Carissa Wolfe - Wings #1

2. It took man so long to realize the dream of flight because the knowledge of lighter-than-air craft was not inherent. Though birds, bats, and insects managed to fly, these beings had wings. Since humans lacked this anatomical structure flight was thought to be impossible. It is puzzling at first to consider that mankind had access to the rudimentary materials used to create the first plane and hot air balloon but they never thought of using them for those purposes. It becomes understandable however, when one takes into account the centuries of research into physics and chemistry that helped explain the behavior and properties of air. Furthermore, as the transmission of information increased scientists and inventors were able to read each other’s work. This allowed them to reap the benefit of building upon one another’s discoveries, which previous generations had not the opportunity to do. It took the successes and failures of many genius people – Archimedes, Bernoulli, Montgolfier, Jacques-Alexander-Cesar Charles, and George Cayley - before the mind of man was prepared to realize the possibility of flight (pp. 19-24).

3. The era of modern aviation began in the early 19^th century with the brilliant scientist, mechanic, and aspiring aviator Sir George Cayley. Cayley’s work contributed a plethora of fundamental details to the design of the modern plane. For instance, Cayley came up with the idea of using separate systems for lift, control, and propulsion, and intently studied wing-design. In 1804, George Cayley built the “world’s first successful model glider and the ancestor of all modern fixed-wing aircraft” (pg. 32). His studies on air pressure movements enabled the development of an ideal wing, and his well-documented research was the cornerstone of the Wright brothers’ success. Cayley’s victorious gliders served as the inspiration needed to set the field of aviation on fire.  (pp. 32-35)

5. Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved success before their contemporaries for several reasons: their knowledge of bicycles, and their belief that a flying machine would require above all else, equilibrium. Since the Wright brothers worked in a bicycle shop they had a thorough understanding of the balance and steering necessary to ride a bike. Unlike their predecessors, the brothers were not afraid of the challenge of navigating an aircraft, instead they believed that it could be controlled with “the precision and ease of a bicycle” (pg. 60). They had easy access to materials such as tubing, wire, chains, metal, and wood which they used to construct the lightweight structure of the first plane. Their ingenuity is evident in their invention of the wind tunnel, which, though simple, allowed them to test environmental conditions without putting themselves or the plane in danger (pp. 59-60).