Flight Training - Intro To Flight

From the beginning of powered flight in 1903, aviation has been changed and in most cases revolutionized. From small 3 Horse Power engines to huge 1000+ horse power jet engines, airplanes have changed it all. Shortening travel time and allowing people to get to more remote places, flight does it all. It all started with two men and a very vivid imagination. During the years of 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright modernized the world by constructing the first flyable aircraft. In August of 1900, Wilbur built his first glider. He then contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau for information on windy regions of the country. Reviewing the list, he chose a remote sandy area off the coast of North Carolina named Kitty Hawk, where winds averaged 13 m.p.h. He and Orville then journeyed to Kitty Hawk where they tested the 1900 glider. The following year, they tested a new and improved glider with a 22-foot wingspan. A disappointing performance by the 1901 glider prompted the Wright brothers to construct a wind tunnel to test the effectiveness of a variety of wing shapes. Using the results of the wind tunnel experiments, they constructed their 1902 glider. Testing it at Kitty Hawk in October, they met with success, gliding a record 620 feet. Once again they returned to Dayton and began work on developing a propeller and an engine for their next effort, a flying machine.---- from, The Wright Brothers, thehenryford.org -Having designed a propeller with the same principles thy used to design their wings, Wilbur and Orville then built their own 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine. They built the 1903 Flyer in sections in the back room of their cycle shop at 1127 West Third in Dayton. When completed, it was shipped down to Kitty Hawk and assembled. On December 14, 1903, Wilbur won a coin toss and made the first attempt to fly the machine. He stalled it on take-off, causing some minor damage. The plane was repaired, and Orville made the next attempt on December 17. At 10:35 a.m., he made the first heavier-than-air, machine powered flight in the world. In a flight lasting only 12 seconds and covering just 120 feet, Orville did what men and women had only dreamed of doing for centuries, . . . he flew.---- from, The Wright Brothers, thehenryford.org After news of the Wright brother's success many aircraft companies across the nation scrambled to push the limits of modern aviation. From humble beginnings in Kitty Hawk NC, aviation has spread throughout the world even to some of the most remote parts. Aircraft these days can hold up to 800+ people and fly half of the way across the world.