Areoplane

Ratigan 1

The Airplane

A cold breeze blows across the sand, and two men unknowingly about to make history.

The men are Wilbur and Orville Wright. December 17, 1903 was the day and a mere five people

were here to witness the historical feat(Brown 22). The invention of the airplane changed the

way of life in many good ways but in bad ways as well.

The Wright brothers were always interested in flight. As children their interest in flight

was sparked by a toy rubber band helicopter their father gave them(Rinard 16). The boys

attended a public school in Cedar Rapids( Brown, 20). Wilbur and Orville were the only

members of their family who did not go to college( Brown 21). Instead the two of them opened

a bicycle shop still keeping their interest in flight an understudy. The flight was not just a one

day miracle. The brothers failed over fifty times, and never giving up trying everything possible

until they finally their years of failure changed. The plane was not patented until January 22,

1904(Brown 22).

First planes were far from high quality compared to planes of today. The propeller

blades were made of wood and had a steel frame(Nahum 30). Yet to the technology of the time

the invention was miraculous. Before this people could only be in the air for short limited time.

Gliders and hot air balloons were the main way of flight. Many attempts had been made to fly

with control somewhat like a bird. The Wright brothers plane gave the world the features of

control and precision.

The Wright brothers did not receive the instant fame which was definitely apparent. In

fact many did not believe that the flight took place. Wilbur and Orville fin...

... middle of paper ...

...the fastest plane the SR-71 flew at two

thousand one hundred ninety three miles per hour(“Facts about Airplanes”). Passenger airlines

The Airplane Ratigan 4

have affected the everyday person. By enabling them to fly from long areas instead of driving or

riding in a train. The Boeing 737 weighs in at one hundred fifty thousands pounds(“Facts about

Planes”). Boeing came about in 1970 and as made flying much more affordable(Nahum 35).

Airplanes have through our history have changed the world. In so many good ways that

can not be expressed in words, by bringing troops to safety to taking supplies to those in need.

The worst is remembered the best like 9/11 or the planes that go down with passengers aboard.

So many cases of bad experiences have occurred that maybe the world would be a better place

without the airplane.