brothers alternated and flew a few more flights that day, higher and further. Wilbur and Orville were not celebrating as much as you might think. They were not satisfied with this first Wright flyer or their first flight. They knew that improvements could be made and went to work on their craft back in Dayton, Ohio. I have seen some fabric that was used on a right flyer displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. I recommend you go check that out now, let's say hypothetically, you were one of the fortunate few who were there on that cold, windy beach that day to witness the Wright Brothers first successful flight on December 17th, 1903. The next day you boarded a train from North Carolina to California. Then you boarded a ship bound for Asia, made your way to Ulaanbaatar the capital of Mongolia, and told the first person you saw there about this monumental flight, they would not believe you. I wouldn't believe you,, even if this person showed me a newspaper with a headline and a picture. Countless individuals throughout history all over the world have tried to solve this problem of flight. Why should I believe two guys I've never heard of before from some place called the Midwest, have achieved this elusive endeavor. This would be even harder to convince someone in a European country, especially France. Because the French believed that they had already conquered this sky. Now, why is that Back in the late 17 hundreds, another set of brothers worked to get off the ground and take to the sky. These two French brothers were Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier, worked in the paper industry. The Montgolfier Brothers. Work to create a lighter than air contraption to get off the ground. Now, on November 21st, 1783, their creation, a hot air balloon was launched. It carried two passengers. The balloon drifted aimlessly in the wind around Paris, France for about 25 minutes before coming back down safely. Now for a name you've heard before on the Mansplaneing podcast, Alberto Santos, Demont He was Brazilian. However, a little over a hundred years later, he flew a powered Airship or a digable around the Eiffel Tower. Now I don't know much about balloons or airships, but I have read a book titled Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne, who was also French. It is an interesting, exciting read, and I do recommend that. So for the French, the Sky was a place that they had already conquered. The proud French believed that the first heavier than air flying machine would also and should take off and land on the French soil. Many in France dismiss the reports of the Wright brothers first flight. Now, how can the Wright brothers prove to the French and other countries in Europe and beyond that the age of heavier than air flight? Had arrived and more importantly, that it was achieved by Americans. Well. Wilbur Wright got tired of the smug Europeans. I decided to take aircraft parts for an improved model called the Wright Model, A flyer and set cell for France in 1908. This was no luxurious European vacation. After arriving at his destination, Wilbur opened up the shipping crate in a factory and got to work assembling his aircraft. La Mans would be the first location for Wilbur's flight demonstrations in Europe. Yes, that La Mans famous for the 24 hour endurance races. Although this is long before the first famous race occurred. The first race in La Mans. Didn't take place until 1923. Now on August 8th, 1908. On the race course. Wilbur took off in the Wright model, a flyer in front of a large crowd. It was a much improved aircraft over the first Wright flyer that first flew less than five years earlier. He leveled out around 30 feet in front of the European onlookers. For someone living in the first years of the best aerospace era, seeing an airplane takeout for the sky was exciting enough. Wilbur, however, did the spectators win better. Now, most of the early fly machines or airplanes in the first few years of the best aerospace era, like the 14 Biss of 1904, for example, could only get off the ground about 10 or so feet. It could only fly straight on. Maneuvering in the air proved not only to be difficult, but extremely dangerous. The Wright model, a flyer maneuver with such authority that the crowd was shocked. The crowd had never seen a pilot control his craft in 180 degree turns. With such command, Wilbur even performed figure eights on his European tour. This proved that the Americans had not only mastered the skies, but did it confidently. One European newspaper printed that the American took turns with ease at almost terrifying angles, and aligned like a bird. A prominent lawyer from Paris and an outspoken skeptic of the Wright brothers named Ernist Archdeacon said after the demonstrations. For a long time. The Wright brothers have been accused in Europe of bluff, even perhaps in the land of their birth. They are today hallowed in France, and I feel an intense pleasure in counting myself among the first to make amends for that flagrant injustice. One prominent aviator legend who I'll cover in the future here on Mansplaneing named Louis Bleirot proclaimed Wright as a genius. He is the master of us all. Another early aviator named Rene Gasnier said, is a revolution airplane work. Who can now doubt the Wrights have done all they claimed. On another interesting note, a female artist and sculptor. In attendance for one of Wilber Wright's Ariel stunts named Theresa Peltier. I decided to try flying herself and she was possibly the first female passenger on a flying machine, and in just a few months later, she piloted an aircraft herself, as I said before, seeing is believing. It would've been awesome to have been there to see these aerial demonstrations on Wilbur's European tour. Wilbur. Mesmerized crowds with this flight's demonstrations at La Mans and other towns in Europe. Not by just taking off, but showing that the Wright model, a flyer could maneuver through the air. Even the most proud and skeptical of the French had to em admit that the Americans had conquered the skies like never before. Wilbur Wright showed the French and other Europeans that they could do more than just fly straight on. There is an amazing picture in the book, the Airplane by Jay Spencer of Wilbur Flying a passenger over some spectators standing by some horse strong carriages. I like this picture because it shows the past and the present of transportation all in one frame. I hope the photographer who took this picture won an award or something. I may make an entire episode on this very picture. You know what? I will standby for that. Now many of the first aviation pioneers in Europe, were focused on internal combustion engines that powered their flying machines. One needs more than speed and power to conquer the skies, an aviator must be able to command the aircraft and maneuver with authority. The Wright brothers, like countless other individuals throughout history studied ornithology. No. What is Ornithology? I'll explain what Ornithology means. The first part means bird into Greek, and the last part basically means the study of, I had to look that one up on the internet. Biology is not my best subject. This makes perfect sense. God gave birds, wings, feathers, and the gift of flight. For us humans, we need to build our own wings and build internal combustion engines to take us to the ever elusive sky. How did the Wright Brothers figure this out before anyone else? The answer may surprise you. To solve the problems of heavier than air flight, the Wright brothers first experimented with kites. They fly in the air, don't they? And then moved to gliders, which they can actually ride along in. They experimented with these gliders on Kil Devil Hills Beach. Same place as a first flight. Using that same wind that they used for the first flight. Let's not forget that gliders were a crucial step into getting us airplanes kind of in the same way as bicycles came before motorcycles. I mentioned before at the beginning of this episode, that bicycles were one of the most popular ways to get around in 1903. In fact, bicycles were a major mode of transportation around the turn of the century. The modern bicycle as we know it today, was invented in 1885 by John Kemp Starley in England. It was called the rover. This rover set the foundation for many companies in America that manufactured bicycles. Bicycles were how a person got to work or to the local tavern or bar or to church or across town for any reason. You can imagine they were also used for delivery businesses. They were cheaper to buy than a car and cheaper to maintain than a horse. They were not used for a workout or recreation like they are today. Some historians even credit the bicycle for getting girls and housewives outside of the house and together to organize the woman's movement, the progressive movement, and the right to vote. But that is way off topic for the Mansplaneing podcast. The clever Wright brother saw a business opportunity here and started a bicycle repair shop in Dayton, Ohio. Being in the world of bicycles gave them an unexpected advantage in aviation. I'm assuming that almost everyone listening right now has rode a bicycle at one point or another in their life. Now, if you're on a bicycle and are moving at speed and you're coming up to a turn, what do you do to make the turn? You lean into the direction of the turn. Right. Here's the amazing part. The Wright brothers simply applied this to aviation. In order to turn the first practical airplane, the Wright flyer. A pilot simply needs to lean. Thereby tilting one wing down and the other wing up. This causes the aircraft to turn. This is every type of aircraft that I can think of operates in the air today, like a Boeing 7 87 Dreamliner to a general aviation Cessna Skyhawk, to a fighter jet like an F 35. This is how they maneuver in the air. Albeit these aircraft perform these aero maneuvers much more safely and dramatically than anything flying in the first few years of the best aerospace era i'm gonna use another bicycle metaphor here. When you first ride a bike, you stay straight on'cause you don't wanna fall over. Turning. Your bike feels unnatural and dangerous. Same for the first aviators. They got into the air trying to turn it. Move the wings one side to the other, and then they might spiral down and crash. For the Wright brothers, they solved this problem. They would lean and use their warped wing system to stabilize their craft. for Orville and Wilbur Wright coming from the bicycle trade. This made sense and it worked. Now, Wilbur did not just travel all the way across the Atlantic to show off and brag about their mastery in the sky. They were businessmen, Wilbur and Orville Wright turned their hobby into a business. They used what they learned from their experience in the bicycle trade and applied it to beginning of airplane business. How many aircraft manufacturers can you think of today? Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Learjet, Cirrus, just to name a few. There are many today with thousands of customers and contracts. The competition in the aircraft industry was very different in 1908. In order for the Wright company to sell airplanes, the Wright brothers needed to demonstrate there are aircraft's prowess in the air. If you work in the aerospace industry. Here's where it began. The Wright company is still technically in business today, albeit after many years of consolidations and mergers over more than a hundred years, its legacy lives on in the Curtis Wright Corporation. Now, let's go back to the first flight on December 17th, 1903. More than 120 years ago, on that coal sandy beach of Kill Devil Hills, near the town of Kittyhawk, North Carolina. Now, imagine how Orville felt as he was pushed along by a couple of people along the rails over a couple of dunes. The Wright flyer, clumsily flies along the beach. Imagine the exhilaration he felt all the way up until he controlled his descent down into the sand. There was a small crowd present for this flight. There were also a few members of the press, Orville and Wilber Wright didn't shy away from their attention, But they also did not go outta the way to promote their work either in the first few years of flight. This was not until Wilbur's flight demonstrations in Europe, and while he was over there, Orville was actually doing demonstrations for the US military. But that's a story for another day. I will cover Orville and Wilbur Wright. In the future episodes of Mansplaneing, I wanted to go more in detail about how their hobby made history and how that hobby turned into a business. This is an origin story for those many aerospace manufacturers all over the world that supply airplanes to general aviation airlines, the military, you name it. If you want to know more about how gliders became flying machines and how they developed into the awesome aircraft. That they are today. I recommend the book, the Airplane, how Ideas Gave Us Wings by Jay Spencer. It is a great read for any aerospace enthusiasts Thanks to Orville and Wilbur and another aviation legend named Glen Curtis. America was home to the masters of the sky for the first decade of the best aerospace era. This changed during the 19 teens with the outbreak of the Great War aircraft research and development had to advance rapidly in European countries like France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and others,. One good thing that came outta the Great War is the advancement of the airplane. It would not be until the 1930s and forties that America would reclaim its status as having the most exceptional aircraft designs. From more on this topic and many other stories from the best aerospace era. Follow mansplaining. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, there's always a light at the end of the runway.

Paula: 28:40

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