How did the Wright brothers solve the ‘flying problem’ of how to control an aircraft in flight? They answered the right question.
Most other aspiring aviators were trying to use power to overcome control problems in the air. They theorized that if enough power could be generated, the aircraft would be more maneuverable. Some thought that the airplane would behave similarly to a car, not taking into account that a body supported by air flow behaves very differently than a vehicle on the ground.
The Wright brothers succeeded because they answered the right question first, which is how to control the aircraft in the air. They studied birds in flight, built a wind tunnel to test wing designs, and reworked the math. Then they designed a control system that gave their aircraft the stability in flight the others were lacking.
What an excellent example of answering the right question to find the ‘Wright’ solution! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
