PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - The Wright brothers just glided in 1903. They flew in 1908.
Old 12th Jun 2014, 09:05
  #385 (permalink)  
Haraka
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: South East of Penge
Age: 74
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I do not agree much with Simplex1's methodology of argument and am admittedly a bit disappointed, as I thought he might just have been leading up to "pulling a rabbit out of a hat".
There are many arguments in history that have only been resolved long after the event . Who murdered the Polish officers in Katyn wood in WW2 and the physical reassessment now under way of "Crook-backed Dick" in the U.K. ( Richard III 1452-1485) being examples. New information, linked to new knowledqe and techniques, overturning previously established articles of faith, many based on suspect evidence.
Analysis is often a process of re evaluation with the derogatory "revisionist" epithet often being employed as a rearguard action by those with vested interests in maintaining the Status Quo... Galileo was a "revisionist" regarding the place of the earth. : without him and his ilk today many would still accept previously accepted dogma and argue vehemently in its defence. I offer no verdict, but refer to the arguments of the 'Creationists' ( mainly living in the land of the "airplane") as an ongoing example.
The evaluation of the Wrights themselves has been subject to official "revision" - the prime example being the Smithsonian affair.
The confusion between 3 axis and otherwise "controlled" light will linger on no doubt. I was amused by a recent correspondent justifying "human powered" controlled flight as being able to be flown a round a figure 8 and then quoting in justification a machine that flew under 2 axis control, in direct contradiction of his attempted 3-axis definition of "controlled flight" argument.
The Wrights made a huge contribution along the way in heavier-than-air flight. The use of roll control obviously greatly improves the degree of precision in controlled flight, but it is not essential and I suggest should should not be used as definition of such. .
Interestingly ,where would the Wrights have been without the previously ( European?) invented rudder and elevator? It's indeed fortunate for the progress of aviation in general that these devices weren't subject to restrictive patenting attempts.

Last edited by Haraka; 12th Jun 2014 at 10:04.
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