1)
What surprised me the most was the doubting of the Wright brother's claims and inventions. Many of the people in and out of thee scientific community did not believe their claims of flight. The skeptics and doubters called them bluffers and used lines like flyer or liars. Also, the disbelief was so great that even the local media passed them off as crazy men and that the idea of flight as childish and unrealistic.
I most admired their work ethic. At Kitty Hawk, their testing grounds, they experienced many setbacks unknown to the most of the world. They built their own camp, faced extreme weather, caught and cooked their own food, and rebuilt their glider many times. They even faced hurricanes and once in a decade influx of mosquitoes.
There was not much I did not admire of the Wright brothers. The thing I could pick that I least admired was their secretiveness. They were skeptical to strangers and did not give public displays of their flying machine and abilities until they had to. While I disliked this, I also understand that with such new technology it was necessary to keep their inventions and innovations secret.
Yes numerous times the Wrights faced adversity and failure. Many times they crashed gliders and airplanes. Their engine broke on a few occasions and the shipment of their materials caused damge and forced them to rebuild. Each time the brothers rolled up their sleeves and and fixed any and all mechanical problems. Further they faced adversity in people doubting them and they shut all of their critics up with a display of their skills publicly. Further because of doubts in their claims it was hard to find a buyer for their machine. Also, when the war broke out the US government forced the brothers to aid the effort without the same compensation they were getting in the private sector. Through it all they worked hard and out smarted many of their competitors.
2)
Throughout their lives the brothers showed many competencies of entrepreneurs, but the following are the ones that stood out greatest to me.
Confident: Throughout their early years the Wright's faced many obstacles. First, they were told that flight was impossible. They continued to pursue and develop their own techniques that went against the science of the day to develop manned flight. Further, as others doubted that they flew first and public opinion turned against them, the held steady and stayed the course knowing that no one else could match their flyer and flying abilities.
Risk-Takers: They took risks throughout the entire process. Many scientist in the aviation community lost their flying gliders or they only theorized instead of actually trying to fly. The brothers put their lives in harms way to test their theories and develop flight in a new and untested scientific world.
Innovative: They were innovative because they developed their own gliders, made a light weight engine, and even created a wind tunnel. The Wright brothers used techniques to develop flight that we still use today to design and create planes.
3)
The confusing part about the reading is why there was so much resistance to the idea of flying. The Wright brothers were thought to be fools originally by every day people for wanting to fly. Many even used religion to discount flying, almost like anything new was somehow a bad thing. Many people appeared to be dogmatic in their thinking with regard to flying. Further, the US war department was offered the ability to buy their plane first and turned it down multiple times. I do not know how as a government you could turn down the military advantage of flying.
4)
I would ask:
- After flying for the first time I experienced one of the greatest joys of my life, just flying. What motivated to continue to fly higher and further and faster? Was it just the pursuit of money or was it the same thrilling feeling that I got the first time I flew?
I would ask this just to see what motivated the Wrights.
- What would you say was more important to the development of flight, the knowledge gained through description, books, journals and etc, or the knowledge from acquaintance, actually testing?
I would ask this because I feel that the engineering courses I take here at UF are incomplete to my fountain of knowledge. Actually doing something makes me feel more competent on a subject.
5)
I think the Wright brothers held hard work in the highest esteem. Many times they were called intelligent, but no matter what people knew they were hard workers and admired that about them. All the hardships and adversity they faced and conquered makes me believe that hard work was extremely important. Also, the Wright brothers always complimented those that worked hard with them and those in the field of aviation, even their competitors. I also share that opinion because I will appreciate a man's work and fruit of labor over his talent.
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