Wright Brothers
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LearningTranscript
00:00You
00:30I'll meet you on the other side
00:34Dear Tim and Moby, why do people make such a big deal about the Wright brothers?
00:38Their plane looks so dinky and it barely got off the ground
00:42confused Damien hey Damien
00:45Today we credit Orville and Wilbur Wright as the inventors of the airplane
00:50But back in their day most people were as skeptical as you only five observers were on hand to watch their historic flight
01:01On
01:05December 17th
01:061903 the Wright flyer flew for 12 seconds covering 120 feet the brothers took turns piloting until they made it nearly a
01:14thousand feet
01:16No, none of those runs went more than 10 feet off the ground and
01:21They needed a track going down a hill to get the flyer airborne
01:24And the plane was destroyed by a gust of wind it never flew again
01:30Okay, so maybe the flights themselves aren't all that impressive other inventors have made similar flights before them
01:37But the Wright flyer marked a turning point it was the first powered plane that a pilot could totally control
01:45For decades people have been trying to create the perfect flying machine
01:48Sir George Cayley built models to study aerodynamics how air flows around objects
01:54His work led to advances in the design of wings and tails
01:58Early pilots used these discoveries to build and fly gliders unpowered aircraft
02:03Otto Lilienthal known as the glider King made thousands of such flights. He would leap from high places to capture wind currents
02:13Then shift his weight around to change direction and stay level
02:17It worked until his last flight in 1896 a strong gust of wind sent Lilienthal into a steep nosedive
02:25Orville and Wilbur were deeply affected by his death
02:28It inspired them to create a more reliable maneuvering system
02:33Working out of their bicycle shop the Wrights began designing their own airplane in 1899
02:38They started by collecting and comparing huge amounts of data
02:42They read up on the experimental aircraft of their predecessors and spent hundreds of hours analyzing how birds maintain stability
02:49Laugh all you want it's what led to their big breakthrough
02:53They realized birds didn't just use their feathers for flapping tiny twists of their wings and tail enabled them to stay level
03:01They also seem to help them make adjustments to their altitude and direction
03:06Wilbur figured out how to mimic this wing warping using a system of pulleys
03:11This gave their Wright flyer three different types of wings
03:14The wings could curl to let the airplane roll the elevator controlled pitch
03:20And the rudder enabled the plane to yaw
03:23The pilot had to constantly adjust on all three axes because the slightest shift in the wind would throw the plane off balance
03:32Other airplane designers had fought against instability, but the Wrights embraced it
03:37Years in the bicycle shop, Wilbur and Wilbur continued to work on the design of the airplane
03:42But the Wrights embraced it
03:44Years in the bike shop led them to this breakthrough concept just as a bicycle requires constant corrections to keep it upright
03:50So would their flyer?
03:53Having command of roll pitch and yaw gave pilots control in any conditions
03:58They would counter the wind whether it was in their face or behind them blowing side to side or pushing them up and down
04:06To this day all airplanes make use of the same basic control system
04:10Pitch roll and yaw
04:14Oh, right the power problem
04:16Gliders needed strong winds to stay aloft
04:19So some early plane designers focused on creating a portable wind source
04:24That's all a propeller is a fan to blow air over the wings, but the steam engines they used were unbelievably heavy
04:34They couldn't generate enough power to overcome their own weight
04:38The Wrights knew they needed a better power to weight ratio
04:42That's kind of why the Wright flyer looked so dinky. The frame needed to be as light as possible
04:48Instead of metal propellers. They used hand-carved wood
04:51And instead of a powerful heavy steam engine a lightweight gas-powered engine would be enough to keep it aloft
04:59Yep, and just in case of a crash they needed a nice soft landing spot
05:03So they picked out a deserted beach a few miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
05:07Those simple test flights marked a turning point in the history of aviation
05:12They didn't get much attention at first
05:15Those who did take notice responded with doubt or even ridicule
05:19The brothers were only too happy to stay out of the limelight
05:24It gave them time to improve on the flyer's design
05:28Making it faster sturdier and more maneuverable
05:31Within a few years their planes could carry passengers and even land on water
05:37In 1909 they incorporated the Wright company. The plan was to sell planes training and shipping services
05:45But there just wasn't a market for any of that stuff yet
05:48So to drum up business the brothers held exhibitions
05:52They'd fly their latest designs in front of large crowds
05:56As word spread the Wrights were the first to fly the Wrights
06:01Even heads of state showed up to watch
06:04Orville and Wilbur became the face of the emerging aircraft industry
06:08Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to turn their business around
06:11They spent a lot of energy suing other inventors for stealing their ideas. It took its toll on Wilbur who died of a fever in 1911
06:20Orville sold the company and patents a few years later. He was a rich man, but it had to be disappointing
06:27The Wrights wanted to be the ones to bring flight to the masses
06:31They dreamed of a day when air travel would be routine
06:34Planes would take passengers from one city to another and carry cargo to countries all over the world
06:40By the time Orville died in 1948, all of that had come to pass
06:52Right this way captain your coffee captain
07:01Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit biting my nails