The World's First NYC air scare

[mikea]

By one Wilbur Wright

 

[Steve Foley]

I hope he stayed over the water and didn't bust the Class B Airspace. I don't think he had a radio in that thing to ask for a clearance.

 

[matthammer]

Dang. Flying a Wright Flyer took guts as it was... flying over water? That takes nards of steel.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

That is an awesome photo and caption. While I love being able to enjoy modern aviation, I would have loved to have been around to see something like that. So early in the history of flight.

 

[spiderweb]

What a beautiful photo!

 

[Palmpilot]

It must have been a wonderful time to fly. No rules, no airpace restrictions, and no FAA!

 

[denverpilot]

Dang. Flying a Wright Flyer took guts as it was... flying over water? That takes nards of steel.

Or an empty wallet and military contracts to win.

Nothing changes...

 

[Anthony]

Did people run away cowering, wetting their pants, and hiding?

Mighty Wright Flyer of Death!!!

 

[dmccormack]

Dang. Flying a Wright Flyer took guts as it was... flying over water? That takes nards of steel.

Orville strapped a canoe to the bottom of the Flyer.


While NY residents are certainly more anxious than they need to be about all airplanes, keep in mind NYC had its two largest buildings destroyed by airplanes.

Most of them can't differentiate between a 757 and a 150. Surprise. Most of you don't know which subway to Wall Street.

 

[EppyGA]

Obviously photoshopped!

 

[rottydaddy]

It must have been a wonderful time to fly. No rules, no airpace restrictions, and no FAA!

Not much traffic, either... :wink2:

 

[mikea]

Dang. Flying a Wright Flyer took guts as it was... flying over water? That takes nards of steel.

Read "Flight of the Gin Fizz" Cal Rogers flew a Wright Flyer Model B, the Vin Fiz, coast to coast. He crashed 16 times. At the end he arrived with not a single part that he had left with. There were times when he was flying while holding in a spark plug.

Oh yeah! IT WAS A MUSLIN PLANE!

 

[John Baker]

At that time, just getting to see a man flying a machine was a huge and memorable thrill that was told and rehashed throughout the spectators life. Men flying in airoplanes was one of mans greatest accomplishments, it was a world wonder at the time.

Getting to actually see it with your own eyes was almost as big of a thrill as actually flying the machine.

It was a time when few homes had indoor plumbing and washboards were more common than washing machines. Electricity was still an add on in most homes with the wiring exposed rather than inside the wall.

Milk was delivered in horse drawn wagons, the automobile was a rich mans indulgence.

It is hard to believe that was just a little over a hundred years ago. Some people who witnessed that era just died off a few years ago.

My father was born in the late 1800s. He died in 1945.

So, look how far we are advanced technologically over those times. It is almost impossible to imagine what will be accomplished in the next hundred years. They did not have computers to help escalate their advances in all the sciences. With the tools available to us today, the future is mind boggling, should we survive.

John

 

[mikea]

...It is hard to believe that was just a little over a hundred years ago. Some people who witnessed that era just died off a few years ago.

My father was born in the late 1800s. He died in 1945.

So, look how far we are advanced technologically over those times. It is almost impossible to imagine what will be accomplished in the next hundred years. They did not have computers to help escalate their advances in all the sciences. With the tools available to us today, the future is mind boggling, should we survive.

...

Aviation went from the first powered flight in 1903 to aerobatic dogfights in WW I in 1915. IMHO, that technical leap is greater than anything we've ever seen, even with digital technology.