About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 64. Chapters: Wright brothers, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gustave Whitehead, Frank Hawks, NASA M2-F1, Paul MacCready, Northrop HL-10, Schweizer Aircraft, John R. Pierce, Peter Masak, Octave Chanute, Northrop M2-F2, Northrop M2-F3, Wright Glider, John Joseph Montgomery, Rogallo wing, Francis Rogallo, Martin Marietta X-24A, Marquette Park, Taras Kiceniuk, Jr., Albert Francis Zahm, Martin Marietta X-24B, Paul Bikle, National Soaring Museum, Richard Chichester du Pont, Mission Elmira, George B. Moffat, Jr., Torrey Pines Gliderport, Akron Fulton International Airport, Thomas Knauff, Hollister Municipal Airport, Soaring Hall of Fame, Mountain Valley Airport, Eastern Sierra Regional Airport, Ridge Soaring Gliderport, Caesar Creek Soaring Club, Karl Striedieck, National Landmark of Soaring, Marfa Municipal Airport, Chicagoland Glider Council, Doris Grove, Soaring Society of America, Hinckley Airport, North Plains Gliderport, Richard C. du Pont Memorial Trophy, Texas Soaring Association. Excerpt: The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 - January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. F...
