Dec 17: Birthday Party with the Wright Brothers
Ever since I can remember I have always felt a connection with my birthday and the first heavier-than-air flight of the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on this date in 1903.
Though this trip has not (and really can not) have precise plans, I originally had the great idea of spending my birthday at that spot on those windy sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. Well, being way behind that schedule, I spent the day with the true star of the day, the actual Wright Flyer that made history at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
Some facts on the first flight that I find of interest:
1. The first attempt on the 17th, at 10:35 AM, with Orville at the controls, the Flyer was launched from its rail and sailed 120 feet over the sand in 12 seconds. That flight could have been made inside of a Boeing 747!
2. They made 3 more flights that day of 175 feet, 200 feet and its final and most significant flight of the day of 852 feet in 59 seconds which proved that the Wright brothers were capable of sustained and controlled flight.
3. The Flyer was damaged after that final flight of the day, being tumbled around in the strong wind, not from flying.
We have already learned (and reported to you in the blog!) that they then spent the next two years refining, perfecting, and practicing with their invention at their home in Dayton, Ohio flying in controlled circular flights around Huffman Field outside of Dayton.
Touring through the Air & Space Museum just proves how rapidly the aviation industry progressed in such a very short time. Though the Wright Flyer (and the rest of the artifacts from the event) was the start and highlight of my day, going through the rest of both Museums (one on the National Mall, the other near Dulles Airport, west of Washington, DC) was an amazing tour through the rapid growth of aviation.
They have it all from the first aircraft (the Wright Flyer), to the first plane to cross the Atlantic (the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindberg at the controls), to the fastest plane ever made (the SR-71 Blackbird, to the Mercury capsule that carried John Glenn into orbit, the Gemini capsule that witnessed Ed White’s first American space walk, and the Apollo 11 Command Module that transported Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to and from their first landing on the moon.
Other planes of (my) interest were (again, all actual real things!) the B-29 bomber named “Enola Gay” that not only dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but also was the first to have many important improvements to airplanes, among them being a pressurized cabin. The original Boeing 707 (Dash 80) that changed how we now take airplane travel for granted was just sitting there with the memories of its antic over the hydroplane course in Seattle in 1955. Copy and Paste the following link to learn or re-live the event: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=390
I was amazed, but not surprised, how often "Seattle" came up in the conversation in the progress of aviation.
The entire day was a perfect visit with history. If you were to visit either museum, I strongly suggest that you take the tours they have some real informative experts.
On the way back home I drove along the National Mall on this very dark but shirt-sleeve warm evening. I used a tripod to take some decent pictures of the Capitol and Washington Monument beautifully lighted. There were many people just strolling in the dark between these all sites, from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol building.
I left the motorhome at 9AM and returned at 10:30PM after celebrating a lot more than my birthday. It was a great day, except the getting older part!
Though this trip has not (and really can not) have precise plans, I originally had the great idea of spending my birthday at that spot on those windy sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. Well, being way behind that schedule, I spent the day with the true star of the day, the actual Wright Flyer that made history at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
Some facts on the first flight that I find of interest:
1. The first attempt on the 17th, at 10:35 AM, with Orville at the controls, the Flyer was launched from its rail and sailed 120 feet over the sand in 12 seconds. That flight could have been made inside of a Boeing 747!
2. They made 3 more flights that day of 175 feet, 200 feet and its final and most significant flight of the day of 852 feet in 59 seconds which proved that the Wright brothers were capable of sustained and controlled flight.
3. The Flyer was damaged after that final flight of the day, being tumbled around in the strong wind, not from flying.
We have already learned (and reported to you in the blog!) that they then spent the next two years refining, perfecting, and practicing with their invention at their home in Dayton, Ohio flying in controlled circular flights around Huffman Field outside of Dayton.
Touring through the Air & Space Museum just proves how rapidly the aviation industry progressed in such a very short time. Though the Wright Flyer (and the rest of the artifacts from the event) was the start and highlight of my day, going through the rest of both Museums (one on the National Mall, the other near Dulles Airport, west of Washington, DC) was an amazing tour through the rapid growth of aviation.
They have it all from the first aircraft (the Wright Flyer), to the first plane to cross the Atlantic (the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindberg at the controls), to the fastest plane ever made (the SR-71 Blackbird, to the Mercury capsule that carried John Glenn into orbit, the Gemini capsule that witnessed Ed White’s first American space walk, and the Apollo 11 Command Module that transported Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to and from their first landing on the moon.
Other planes of (my) interest were (again, all actual real things!) the B-29 bomber named “Enola Gay” that not only dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, but also was the first to have many important improvements to airplanes, among them being a pressurized cabin. The original Boeing 707 (Dash 80) that changed how we now take airplane travel for granted was just sitting there with the memories of its antic over the hydroplane course in Seattle in 1955. Copy and Paste the following link to learn or re-live the event: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=390
I was amazed, but not surprised, how often "Seattle" came up in the conversation in the progress of aviation.
The entire day was a perfect visit with history. If you were to visit either museum, I strongly suggest that you take the tours they have some real informative experts.
On the way back home I drove along the National Mall on this very dark but shirt-sleeve warm evening. I used a tripod to take some decent pictures of the Capitol and Washington Monument beautifully lighted. There were many people just strolling in the dark between these all sites, from the White House to the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol building.
I left the motorhome at 9AM and returned at 10:30PM after celebrating a lot more than my birthday. It was a great day, except the getting older part!
posted by Barbara @ 8:06 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Hi Dad,
Like a fine wine...you keep getting better with age! I love you!!
Happy birthday,
Caroline
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