Wilbur Wright made the first attempt to fly the 1903 Flyer off of Big Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, NC.
He made a 3 second flight that was not considered to be worthy of being called flying, and he broke his aeroplane.
Stay Tuned....................................................................... .......
The Wright Experience folks bent theirs in November testing it. I wonder if they'll swap pilots as did W & O?
Anyone taking the trip out to the OBX to see the 12/17/2003 flight or is that even open to the public?
WmB
To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net
That would be in keeping with history;-) But I bet the pilots might object.
that even open to
It is open to the public that has tickets. I had planned on going, until the hotels in the area started raising their rates to more that I could handle. If your from the area, it's not all that expensive for tickets if you got yours early. If your traveling into the area, you'd better have a friend with an extra bed, 'cuz it will cost you some big bucks otherwise..
Anybody that goes please let us know how things went.
Francis Marion
in article I12Db.544405$Tr4.1478700@attbi_s03, Francis Marion at snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net wrote on 14/12/03 18:33:
Isn't ther film evidence of a Frenchman flying an aircraft,under control, from several years earlier?
There have been verbal and written claims made by many. I don't think this issue will ever really rest.
The claim that the Wrights make is that they took off in "control", using power contained on their craft, lifted into the air and landed at a point that was as high or higher than where they took off from. If you landed at a point lower it was classified a glide, whether it was powered or not. That is why their flight 100 years ago today did not count. They lifted off from a sand dune hill and landed at a point lower than the take off spot.
I didn't make the definition up. As I understand, this was part of the definition of the times.
As far as film evidence? I would be very interested in seeing any films made of an earlier flight. This is the major sticking point that other claimants have not been able to produce.
If the Wrights would not have had pictures of that first takeoff at Kitty Hawk, I doubt anyone would have paid much attention to their claims. As it was, even with the pictures, most people still didn't believe them.
Show me the film/pictures of this Frenchman and we'll set the aviation world on it's ear;-)
Good day, Francis Marion
Maybe. The reason the French never celebrated the event is because shortly after, they received film... in color.... with audio.... of a German pilot making an earlier flight in a smaller plane that went further and faster. The film has not survived, but with the plane they also mailed the French the smallest American standard drill of the time with a tiny hairlike micro sized metric hole drilled thru the center. I know a guy at work that worked with a guy that saw the drill. Honest. ;-)
Seriously though, the French made their best attempts along with Langley and the Smithsonian (unbelievably they're still at it) to discredit the Wright success early on. It was not until the summer of 1904 that Bleriot conceded that the Wrights were not only the first, but still in the lead with the success they were having at the time. In 1904, that pinnacle was reached with Wilbur flying around the Le Mans race track for 2 minutes.
I don't think the Wrights did themselves any favors the way they conducted themselves in some of their affairs regarding flying and flying machines, but it's silly to dismiss their achievements.
It really is too bad the film didn't survive. It reputedly had the date and time on it down in the corner proving that it really happened as claimed. ;-)
WmB
To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net
I thought it was the day Lindberg made their first mold.
Craig
>
Don't know about film, but Clement Ader flew a bird winged steam powered carriage around 1898.
Was that the one? Brifaut did a nice model of it with silk for the wings in
1/70 scale several decades ago.Tom
Tom
Well, EVERYONE knows that the Russians did it first, back in 1824. Thus spake Nikita Khruschev in around 1957. So there!
-- John ___ __[xxx]__ (o - ) --------o00o--(_)--o00o-------
The history of things that didn't happen has never been written - Henry Kissinger
I can't tell you how many times I've had a 3 second flight that ended with a broken airplane, back when I was into flying models....!
-Bill
Tuned.......................................................................
If it crashed...ahh I mean landed, at or about the same elevation it took off from, it counts as a flight;-)
F Marion
oh you mean the french plane that the americans recovered after the germans took it?
The festivities have hit some weather snags. More bad weather is rolling into the area and might jeopardize the renactment.
Wet or dry, I bet it's going to be colder than a witch's tit out on the OBX tomorrow.
WmB
To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net
There is also "supposed" evidence of an Australian attempt, but failed because of a lack of funding.
Tuned.......................................................................
What about these reports that a New Zealander did it six months prior to the Wright's? Any substance in that?
Some Brazilian rumored to have done it first too.
Past history has changed so much since I was in school. ;-)
Tom
Why is that a factor? Flying boats, seaplanes, various rocket aircraft have used something other than wheels, not to mention piggy-back craft.
Alberto Santos-Dumont was the first to fly in Europe, and was hailed as the first ever since the Wrights weren't well publicized. Brazilians still say ASD was first since his craft had wheels, unlike the Wrights who used a track.
Frank
Gernot Hassenpflug wrote:
Point of national pride. I thought it rather odd myself.
Frank
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