|
|
 |
On December 17, 1903 two obscure brothers from Dayton, Ohio shared the thrill of controlled powered flight for the first time, and the world was never to be quite the same again. Four times that December morning, the Wright Flyer lifted from the sands of Kitty Hawk, and flew into a 25-mile per hour wind under the control of one brother then the other. On the best of these flights, Wilbur Wright traveled 852 feet, and the age-old dream of sustained, powered flight was achieved at last. With the invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers, and its continued development in American and Europe, one of man's greatest dreams was finally realized. It was not long before the whole world rejoiced at the accomplishment. Tens of thousands of spectators were soon flocking to the fairgrounds at Rheims, Los Angeles, Rouen, Belmont Park, Nice and Milan to witness the thrill of those magnificent men in their flying machines. As they competed for glory and prize money, they established new records in speed, distance and altitude. Names like Wright, Curtiss, Bleriot and Deperdussin headlined the newspapers as they challenged one another with their aerial exploits. If witnesses were lucky, they might see Lincoln Beachey daring to loop-the-loop or they might catch a glimpse of Cal Rodgers passing overhead in his "Vin Fiz" flyer, in 1912, enroute to California. By the end of aviation's first decade of powered flight, in 1913, man had established himself in his new element. His invention -- the airplane -- could cross continents and channels as well as the Alps. By 1914, airplanes could climb to 20,000 feet, travel as fast as 127 miles per hour and cover 635 miles non stop. The worldwide roster of flyers grew quickly from the two Wright brothers in 1903 to more than 2,000 aviators ten years later. As one statesman observed "...flying machines were no longer toys and dreams; they were an established fact." Then came World War I..... |
 |
|
 |
|
| Back to: |
|