11 Responses to “Early to bed, early to …”

1. Dibyo Says:
   October 12th, 2009 at 10:34 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1255386850 )

   Samuel Langley’s half baked glider was acclaimed by the Smithsonian as the first to achieve manned flight, and this caused much controversy with the Wright brothers, who are to have _actually_ achieved proper controlled manned flight.

   
   
2. krudebox Says:
   October 12th, 2009 at 10:40 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1255387251 )

   Samuel Langley(3) received grant of $20,000 from the Smithsonian(1) to develop a piloted airplane, which he called an “Aerodrome”. However, this wasn’t much of a success and he sought to fight the Wright Brothers(2?) Patent on the Airplane. The Smithsonian displayed the Aerodrome in its museum as “the first man-carrying aeroplane in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight” and this caused a decades long feud with the surviving Wright brother, Orville. Wiki quote.

   
   
3. Chinmaya U.Holla Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 12:19 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255393199 )

   Who invented the first aircraft?Smithson,Wright Bros,Samuel Langley

   
   
4. udupendra Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 1:12 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255396347 )

   The Langley Aerodrome which in Smithsonian was being displayed as the first heavier than air flying machine, pissing off the Wrights.

   
   
5. Rogi Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 2:45 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255401933 )

   It would have to be the repeated attempts by Langley to steal the Wright brothers patent for sustained piloted flight, using his position as the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute and connections with fellows like A.G. Bell. The museum even displayed his Aerodrome for several years stating it was the first craft capable of sustained piloted flight. Problem was it was only able to meet the requirements (a decade after the Wright Flyer was successful) after dozens of modifications by Curtis.

   
   
6. Rogi Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 3:11 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255403463 )

   Correction: substitute *attempts by the Smithsonian* for *attempts by Langley*.

   
   
7. shrik Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 5:30 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255411810 )

   1. James Smithson 2. The Wright flight at Kitty Hawk 3. Samuel Langley The Wright brothers had a running feud with the Smithsonian, owing to the latter’s obstinacy in portraying Langley’s Aerodrome as the pioneer in aircraft-ery.

   
   
8. Logik Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 9:06 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255424794 )

   Basically Mr.Langley shown in pic 3 was reportedly the first person to build a flying aircraft. He was the secretary at the Smithsonian Institute. Mr.Smithson is shown in pic 1. The wright brothers had this tiff with the Smithsonian Institute( who kept claiming that it was Langley who did it first and not the wright brothers) http://siarchives.si.edu/histo.....wright.htm

   
   
9. sidsen Says:
   October 13th, 2009 at 9:45 pm, GMT +0000 ( 1255470329 )

   who flew first in to the smithsonian records – langley or wright

   
   
10. Mo Says:
    October 14th, 2009 at 5:06 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255496797 )

    First flying machine? Samuel P. Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1887 until his death in 1906, experimented for years with model flying machines and successfully flew unmanned powered model aircraft in 1896 and 1903. Two tests of his manned full-size motor-driven Aerodrome in October and December 1903, however, were complete failures. Nevertheless, the Smithsonian later proudly displayed the Aerodrome in its museum as the first heavier-than-air craft “capable” of manned powered flight, relegating the Wright brothers’ invention to secondary status and ironically triggering a decades-long feud with Orville Wright, whose brother had received help from the Smithsonian when beginning his own quest for flight.

    
    
11. nishansolo Says:
    October 15th, 2009 at 4:10 am, GMT +0000 ( 1255579843 )

    Controversy – The first powered and controlled flight of an aircraft accorded by the Smithsonian Institute. The claimants being Samuel Pierpont Langley and the Wright Glider.