Help Me Settle a Shallow Argument - Flight

[Johnboy]

You know, this argument might make sense if the Wright brothers actually had been the first to accomplish heavier-than-air powered flight but they weren't!!!

<snip>

I could go on but this should be enough to demonstrate that the Wright Brothers were not the first to fly. Hell, they weren't even the first in the US to accomplish it.

Maybe so, but "first in controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight" is a little too long for a license plate.

[Johnboy]

. . . then again, North Carolina seems to pick controversial license plate slogans anyway. "First In Flight" replaced "First in Freedom" (celebrating the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775, but slaveowners aren't eligible for claiming to be such).

Perhaps the slogan should be "First in English Americans" (Virginia Dare b. 8/15/1587, Roanoke Island). Or maybe a simple, cryptic "Croatoan" would work.

[colchar]

You know, this argument might make sense if the Wright brothers actually had been the first to accomplish heavier-than-air powered flight but they weren't!!!

That feat was first accomplished by the Englishman, John Stringfellow, in 1848. Americans like to claim, actually they love to claim, that the Wright Brothers were first so I know none of you are gonna like hearing this (especially those in North Carolina) but it simply isn't true that the first heavier-than-air flight took place in North Carolina. Heck, the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain was formed in 1866!

In 1874 Félix du Temple de la Croix of France accomplished an extremely short flight (something akin to a bunny hop but it was still a powered flight).

The Russian Alexander Feodorovich Mozhaiski accomplished the first powered flight (20-30 meters) of a multi-engined plane in 1884.

In 1890 the Frenchman Clement Ader flew about 50 meters and a couple of years later flew some more trials in other models but there is conflicting evidence as to whether or not these actually covered any real distance (some say they crashed right away while others say they flew 200-300 meters). Regardless, the truth about his flights may never be conclusively known as they were military experiments and were thus a closely guarded secret. The info about his flights didn't come to light for several years afterwards.

Hiram Maxim (inventor of the machine gun) conducted trials and got one model up to 40+ miles per hour but this particular model was semi-attached to a cable (for stability).

Samuel Pierpoint Langley constructed a plane that flew for a half mile over the Potomac in 1896. This flight took about 90 seconds but was unmanned. Another of his models flew over 5000 feet.

Also in 1896, Octave Chanute constructed a plane that heavily influenced the Wright Brothers and which flew more than 100 feet along the shore of Lake Michigan.

In 1899 Percy Pilcher was apparently killed when he hit a building while flying a glider immediately prior to trying to fly his triplane aircraft. That triplane was built in 2003 using his journals and the material that he planned to use. This plane was successfully flown after being built.

In 1901 Gustave Whitehead flew 800 meters at 15 feet in the air before landing. This flight was witnessed by many (who later signed affidavits attesting to that fact) including a reporter from Bridgeport Connecticut and this was the first heavily publicized flight. If anyone has online access to the Bridgeport Herald it should be easy enough to find the story (my university library doesn't offer access to this paper or even indicate whether it was ever digitized). In January of 1902 Whitehead claims to have flown over Long Island Sound before ditching in the water. Apparently there were affidavits attesting to this flight as well.

On 31 March 1903 Richard Pearse flew for over 100 feet in New Zealand and this flight was witnessed by several people.

I could go on but this should be enough to demonstrate that the Wright Brothers were not the first to fly. Hell, they weren't even the first in the US to accomplish it.

Yeah, but did any of these people do it at the beach?

I'm assuming there were beaches in the vicinity of the flights beside Lake Michigan as well as the one on Long Island Sound.

[colchar]

You know, this argument might make sense if the Wright brothers actually had been the first to accomplish heavier-than-air powered flight but they weren't!!!

<snip>

I could go on but this should be enough to demonstrate that the Wright Brothers were not the first to fly. Hell, they weren't even the first in the US to accomplish it.

Maybe so, but "first in controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight" is a little too long for a license plate.

Except that they did that isn't true either. They flew 175 feet and 200 feet. Predecessors, such as Gustave Whitehead and Richard Pearse, had accomplished controlled, powered, heaver-than-air human flights of similar distances (Pearse roughly 75 feet shorter but still a flight of over 100 feet and Whitehead well in excess of what the Wright Brothers accomplished).

[EarlJam]

You know, this argument might make sense if the Wright brothers actually had been the first to accomplish heavier-than-air powered flight but they weren't!!!

<snip>

I could go on but this should be enough to demonstrate that the Wright Brothers were not the first to fly. Hell, they weren't even the first in the US to accomplish it.

Maybe so, but "first in controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight" is a little too long for a license plate.

Except that they did that isn't true either. They flew 175 feet and 200 feet. Predecessors, such as Gustave Whitehead and Richard Pearse, had accomplished controlled, powered, heaver-than-air human flights of similar distances (Pearse roughly 75 feet shorter but still a flight of over 100 feet and Whitehead well in excess of what the Wright Brothers accomplished).

Yeah, but those guys were assholes.

-EarlJam

[colchar]

Yeah, but those guys were assholes.

-EarlJam

Well I have it on good authority that Whitehead was a douchebag of the highest order.

[CathyCA]

You know, this argument might make sense if the Wright brothers actually had been the first to accomplish heavier-than-air powered flight but they weren't!!!

That feat was first accomplished by the Englishman, John Stringfellow, in 1848. Americans like to claim, actually they love to claim, that the Wright Brothers were first so I know none of you are gonna like hearing this (especially those in North Carolina) but it simply isn't true that the first heavier-than-air flight took place in North Carolina. Heck, the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain was formed in 1866!

In 1874 Félix du Temple de la Croix of France accomplished an extremely short flight (something akin to a bunny hop but it was still a powered flight).

The Russian Alexander Feodorovich Mozhaiski accomplished the first powered flight (20-30 meters) of a multi-engined plane in 1884.

In 1890 the Frenchman Clement Ader flew about 50 meters and a couple of years later flew some more trials in other models but there is conflicting evidence as to whether or not these actually covered any real distance (some say they crashed right away while others say they flew 200-300 meters). Regardless, the truth about his flights may never be conclusively known as they were military experiments and were thus a closely guarded secret. The info about his flights didn't come to light for several years afterwards.

Hiram Maxim (inventor of the machine gun) conducted trials and got one model up to 40+ miles per hour but this particular model was semi-attached to a cable (for stability).

Samuel Pierpoint Langley constructed a plane that flew for a half mile over the Potomac in 1896. This flight took about 90 seconds but was unmanned. Another of his models flew over 5000 feet.

Also in 1896, Octave Chanute constructed a plane that heavily influenced the Wright Brothers and which flew more than 100 feet along the shore of Lake Michigan.

In 1899 Percy Pilcher was apparently killed when he hit a building while flying a glider immediately prior to trying to fly his triplane aircraft. That triplane was built in 2003 using his journals and the material that he planned to use. This plane was successfully flown after being built.

In 1901 Gustave Whitehead flew 800 meters at 15 feet in the air before landing. This flight was witnessed by many (who later signed affidavits attesting to that fact) including a reporter from Bridgeport Connecticut and this was the first heavily publicized flight. If anyone has online access to the Bridgeport Herald it should be easy enough to find the story (my university library doesn't offer access to this paper or even indicate whether it was ever digitized). In January of 1902 Whitehead claims to have flown over Long Island Sound before ditching in the water. Apparently there were affidavits attesting to this flight as well.

On 31 March 1903 Richard Pearse flew for over 100 feet in New Zealand and this flight was witnessed by several people.

I could go on but this should be enough to demonstrate that the Wright Brothers were not the first to fly. Hell, they weren't even the first in the US to accomplish it.

Yeah, but did any of these people do it at the beach?

I'm assuming there were beaches in the vicinity of the flights beside Lake Michigan as well as the one on Long Island Sound.

Would you want to be there in December? Because the Wright Brothers flew at the beach in December. In North Carolina, we can go to the beach in December. Our beaches rock!

[captmojo]

How about that 'Golden age of ballooning'?

[devildeac]

. . . then again, North Carolina seems to pick controversial license plate slogans anyway. "First In Flight" replaced "First in Freedom" (celebrating the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775, but slaveowners aren't eligible for claiming to be such).

Perhaps the slogan should be "First in English Americans" (Virginia Dare b. 8/15/1587, Roanoke Island). Or maybe a simple, cryptic "Croatoan" would work.

I still like the license plate that was proposed about the same time (before likker-by-the drink was voted upon by each individual county):

First in Flight, Last in Liquor

[Johnboy]

Next thing you know, colchar's going to tell us the automobile wasn't invented in America, either. ;)

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

. . . then again, North Carolina seems to pick controversial license plate slogans anyway. "First In Flight" replaced "First in Freedom" (celebrating the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775, but slaveowners aren't eligible for claiming to be such).

Perhaps the slogan should be "First in English Americans" (Virginia Dare b. 8/15/1587, Roanoke Island). Or maybe a simple, cryptic "Croatoan" would work.

I still like the license plate that was proposed about the same time (before likker-by-the drink was voted upon by each individual county):

First in Flight, Last in Liquor

Let's just simplify what's on the license plate to "First" and let it go at that. Some years that could mean a team in the state that's first in men's basketball.