Most research starts at the level of "Is there an effect here?", not "What are the full implications of this effect and how shall we best exploit it?"
I don't think Wilbur and Orville envisioned moving 500 people at a time halfway around the world at 38,000 feet when they worked out that they could fly a few hundred feet just above some sand dunes in North Carolina.
The press, of course, like to spruik the most spectacular possible outcome when reporting really basic research. Outside of aviation, hydroxychloroquine in a petri dish comes to mind.