Wright Brothers Day

By Ginger

Despite being a seasoned, world traveler, I admit to still getting nervous during an airplane’s take-off… ok, the landing too… ummm well, and the parts in between. I confess to saying a prayer and obsessing over the little things like, “How is it possible that such a massive, heavy, metal object, loaded with luggage and so many passengers, can achieve enough power to lift off and stay in the air?”  When I think of aviation history, it boggles my mind that over 100 years ago people conceived of the idea that an object, heavier than air, could be made to fly and then they made it happen.

This miracle of transportation by air is largely due to the perseverance and determination of 2 brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright. There were others trying to achieve the same thing, but on December 17, 1903 the Wright brothers conducted the first successful airplane flight. At the time, it might have seemed to be a bit of folly to some folks, but this was a world changing event.

How many people do you think will take to the air to get somewhere for the holidays this year? Would most of these folks be going anywhere for the holidays if we didn’t have airplanes?  In general, what would life be like if we didn’t have planes to transport not only people, but consumer goods? It seems to me that the world would be a much smaller place, or, at least, my world would be a much smaller place.  Airplanes gave me access to places and wonders that I probably would never have had.