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Old December 15th 03, 04:36 PM
Martin X. Moleski, SJ
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On 14 Dec 2003 20:25:54 -0800, (Rick Durden)
wrote:

I guess nobody clued in the folks that the French flew in 1783. But,
being French isn't politically correct right now, and because they
weren't Texans, they should be ignored g.


Nobody denies the long history of ballooning prior to 1903.

Kind of fun to watch the "pre-Wright" claims pop up from time to time
now that we are at the centenary of powered, controllable
flight...wish I could recall the name of the book that examines all of
the other claimants and debunks the myths.


The problem that the Wrights solved before anyone else was
three-axis control. This was the foundation of their 1906 patent,
which was based on their 1902 glider, not the 1903 flyer.
They knew that other people had had short "hops" in
powered heavier-than-air machines. They themselves
discounted Wilbur's "hop" on December 14 because it
failed to demonstrate CONTROL of the aircraft. The
other claimants to "first powered flight" failed to follow
up on their successes, if any, while the Wrights continued
to improve their designs and demonstrate their value in
public. The Wrights made huge contributions to the
understanding of aerodynamics; the other claimants
did not.

Marty