The W Right Perspective – Article Three By Joe Bullmer The two illustrations including captions ( above) are from the publication The Wright Flyer, an Engineering Perspective This is the third article in a series discussing the Smithsonian compilation document The Wright Flyer, An Engineering Perspectiv e , cover pictured below. * [The two p revious] articles have addressed the section discussing the Wrights as aeronautical engineers and the section on aerodynamics, stability, and control. This article discusses the third section, titled Longitudinal Dynamics of the Wright Brothers’ Early Flyers . The purpose of these articles is to address differences that have been pointed out concerning information presented in this author's book The WRight Story and that presented in the Perspective. The purpose of The WRight Story is to record an accurate description of the Wright brothers’ work. Original documents supporting the following comments are
"My mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts"!--Oft repeated quote "Skepticism is the first Step towards truth." --Denis Diderot " Harry P. Moore, reporter, who "scooped the Wright story of a "first flight." "I got in touch with one of the Life Savers by telephone, and he told me that 'at last the nuts had flown. One of those fellows flew just like a bird. The two of them put gasoline in the engine in their contraption and after it glided down a hill on a wooden track, it went up. It was Orville that flew and he came down safely.'"-- Harry P. Moore, reporter Two Brothers, Three Telegrams, Only Two Attempts at Flight? December 17, 1903, is celebrated as a milestone in flight for the whole world. It is the day that we are told the "first manned-powered-controlled-heavier-than-air-sustained flight" was made in all of history. The achievement was claimed by Orville Wright of the Wright brothers. But
Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley's 1903 Aerodrome . The saga of a pioneer plane--and the controversy surrounding its history Professor Langley The Langley Aerodrome, front wings in place, preparing for a launch. The Background In the fall of 1903, the head of the Smithsonian Institution, Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley, attempted to launch a heavier than air, man-carrying, powered plane. The launch failed, as did a subsequent attempt; and his machine, christened the “Aerodrome,” ignominiously fell into the river. Only days after Langley’s second try, the Wright brothers claimed that they successfully flew their own powered plane at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina We are embarking on a parallel blog to "Truth in Aviation History" in which we will search for the truth about the Langley/Wright story. The link will be provided. An examination of the current "history" must obviously include a look at the constant revisions of so-called "facts" by a
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