Anniversaries
Dec. 17th, 2003 07:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lprovenI cannot better the way my mate Roger put it:
«
On December 17, 1903, at 10.35 local time at Kill Devil Hills on the
North Carolina coast, Orville Wright made what was almost certainly the
first controlled powered flight from level ground. It lasted 12 seconds
and 120 feet. Three more flights were made, but the _Flyer_ was caught
by wind and destroyed while being repositioned for the fifth.
A telegram was sent from the nearest telegraph office, at Kitty Hawk:
SUCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALL AGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND
STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR
THIRTY ONE MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.
OREVELLE WRIGHT
An extract from Orville's diary is at
http://www.first-to-fly.com/History/Wright%20Story/OW121703.htm
»
Unless, of course, you listen to the Brazilians who claim that the Wright Brothers did not make "the first controlled powered flight from level ground" because they used a ramp to launch from, and that they first launch from level ground was made in October 1906 by Alberto Santos-Dumont:
http://www.aerospacemedia.com/afp.htm
In other news, and only slightly behind in years, I believe it is also the birthday of our very own![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pugwash! Happy birthday, Jerry!
Right. I've caught up on my post and am half way there some vital paperwork. Enough. I'm off to the pub.
«
On December 17, 1903, at 10.35 local time at Kill Devil Hills on the
North Carolina coast, Orville Wright made what was almost certainly the
first controlled powered flight from level ground. It lasted 12 seconds
and 120 feet. Three more flights were made, but the _Flyer_ was caught
by wind and destroyed while being repositioned for the fifth.
A telegram was sent from the nearest telegraph office, at Kitty Hawk:
SUCCESS FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING ALL AGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND
STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR
THIRTY ONE MILES LONGEST 57 SECONDS INFORM PRESS HOME CHRISTMAS.
OREVELLE WRIGHT
An extract from Orville's diary is at
http://www.first-to-fly.com/History/Wright%20Story/OW121703.htm
»
Unless, of course, you listen to the Brazilians who claim that the Wright Brothers did not make "the first controlled powered flight from level ground" because they used a ramp to launch from, and that they first launch from level ground was made in October 1906 by Alberto Santos-Dumont:
http://www.aerospacemedia.com/afp.htm
In other news, and only slightly behind in years, I believe it is also the birthday of our very own
pugwash! Happy birthday, Jerry!Right. I've caught up on my post and am half way there some vital paperwork. Enough. I'm off to the pub.
