Achy47
Dec17-03, 01:30 PM
I have been reading into some of the engineering behind the Wright Flyer. It's pretty astounding. These guys were truly amazing.
Some particular points that I find interesting.
1)The airfoil design: They designed and tested a model using a crude wind-tunnel.
2)The propellor design: They engineered wood propellers which were amazingly efficient (even by todays standards: give or take)
3)They designed and built thier own IC engine from scratch since they couldn't afford (or find) a commercial product meting thier requirements. :|
4)They didn't die in the project.
Is it just me or were these guys in a league of thier own, especially when you consider their backgrounds and budget? How did they master such a broad range of engineering discipline in their spare time? I am feeling very small at this point: so I will stop now.
Thoughts?
Some particular points that I find interesting.
1)The airfoil design: They designed and tested a model using a crude wind-tunnel.
2)The propellor design: They engineered wood propellers which were amazingly efficient (even by todays standards: give or take)
3)They designed and built thier own IC engine from scratch since they couldn't afford (or find) a commercial product meting thier requirements. :|
4)They didn't die in the project.
Is it just me or were these guys in a league of thier own, especially when you consider their backgrounds and budget? How did they master such a broad range of engineering discipline in their spare time? I am feeling very small at this point: so I will stop now.
Thoughts?