I chose to read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough and
was not disappointed in the detailed history about these amazing brothers. I
previously had limited knowledge of their remarkable invention and have even
visited the Wright memorial in Kill Devil Hills, but had no idea the level of
dedication and ingenuity these brothers possessed. They were truly a gift to
mankind and innovators on the most magnificent scale.
I was surprised to learn that neither Wilbur nor Orville were
ever married or had children. Their dedication to the mission of flight was
unyielding and took priority over families of their own. I was also unaware
that Wilbur died at the young age of forty five. It is amazing to me what he
was able to do during his short life span and the lasting effect it has had on
mankind.
The consistency of character of the Wright brothers is what
I admire the most. They were always true to themselves, never swayed by outside
influences, and possessed a sort of humble confidence and indifference to
popular opinion. They were not greedy or selfish or egotistical in any way.
What rare traits in men of genius.
The Wright brother’s quest for flight was wrought with
adversity and failure. The gliders and flyers they fabricated crashed hundreds
of times and needed to be rebuilt again and again. But each failure provided
valuable information and the ability to grow and improve. The limited information
on aeronautics at the time was riddled with errors, so the Wright brothers
needed to learn on their own the physics behind their flyers and create new
designs and concepts. They created wind tunnels to study wing designs and
observed birds for hours to gain inspiration. They were also 100% self-funded
during their ordeal and needed to maintain a successful business in their bike
shop to afford them the opportunity to pursue their dream. I’m certain this
slowed down their progress, but the work ethic and drive they possessed was unparalleled .
Both Wilbur and Orville were highly intelligent men. They
took it upon themselves to seek out information or create their own. They were
not educated beyond a high school level, but as innovators and inventors, they
were masters of their trade. They were also skilled mechanics and good
businessmen. The successful bike shop business kept just enough money coming in
to fund their dream of flying. After the success of their airplane, they
demonstrated extremely noble diplomatic relations with high ranking government
and military officials of multiple countries as well as the common man. I
consider this a gift to be able to remain true to yourself no matter the
company you are in.
After the successful flight, the book goes into detail of
how the brothers attempted to sell their design and turn a profit off of their
invention. The United States initially declined to support the Wright’s
airplane but the French were extremely interested. A brokerage company also
wanted to broker sales of the airplane in Europe. The demands for
demonstrations and the underhandedness of all parties involved was a little
confusing to digest. This at a time when the brothers should have been in full
celebration mode with the support and praise of the United States government
and private US companies alike. I felt ashamed that the brothers were not
treated more fairly.
Reading the book gave me a feeling of closeness to the
Wright brothers and an admiration beyond words. I would love to ask them since
they chose never to fly together when perfecting and marketing their airplane,
what they were feeling when they finally did go up together. They had been
through so much together and it must have felt like the ultimate victory lap. I
would also ask what their secret to staying so dedicated and committed to
something that spanned over a decade. They never seemed rushed, and went about
every detail methodically and patiently.
Clearly the Wright brothers believed in and displayed
unbelievable hard work. They never took shortcuts and rarely outsourced any job
or duty. They relied on and gained strength from one another. Their dedication
and workmanship is certainly something I hope to model and aspire too.
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