

Ten unlikely ideas that changed the world - auxbuss
http://www.newscientist.com/special/zeros-to-heroes-10-unlikely-ideas-that-changed-the-world

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WalterBright
"George Cayley knew how to make a plane a century before the Wright brothers
took off. If only he'd got the internal combustion engine to work."

This implies that all the Wrights did was slap an engine on a Cayley design
and fly. It's an egregious misunderstanding of the Wrights' numerous essential
contributions to flight that made flight possible.

1\. The Wrights designed and built their own engine from scratch. Nothing
available had anywhere near the power/weight ratio they needed. Essentially,
the Wrights invented the first aircraft engine.

2\. They invented the first correct propellor theory, enabling them to produce
propellors that were twice as efficient as their competitors'. This, of
course, enabled the engine to be half the weight and power. (This factor alone
is why I don't believe the other pretenders actually flew - they didn't have
the power.)

3\. They developed a 3 axis control system. This is absolutely crucial to
successful flight.

4\. They discovered that the existing data for airfoil efficiency was wrong by
a factor of two. Airfoils needed to be twice the size as was previously
thought. The Wrights invented a wind tunnel balance that was able to measure
lift and drag, and used it to develop a refined, successful airfoil. Nobody
else came even close.

5\. They developed their technology over a series of increasingly
sophisticated prototypes. It's probably the first example of a directed
research and development program.

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ggchappell
> 1\. The Wrights designed and built their own engine from scratch. Nothing
> available had anywhere near the power/weight ratio they needed. Essentially,
> the Wrights invented the first aircraft engine.

The Wrights' first engine was actually designed and built by Charlie Taylor.
(His Wikipedia article says, "... based partly on rough sketches provided by
the Wrights.")

In any case, the main point of your comment is certainly on target.

Also, I wonder if we should add to your list the idea of twisting the wings to
allow for turning. Was this an original contribution by the Wrights?

~~~
WalterBright
Taylor was employed by the Wrights, so yeah, they worked together on it.

I included the wing warping as part of the 3 axis control. Yes, it was an
original (and crucial) contribution by the Wrights.

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yread
Some of these are overly popularised. But I didn't know about the gyro train
car. That was interesting

