4 ms·

The Wright Brothers didn't come up with the idea of the airplane at all — people had been working on it for over 100 years.

• bumby 4y ago
  There’s an argument that heavier than air flight was mainly due to Curtis who was able to help the Wrights get an engine with a much better power:weight ratio. The Wrights made many contributions, notably a very efficient propeller, I believe. But some of their biggest claims, like wing-warping, succumbed to others ideas like Curtis’ ailerons.
  • soco 4y ago
    Let's not forget Leonardo da Vinci's studies around 1500 or whatever flight the Babylonians or Indian vimanas were supposed to do...
    • bumby 4y ago
      Sure if we’re talking about the idea, I was more so referencing the realization of that idea.
• flavius29663 4y ago
  and without the Wright Brothers, the plane would have developed regardless, the time was indeed ripe for flying. People have been hopping around in self propelled planes for a few years before the Wrights, it would have only been a matter of time until they perfected it.
• marcosdumay 4y ago
  Yet on the 10 years around their flight, a lot of people developed powered flight independently. And none did it on the previous 95 years.