From The Wright Brothers to Me?


Wilbur Wright, American pioneer in aviation, and Paul Zens, famous French flier, preparing for two-man flight in Le Mans, France, September 16, 1908- TIME

A month into school and life is starting to get a little more difficult in the aerospace department. I noticed that the first two weeks, and even the third, went by without much difficulty. This was, of course, because I’ve had few assignments due up to this point in my three aerospace classes. However, now in the fourth week, school is starting to pick up and my life is noticeably more hectic. I took my first aerospace test this week in Into to Aerospace and have several more lined up in my other classes. This week I’ve also been working on a few papers which a due soon, two of which are from my aerospace classes. Both papers have been quite interesting and, although from different classes, they are in a way connected.
In Intro to Aerospace this week, I had to research and write on what made the Wright Brother’s successful in their pursuit of controlled, sustained, powered flight. Many people know the Wright Brothers story- and hopefully, every aerospace student does. However, it was interesting to look deeper into the Wright’s journey towards their historic fight and what specifically made their Flyer successful. I also learned from this assignment the impact the Wright-Curtiss patent battles had on the early aviation industry in the U.S., something I had never learned.
As for my Theory of flight class, this week I have been researching for my first glider assignment paper. Throughout the semester, I will be working on designing, constructing, and perfecting a balsa wood glider which will be put to the test in a competition against my classmates at the end of the year. The first project is to research what qualities of a glider promote stability and maximum glide slope. It is a unique opportunity being able to view the Wright’s learning journey a century ago while, myself, working on perfecting an aircraft of my own. Here’s to hoping my glider will be as successful as the Wright Brothers!

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