The sky was the limit

“I have a wonderful story to tell you! A story that in some respects equals that of the Arabian Night fables! God in His mercy has permitted me to be, at least somewhat, instrumental in ushering in and introducing to the great wide world an invention that may outrank electric cars, automobile and all other modes of travel!” wrote A J Root, publisher of "Gleanings in Bee culture', a magazine for apiarists, in September 1904.

The report appeared leisurely, in the January 1905 issue of the unlikely publication! Root described "the two boys who love machinery" who were flying a machine in the pasture. "It was like a locomotive" he went on, "except that it had left the track, had no wheels, sailed through the air on white wings with flapping propellers and was in all, the grandest sight of my life!"

Mr Root was indeed instrumental in finally bringing the big news, out into the open. Even if the reporting came late, by a year and 14 days!

Few great inventions have had such far-reaching significance for the future of mankind as the successful launch of the first flight. Paradoxically, few triumphs in the history of man have been ignored by everybody around, for so long! The redeeming aspect of it was that the hundreds of letters the two geniuses wrote to their family and friends, the diaries they maintained, the collection of sharp, clear, photographs which they took and made, employing glass plates, all stood by them as solid witnesses of their achievements. They remained to tell the world, the amazing story of two bicycle mechanics, who dreamed to fly.
"For some years, I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man…." Wilbur Wright wrote on May 13th, 1900.
The belief in itself was not extraordinary.

The sight of birds soaring up in the skies has always inspired man to emulate the feat from the legendary Icarus, to Leonardo Da Vinci who was so enamoured of the idea of flying that he drew countless, accurate sketches, designing air ships and helicopters. His tragedy was that he was trapped in the fifteenth century.
But by the 19th century, science had come of age. In UK, George Cayley, acknowledged as the father of aerodynamics, made a glider model incorporating most design elements of a modern plane. In France, Alphonse Penaud, built a rubber band powered plane that flew 131 feet as an inherently stable aircraft. In Germany Otto Lilienthal distinguished himself as the first glider pilot.

In the early twentieth century, as the possibility of sustained flight seemed imminent, the US government risked big money in funding projects, and the press and public turned up enthusiastically to cover the launches. But a series of disasters of much hyped projects, drove both the government and the press into cold-shouldering all future claims. To the point that they ended up ignoring, even when the real one came along!

How did it happen that two young mechanics with no more education than the school provided, living so far out from the places where the scientists congregated and consulted, could make such an astonishing achievement, and all by themselves?

And there is nothing in their background that suggests that the brothers were destined for greatness. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16th, 1867 as the third son of Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Wright. On 19th August 1871, his younger brother, Orville was born. The family lived in the small town of Dayton, Ohio.
Wilbur and Orville were curious and inventive even as children. Once their father brought home a small toy. Actuated by rubber spring, it would lift itself into the air. The boys built a number of copies of this toy, which flew successfully. They taught themselves, through books and experiments, and learnt much more than from formal schooling. Although both attended high school the full time required to earn a diploma, neither graduated or attended college.
Neither of the boys married.

In 1892, they formed the moderately successful Wright Cycle Company and set up a shop near their home to repair, manufacture and sell bicycles. During the slack winter season, they had spare time to devote to other interests.

Their first serious interest in the subject of aviation dates back to 1896 when they read about the gliding experiments of Otto Lilienthal. Orville Wright recalled later, "Reading a book on ornithology, we could not understand that there was anything about a bird that would enable it to fly that could not be built on a larger scale and used by man."

They accessed all the current publications on flying and soon became enthusiastic with the idea of glider as a sport. In July 1899, they built and flew a 5-foot glider as a kite.

The Wright brothers averred that the design emphasis had to be on control and balance of the machine in air, and not brute power to lift. Not surprisingly therefore, the first three years of their work was taken up in perfecting the basic glider design. Stiff, straight wings were discarded in favour of those that warped, went up and down at the ends. The Wrights incorporated reliable mechanical controls. The existing information on wings was wrong, they found. So they built their own wind tunnel at home to study the wings of many different angles, and shapes.

After a year of intensive groundwork, on the drawing boards and home laboratory, the time to test out the theories in the field arrived. Years later, while talking at a convention of engineers, Wilbur Wright made this witty remark. "If you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on the fence and watch the birds. But if you really wish to learn, you must mount the machine and become acquainted with its tricks by actual trial."

In September 1900 the brothers arrived at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with the design and material to build an 18-foot glider. They set up camp in the open, half a mile from the village. The place was vast and barren with many sand dunes that were called the Kill Devil Hills. By end October, they had made a dozen free flights in their glider and gained valuable experience..

Encouraged by the 1900 results, the brothers arrived at the Kill Devil Hills, again in 1901 with their bigger and improved design. But this time the going was not easy. The winds had uprooted their camp buildings. The hills had shifted. The rains wrecked their plans. Mosquitoes swarmed the camp and the brothers took ill. The new design of the glider threw up a set of intriguing problems. The brothers returned dispirited but not defeated. With renewed enthusiasm, they set out again in 1902 with the new design. But before they could start work on the glider, they had to reconstruct their damaged camp, once again. During the period of five weeks, they made glides whenever the weather conditions were favourable.

Once the glider design was perfected, for the one year between winter of 1902 and 1903, the Wrights worked on the final task of constructing the plane. There were three issues to be addressed - a lightweight yet powerful engine, a propeller and a body that would be strong enough to withstand the added weight and stress. A new machine, which they called 'the flyer', with a wingspan of forty feet, was designed.
Finally on December 14th, the flyer was dragged atop the Big Kill Devil Hill. The brothers tossed a coin to see who would make the first trial. Wilbur won the toss.

But a minor error of judgement caused the machine to come down immediately after the take off. Once again, repairs were done and on December 17th, it was ready for trial. It was now Orville's chance. Before he climbed on to the machine, he positioned the camera on a tripod and instructed a friend to snap the camera just as the flyer left the track. The machine started slowly in the face of high wind. Wilbur Wright stayed alongside to balance it until it left the track after a 40 feet run. As he just let go of the wing, the camera recorded the priceless image for posterity.

The first flight lasted 12 seconds; and covered was 120 feet. That same day they made four flights. The last lasted 59 seconds, covering 852 feet.

What made the Wrights succeed where others before had failed?
Simply put, it was a saga of perseverance, tenacity, courage and common sense, as much as of genius. The summit was reached by the brothers by climbing every step to it in a 1,2,3 progression.
Luck had played no part.