Something different in the way of a mini documentary in this video! Extensive photo and video editing!

 

 

Thanks for sharing. It's quite amazing to be at Kitty Hawk, bend over, and touch the rail.

Highly recommended, and not just in the sim.

Wow, this is one of the best video I have seen at YouTube, especially with the perfect blending in of MSFS at the end. A fabulous job!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing, I would like to have the Wright brothers aircraft in the sim.

Great video - thanks for sharing. Don't forget to like the vid on youtube so the creator gets some recognition.

Really enjoyed that video. Thanks!

 

A very interesting piece of history! Thanks for sharing! 

This may be my new favorite youtube video !

Shivers....

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History By Contract

History by Contract is a 1978 book by early aviation researchers Major William J. O'Dwyer, U.S. Air Force Reserve (ret.) and Stella Randolph about aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead. The book focuses on an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the estate of Orville Wright, which stipulates that the Smithsonian, as a condition of owning and displaying the 1903 Wright Flyer, must recognize and label it as the first heavier-than-air machine to make a manned, powered, controlled and sustained flight.

The authors of the book offer evidence which they assert shows that the Smithsonian deliberately ignored Whitehead's aeronautical work in order not to violate the agreement with the Wright estate. The net result, they allege, made Whitehead a virtual nonentity in aviation history."[1] They and other researchers argue that Whitehead made the first successful airplane flight in August 1901, predating the Wright brothers by more than two years.

http://historybycontract.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_by_Contract

Thanks to all for the encouragement and feedback and views! Getting a good number of views for a small channel. If I could only translate a chunk of those views into subscribers for my non-monetized channel, that would even be better!

5 hours ago, turbomax said:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History By Contract

History by Contract is a 1978 book by early aviation researchers Major William J. O'Dwyer, U.S. Air Force Reserve (ret.) and Stella Randolph about aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead. The book focuses on an agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and the estate of Orville Wright, which stipulates that the Smithsonian, as a condition of owning and displaying the 1903 Wright Flyer, must recognize and label it as the first heavier-than-air machine to make a manned, powered, controlled and sustained flight.

The authors of the book offer evidence which they assert shows that the Smithsonian deliberately ignored Whitehead's aeronautical work in order not to violate the agreement with the Wright estate. The net result, they allege, made Whitehead a virtual nonentity in aviation history."[1] They and other researchers argue that Whitehead made the first successful airplane flight in August 1901, predating the Wright brothers by more than two years.

http://historybycontract.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_by_Contract

Thanks for this. Yes, if you dig deep into the archives you will find many claiming to be the first including Langley who was associated with the Smithsonian. Langley even got a grant to make airplanes based on his design that he said could fly. Backed with engineers, the design (Langley Aerodrome) was a disaster and never flew.

The key difference between the Wright brothers design and all the previous other designs was inherent, mechanical and structural stability that generated sustained, controlled reproducible flight.

No doubt, there were dozens of designs well before the Wright brothers that flew briefly; but that was it. They were not structurally sound. If a design succeeds, there would be evidence of improvements and design modification. There is virtually no evidence/proof of earlier designs that were designed well enough for sustained, reproducible flight. The key is sustained and controlled flight.

The Wrights were very clever to maintain detailed experimental notes and photos that corresponded with improvements and patents.

you are missing the point.

"The most controversial clause in the agreement is Paragraph 2(d): "Neither the Smithsonian Institution or its successors nor any museum or other agency, bureau or facilities, administered for the United States of America by the Smithsonian Institution or its successors, shall publish or permit to be displayed a statement or label in connection with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane of 1903, claiming In effect that such aircraft was capable of carrying a man under its own power in controlled flight."^[8]

O'Dwyer and Randolph asserted this clause presents a strong incentive to keep the Smithsonian from officially recognizing any manned, powered, controlled airplane flight before that of the Wright brothers on 17 December 1903."

"The Wrights were very clever to ....."

and the Smithonian was not very clever, being obliged to a neutral, objective portrayal of science and research, agreed voluntarily to never ever, come what may, to even mention " with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane".

What you added " mechanical and structural stability that generated sustained, controlled reproducible flight. " was not a condition.

The books authors did not downplay the Wrights merits, they criticized  the Smithonian's attitude to act for and protect the interest of a particular private person (Wrights) in secrecy instead of maintaining an open, independent and neutral position in the best interest of science and the public.

Edited January 13, 20224 yr by turbomax

27 minutes ago, turbomax said:

you are missing the point.

"The most controversial clause in the agreement is Paragraph 2(d): "Neither the Smithsonian Institution or its successors nor any museum or other agency, bureau or facilities, administered for the United States of America by the Smithsonian Institution or its successors, shall publish or permit to be displayed a statement or label in connection with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane of 1903, claiming In effect that such aircraft was capable of carrying a man under its own power in controlled flight."^[8]

The books authors did not downplay the Wrights merits, they criticized  the Smithonian's attitude to act for and protect the interest of a particular private person (Wrights) in secrecy instead of maintaining an open, independent and neutral position in the best interest of science and the public.

Oh yes, I fully understand what Orville and his lawyers laid out to the Smithsonian with having the Wright Flyer returned to America in exchange for the above statement. Definitely not great for transparency. Time lets the other side of the story chapters gradually reveal themselves. Unfortunately, no one will ever know if the predecessors had actually met the criteria of the critical words of "controlled flight". No doubt, there were many aircraft before the Wrights that lifted the pilot under its own power ... but to what extend was the plane under true control. The debate will always continue.

Cheers!

16 minutes ago, Doering said:

no one will ever know if the predecessors had actually met the criteria of the critical words of "controlled flight".

who knows, some of history's most spectacular discoveries were made thousands of years later. but again that is not at stake but the Smithonian's attitude to secretly agree to never ever, come whatever proof may be, that would show otherwise, never to "publish or permit to be displayed a statement or label in connection with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane of 1903".

meaning even if material should be found later that might proof otherwise, the Smithonian agreed to ignore and withhold any such information and kept this agreement secretly. this reeks rather of a conspiracy than an open minded science institute. hence the book's title: "History by contract", versus history by science, research and discovery.

Edited January 13, 20224 yr by turbomax