How We Invented the Airplane: An Illustrated History
4.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
It was the realization of a dream as old as mankind. On December 17, 1903, two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, achieved the first sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flight in a machine of their own design and construction. This book offers a concise and fascinating history of that remarkable accomplishment, much of it in the words of the inventors themselves. The heart of the book is Orville Wright's personal account, written in connection with an obscure lawsuit filed against the U.S. government. Long forgotten until a typewritten copy was discovered among the Wright papers at the Library of Congress, it is the best, most detailed account of how the Wright brothers succeeded in creating the machine that lifted man into the sky on wings.
The brothers first became interested in the problem of flight after reading about the glider experiments of Otto Lilienthal, a 19th-century German engineer. Experimenting first with kites and gliders, they developed a revolutionary wing design that helped solve the crucial problem of maintaining lateral equilibrium. Later, they added a movable rudder that eliminated the tendency of the machine to go into a tailspin. In addition to these critical innovations, the two inventors developed new accurate tables of "life" pressures and an original theory of air propellers. Slowly, methodically, with patience, perseverance, ingenuity, and inspired invention, they solved the problems that had defeated so many experimenters before them.
Finally, on a gusty winter day in North Carolina, the Wright brothers flew their little motor-driven biplane off the sand at Kitty Hawk (actually Kill Devil Hills) and into the pages of history. Although the first flight lasted only about 12 seconds and covered barely 120 feet, it was the first time a machine carrying a man and driven by a motor had lifted itself from the ground in controlled free flight. A new era had begun and the world would never be the same again.
The achievement of the Wright brothers is placed in historical context in the absorbing and informative introduction to this volume, written by Fred C. Kelly, author of two standard works on the Wrights. Mr. Kelly has also written an illuminating commentary, including fascinating anecdotes about the Wrights, their personalities and later aspects of their career. As an extra bonus, a lively popular account of the Wrights' success, written in 1908 by both brothers, has been included in an Appendix. Enhanced by 76 photographs, including many rare views of the Wrights and their flying machines, this book offers a thrilling reading experience for anyone interested in aviation, its pioneers, or the mechanics of flights.
Read more from Orville Wright
Early History of the Airplane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Early History of the Airplane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to How We Invented the Airplane
Related ebooks
Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Visible Horizon: Surviving the World's Most Dangerous Sport Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal-The Vigilante UAV Drone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProgress in Aeronautical Sciences: Volume 3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flying Cars: The True Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Venture into the Stratosphere: Flying the First Jetliners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Theoretical Aerodynamics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liquid Rocket and Propellants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlight: 100 Greatest Aircraft Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAerodynamics of the Airplane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Adventure After Another: Adventures Flying a Small Airplane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShuttle Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Seaplanes along the Inside Passage: The Highs and Lows of a Modern Bush Pilot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Encyclopedia of Aerodynamics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNorthrop Flying Wings Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Helicopter Theory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Design Model Aircraft for Fun And Profit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bombardier Story: From Snowmobiles to Global Transportation Powerhouse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Commercial Airplane Design Principles Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Who Truly Loves the Sky: life lessons from the cockpit Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnderstanding Flight, Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Theory of Flight Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Men Who Gave Us Wings: Britain and the Aeroplane, 1796–1914 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMayday!: A History of Flight through its Martyrs, Oddballs and Daredevils Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlying Canucks: Famous Canadian Aviators Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moiety of a Gingerbread Man: A Rocket Scientist's Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Land a Plane Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Best Aviation Attractions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes: The seminal text on rocket science that foretold the Space Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Biography & Memoir For You
Jack Reacher Reading Order: The Complete Lee Child’s Reading List Of Jack Reacher Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leonardo da Vinci Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diary of a Young Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wright Brothers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hilarious World of Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wiseguy: The 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Eating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Afeni Shakur: Evolution Of A Revolutionary Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for How We Invented the Airplane
3 ratings0 reviews