| Feeling cranky about air travel? Get a grip.Not on the | | | | first hydroplane. He zipped around Europe, flying to |
| arm of your passenger seat--on reality, history, and the | | | | fashionable restaurants and parking his plane out front, |
| incredible accomplishment of human flight.We've just | | | | right next to the tethered horses. Where the Wrights |
| celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Wright | | | | were methodical and diligent, Santos-Dumont was a |
| brothers' historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. | | | | flashy man about town known for his daring and his |
| Although there werecertainly others who were | | | | sense of style. He cut a dashing figure and inspired |
| experimenting with flying machines--most notably, | | | | everyone from fashion designers to engineers. His |
| Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian who is widely | | | | friend, Louis Cartier, created the first wristwatch for |
| celebrated in his native country as being the father of | | | | him after Santos-Dumont expressed a need to keep |
| aviation--the Wright Brothers are generally regarded | | | | track of time while busily flying his |
| as the first to get humans off the ground.The | | | | plane.Santos-Dumont didn't give a rip about patents. |
| fascinating thing about the Wright brothers is that they | | | | Instead of spending his time and money on protecting |
| were not the idealistic dreamers you might expect | | | | his designs, he freely offered his ideas to anyone |
| them to be. They were serious, studious, and | | | | interested in copying and improving them. He engaged |
| determined to figure things out. It wasn't that they | | | | in the shareware idea: take this, go forth and prosper. |
| were obsessed with the dream of soaring high above | | | | We've seen this approach in software (Linux) and |
| the ground. They were mechanically-inclined brothers | | | | hybrid-electric cars (Hunter and Amory Lovins), and |
| who owned a bicycle shop, and they couldn't forget | | | | though it rarely leads to great wealth for the creators, |
| the brief but exciting flight of a cheap toy airplane | | | | it dramatically facilitates access and ingenuity.After |
| they'd received as children. They were intrigued by the | | | | years of flying high, Santos-Dumont suffered from ill |
| engineering challenge.Let's just say it--they were | | | | health and committed suicide in 1932. I guess neither |
| geeks. Good thing. Like geeks everywhere, they dug in, | | | | engineering talent nor courageous individualism |
| immersing themselves in their research. By following | | | | guarantees a happy ending. The Wrights ran out of |
| their hunch and testing the heck out of it, they found | | | | passion, and Santos-Dumont lost his mojo. In their own |
| the key component that enabled them to create that | | | | ways, they simply burned out.It's interesting to think |
| first flying hunk of wood, fabric and wire capable of | | | | about how we need both the plodding perseverance |
| carrying a man and--key point here--landing without | | | | of the Wrights and the free-thinking generosity of |
| crashing.The Wright brothers had the same access to | | | | Santos-Dumont in every project we undertake. The |
| records of tried and failed attempts at flight as all other | | | | greatest invention in the world will never capture the |
| would-be aviators of the time. They studied birds, they | | | | excitement of the population without those who are |
| analyzed physics properties, and they built wind | | | | fearless in their attempts to apply it. Those who create |
| tunnels--just like everyone else. Sure, it was their | | | | the buzz are admittedly standing on the shoulders of |
| dogged persistence that led them to success, but | | | | those who quietly developed the technology, but we |
| there was something else that really helped them nail it. | | | | must have both to bring out the eagerness of the |
| They took one piece of the puzzle and worked | | | | early adopters and the cultural change that hinges |
| relentlessly to decipher it.Instead of focusing on the | | | | upon the mainstream acceptance of any new idea.Bill |
| force needed to lift the contraption, or the engine | | | | Gates, that geek extraordinaire, has said: "The Wright |
| required to power it, they zeroed in on the concept of | | | | brothers created the single greatest cultural force |
| control. No sense having a great flight only to crash | | | | since the invention of writing. The airplane became the |
| into the trees after a few moments of jubilation. It was | | | | first world wide web, bringing people of different |
| the issue of control that captured their imagination and | | | | languages, ideas and values together."The next time |
| led to a design featuring both maneuverability and | | | | you're slogging through security, struggling to put your |
| safety.But as focused as they were on directing the | | | | bag in the overhead compartment, or grousing about |
| movement of the flying machines, they failed to pay | | | | the leg room, pause a moment to reflect on the |
| attention to the continued testing and refinement of | | | | enormity of human flight. Recognize it for the |
| their ideas. They got distracted by their efforts to | | | | magnificent achievement that it is, and pay tribute to |
| control sales, and the research and development | | | | those who lived and died for its creation. Appreciate |
| division was left flapping in the breeze. While the | | | | the risk taking required in the last century to get you |
| Wrights got caught up in patent struggles and | | | | that window seat.Please remain seated until the |
| contracts, adventurers around the world were | | | | aircraft comes to a complete stop, and whisper words |
| improving on their original design and savvy | | | | of gratitude to the Wright brothers for their |
| businessmen were building airplanes, airports and flight | | | | determination in discovering what it takes to make a |
| schools. By 1912, Wilbur had died and Orville was losing | | | | safe landing.You may now move freely about the |
| interest in flying.Meanwhile, Santos-Dumont continued | | | | cabin. Please refrain from complaining.Thank you for |
| his passion for being airborne. He is credited with | | | | flying for us, Wilbur and Orville. |
| launching the first public flight as well as designing the | | | | |