75 years of DC3 today, 107 years of Wright brothers first

rreis · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 441

So guys

To celebrate...

book recommendations on the Dakota and the Wright brothers first flight?

cheers!

hip! hip! hurray!

soko121 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:13 pm

.....FATE IS THE HUNTER....

JDK · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:35 pm

'50 Glorious years' Piercy, Airlife (and the title shows how old that is!)

Detailed reading about the Wrights will eventually show how they were responsible for crippling US aviation for about 15 years after their first flights. I can't remember which particular book I was told about that went into this in detail, but it was not edifying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers#Patent_war

All credit for their achievement of planned, powered, controlled, heavier than air flight, of course.

Regards,

Rick65 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 8:55 pm

Those time intervals really made me think and respect the early innovators.
These pioneers really raced forward in the 30 years between the Wright Flyer and the DC1's first flight in 1933.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 10:29 pm

63 years since first flight of the B-47 which is the grandfather of every modern jet airliner-

JohnH · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:10 pm

107 years is tomorrow December 17, but I'm sure that's what you meant.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:13 pm

rreis is +9 from Los Angeles so it's tomorrow for him

rreis · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 441

The Inspector wrote:

rreis is +9 from Los Angeles so it's tomorrow for him

Yes, Inspector is right, I'm in the future right now

(and thanks for the note on the B-47, didn't knew that one)

JDK, I would say also they had also an inspiring role. When they arrived in Europe and the contrast between what they were able to do in flight (control, duration) was really an eye opener to those in France (at least). But I also see their subsequent actions to echo this days with questions of "intelectual Property" to the fore. Thomas Jefferson wouldn't be happy also. By the would you prefer the 50 years edition or those that come after (Iv'e seen a 60 years edition, if I'm not mistaken).

One of the things I'm always amazed and delighted is to see how the US had progressed aviation without need for war. "What the heck is he speaking about"? Just look at the DC3 and other airliners build in the US by the 30s, they are the answer to an economical/commercial need (another kind of war, you may posit and I will agree) and to those built outside the US, the technological gap is obvious. Tell tales are, for instance, the result of the MacRobertson race and the speech made by Sikorsky in the Royal Society in London and it's reception by those in attendance (a bit of the NIH syndrome?). Would we had gotten jets whitout WWII (which some say it was the real cure for the Depression?).

I has been an amazing century... and the Dak soldiers on, will it reach 100?

For the Dak fans I would also recommend this dutch film: http://www.thelooniverse.com/movies/sco ... akota.html (PM me if interested)

cheers!

(edit, huge error committed due lack of coffee)

Mark_Pilkington · **Posted:** Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:02 am

Enthusiasts from the Australian National Aviation Museum, South Australian Aviation Museum, West Beach Aviation Group and the Aerophilitalic Society of Australia celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the first flight of the DC-3, and the 107 Anniversary of the Wrights flight with a one hour flight out of Melbourne's Essendon Airport and around Port Philip Bay including a circuit of Point Cook in C-47B VH-TMQ.

As per the ADF-Serials website this aircraft joined the RAAF in 1945, and didnt get converted for civilian use until the mid 1990's, it is a low time airframe with a young 13,000 hours.

http://adf-serials.com.au/

Quote:

A65-91 VH-RFH, VM-HRP/JFB/JRH C-47B 32884 44-76552 Delivered to the RAAF 05/45.

*All photos from the ADF-Serials.com.au website.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Dec 17, 2010 5:18 am

rreis wrote:

JDK, I would say also they had also an inspiring role. When they arrived in Europe and the contrast between what they were able to do in flight (control, duration) was really an eye opener to those in France (at least).

Very fair comment. And to a degree their own post-Kittyhawk development was a real achievement.

But the litigation is something often overlooked - and it shouldn't. They were a major bottleneck in US development for poor propitiatory reasons.

Quote:

By the would you prefer the 50 years edition or those that come after (Iv'e seen a 60 years edition, if I'm not mistaken).

Dunno! I've just got the 50th on the shelf, and it's one of the 'pretty picture' books I sometimes take down for a read with a coffee.

Regards,

rreis · **Joined:** Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:42 pm **Posts:** 441

JDK wrote:

rreis wrote:

JDK, I would say also they had also an inspiring role. When they arrived in Europe and the contrast between what they were able to do in flight (control, duration) was really an eye opener to those in France (at least).

Very fair comment. And to a degree their own post-Kittyhawk development was a real achievement.

But the litigation is something often overlooked - and it shouldn't. They were a major bottleneck in US development for poor propitiatory reasons.

I completely agree, for me an almost textbook case how Intelectual Property management can hinder progress (which it shouldn't, the intended purpose should be exactly the other way around). But, tcharam!, about this topic, one of the last posts on NASM blog has an interesting addition: the Curtiss-Wright company giving up on a patent process because their team thought Orville Wright wouldn't back them up because

Quote:

The letter and interview reveal an interesting aspect of patent litigation—patents that have been assigned (transferred) to second parties have lives much longer than their original owners may have dreamed. Although Orville Wright had long since ended his association with Wright Aeronautical Corporation, Curtiss-Wright contacted Wright in the hopes that he would provide information to establish that early work on the vertical surface on an airplane was covered by Wright patents. Wright had originally responded favorably, not understanding that the patent was under suit, thinking it had expired. Based on the later interview, Curtiss-Wright determined that Wright would most likely not testify on its behalf, since he was opposed to litigation between American companies and was actually quite friendly with Henry Ford, one of the defendants. Ultimately, the suit was settled out of court with the defendant taking a license from Curtiss-Wright under the patent.

What a change of mind, eh?

url: http://blog.nasm.si.edu/2010/12/10/the- ... ent-files/

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75 years of DC3 today, 107 years of Wright brothers first

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