Sunday, December 17, 2023

Flight + 120

It only looks old-fashioned
London, ON
September 2023
This photo originally shared on Instagram


120 years ago today, Orville Wright took humanity’s first-ever flight in a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.

In all, the Wright Flyer covered 36 metres (120 feet) in 12 seconds.

Later that day, his brother Wilbur flew 255.6 m (862 ft) in 59 seconds.

This is not the Wright Flyer. It is a Pitts 12S, and I captured it during this year’s Airshow London. Aside from it being a biplane, this high-performance aerobatic design doesn’t have much commonality with the Wright brothers’ creation.

But that’s the joy of aviation, where today’s designs stand on the shoulders of everything that came before them. And it took a couple of brilliant and brave brothers to take that first leap into the unknown.

December 17th, 1903 seems like yesterday. In terms of human history, it kind of is.

#ldnont #london #airport #ontario #canada #throwback #SkyDrive #AirShowLondon #aviation #pitts #flight #aircraft #aviationphotography #photography #nikon #nikonphotography #nikon_photography #planespotting #instaplane #photooftheday #instagood #nofilter #nofilterneeded

Related:
Jet fighter photobomb, September 2021
Almost home, September 2005
Snowbird down, December 2004

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