A BRIEF ACCOUNT ON THE GREAT INVENTORS AND THE FATHERS OF AVIATION

 

Travel plans are again coming into form and the countries are getting ready to welcome tourist as the picture of the pandemic is nearing to an end. Travel through bullock carts moved to bus and then to train and mostly now Aeroplanes. Both domestic and International flights are in high demand and they are gearing up to cater the needs of the passengers.

Wright brothers invented Aeroplane and we all have studied about this in our school itself. Were they both duly credited and welcomed with the invention at first?

Many great inventions ae initially greeted with ridicule and disbelief. The invention of the airplane was no exception. Although many people who heard about the first powered flight on December 17, 1903 were excited and impressed, others reacted with peals of laughter. The idea of flying an aircraft was repulsive to some people. Such people called Wilbur and Orville Wright, the inventors of the first flying machine. Impulsive fools. Negative reactions, however, did not stop the Wrights. Impelled by their desire to succeed, they continued their experiments in aviation.

Orville and Wilbur Wright had always had a compelling interest in aeronautics and mechanics. As young boys they earned money by making and selling kites and mechanical toys. Later, they designed a newspaper- folding machine, built a printing press, and operated a bicycle-repair shop. In 1896, when they read about the death of Otto Lilienthal, the brother’s interest in flight grew into a compulsion.

Lilienthal, a pioneer in hang- gliding, had controlled his gliders by shifting his body in the desired direction. This idea was repellent to the Wright brothers, however, and they searched for more efficient methods to control the balance of airborne vehicles. In 1900 and 1901, the Wrights tested numerous gliders and developed control techniques. The brother’s inability to obtain enough lift power for the gliders almost led them to abandon their efforts.

After further study, the Wright brothers concluded that the published tables of air pressure on curved surfaces must be wrong. They set up a wind tunnel and began a series of experiments with model wings. Because of their efforts, the old tables were repealed in time and replaced by the first reliable figures for air pressure on curved surfaces. This work, in turn, made it possible for the brothers to design a machine that would fly.

In 1903 the Wright built their first plane, which cost less than$1,000. They even designed and built their own source of propulsion – alight weight gasoline engine. When they started the engine on December17, the airplane pulsated wildly before taking off. The plane managed to stay aloft for 12 seconds, however, and it flew 120 feet.

By 1905, the Wright had perfected the first airplane that could turn, circle, and remain air borne for half an hour at a time. Others had flown in balloons and hang gliders, but the Wright brothers were the first to build a full- size machine that could fly under its own power. As the contributions of one of the most outstanding engineering achievements in history, the wright brothers are accurately called the fathers of aviation.

That’s the story of invention of Aeroplane. My first flight was a domestic flight when I was three months old-an infant ride. When was your first flight? Do share it in the comments and if you have any memorable experience in the first flight, add that too.