Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Flight (1903-2003)

One Reporter's Opinion:
Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Flight (1903-2003)

by George Putnam
Friday, Dec. 6, 2002

It is this reporter's opinion that in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives
today, always on a red-eye to somewhere, we take flight all too much for
granted. In commemoration of the approaching 100th anniversary of flight, it is
only fitting that we take a moment to remember the two men whose insatiable
curiosity made the quick travel of today possible: the Wright brothers. They
were men of character, wit and curiosity, keen of humor and humility, those
inventors of the airplane.

Years ago, my Sally Conlon's grandfather, Walter McMurray, a Dayton, Ohio,
dealer in antique furniture, recalled to me his memories of the Wright
Brothers. Walter would sneak into their bicycle shop and watch Orville and
Wilbur as they assembled the first plane.

He recalled they were extremely fond of one another, but they argued for the
fun of it. The bicycle shop was a fascinating place and as the brothers worked,
they seemed to revel in arguing. One would make a statement, the other would
immediately disagree, and over the hours that followed the arguments would
continue.

They were men of few words; Wilbur would say, " 'Tis," Orville would respond, "
'Tisn't either." And away they would go ... " 'Tis too!" " 'Tisn't either!" and
for half an hour, these would be the only words they'd utter. And then, to be
cantankerous, the brothers would switch to the opposite side of the argument.

Walter spoke of their curiosity about all mechanical things, which led to all
types of inventions, most of which were never patented. They were in the
newspaper business and they invented a gadget for folding newspapers - to save
time. When mother Wright was canning fruit in glass jars one day, Orville
invented a little gadget to automatically tighten the lid without a strain.

Would you believe it - they were such constant tinkerers that they would
actually buy an automobile, a refrigerator or a typewriter and take it apart
piece by piece ... and put it back together again. It always worked - except
once. That was the time Orville bought a new IBM electric typewriter. He
fiddled with it for days, but couldn't put it back together again.

Finally, he called the local IBM repairman and when the poor fellow entered the
room, he just threw up his hands, stood and looked at the dissembled mess, then
gathered up all the pieces in a box and shipped it back to the factory.

They once bought a car - a Ford - and dissembled it, brought all the pieces
inside and reassembled it in the living room. They had a housekeeper who
threatened to quit. She said, "This is the last straw!" - so they then had to
dissemble it, take it out of the house and put it all together again.

Both of the brothers were able pilots, but it was Orville who had the feel for
flying. By the way, Orville never did master the skill of driving an
automobile. Wilbur refused to drive at all! Orville drove an old air-cooled
Franklin and later switched to a Hudson, but there weren't many people who
would dare ride with him.

One fellow who rode with him jumped out and said, "Never again!" He said
Orville spent as much time on the wrong side of the road as he did on the
right. The poor fellow was a nervous wreck, but he finally got to Dayton, Ohio.


Neither of the Wrights ever married and both dedicated themselves to flying;
and history has claimed their wondrous generation for the ages. Now they are
buried on a hill in Woodland Cemetery overlooking Dayton. That's where the
airplane was born and there rest the remains of Orville and Wilbur Wright.

And close by, as though looking adoringly from a vantage point in the bicycle
shop, lie the remains of my friend, Walter McMurray. And just as Walter
idolized the Wright brothers, so did the kids of the next generation who looked
to Lucky Lindbergh ... just as those of today find a hero in Neil Armstrong,
our man on the moon.

In the magnificence of hero worship, there is no generation gap.

I invite you to read on:

http://www.first-to-fly.com
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/WrBr/Wrights.html
http://www.nps.gov/wrbr
http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/wright
http://firstflight.open.ac.uk
http://www.flight100.org/index.cfm

* * * * * *
The legendary George Putnam is 88 years young and a veteran of 68 years as a
reporter, broadcaster and commentator ... and is still going strong. George is
part of the all-star line-up of Southern California's KPLS Radio - Hot Talk AM
830.

Above from ...
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti.../6/33109.shtml

I remain respectful and a little bit hongry,
X
Guv Bob
http://www.geocities.com/guvbob2003

Represented in all slander, paternity and bad check writing cases by
Holstein, Iceberg and Goldbrick -- "Illegitimus non carborundum"

"Platon67" wrote in message
...

The first fly of the history was made by the french Clement Ader in 1890.


Clement Ader is credited with being the first to get a powered,
man-carrying, heavier-than-air machine aloft. I don't think anybody
disputes that. But as Ader had not equipped the craft with any kind of
flight control system, this was obviously not controlled flight. That's the
key point about the Wright's flights on December 17, 1903. There is no
credible evidence that anyone achieved powered, sustained, controlled
heavier-than-air flight before the Wright brothers. CONTROLLED flight, that
is the key.

Platon67,

The first fly of the history was made by the french Clement Ader in 1890.


in your and his dreams, only.

There were probably some short "jumps" made prior to the Wrights by, for
example, Karl Jatho, but the first controlled sustained powered flight was
done by the Wrights. There's very little debate about that.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Steven,

this was obviously not controlled flight


depending on definitions, it might not even have been flight, but
rather "hopping".

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...

depending on definitions, it might not even have been flight, but
rather "hopping".


Well, yes, as we define "flight" to require control.

"Platon67" wrote in message
...

The first fly of the history was made by the french Clement Ader in 1890.


The first manned flight in history was when Pilatre de Rozier and the
Marquis D'Arlandes took off from the chateau de la Muette in Paris aboard a
balloon built by the brothers Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier on November
21st, 1783.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...

depending on definitions, it might not even have been flight, but
rather "hopping".


Well, yes, as we define "flight" to require control.

and a flight slightly shorter than the wingspan of a 747. About the same as
a bounce on landing.