Human Intelligence
Finds The Sky Is Not The Limit

Part 21 - Part 20

Fascination Of Flight

Onward and upwards, Human Intelligence is on an unstoppable march. Even if the Science of Aviation was temporarily deserted.

Humanities cherished fascination with Aviation predictably started when our forebears acknowledged that birds used a different mode of travel over longer distances.

Kites were flown in China. Approximately two and a half thousand years ago.

Leonardo Da Vinci visualized flying machines, and placed his visions on paper, around two thousand years after the launch of the first kite.

More recently, dauntless men like the self assured French brothers, Joseph-Michel (1740-1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (1745-1799) were absorbed with air filled balloons and determined to make them travel across the sky, as does a bird.

Just As Dauntless

Other men, just as dauntless, were just as determined to fly using other means. Now is a good time to recall that Determination is most productive when combined with Truth.

Truth being what works. Otherwise known as Natural Law.

Dauntless pioneering individuals such as Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) a German Engineer and Inventor who believed that bird Flight was the basis of Aviation, gave his life in pursuit of his dream to glide as does a bird.

Otto Lilienthal's unnecessary death reignited a faded earlier interest in Flight in the minds of Wilbur Wright, (1867-1912) and younger brother Orville. (1871-1948)

Lilienthal is an excellent example of how bad Thinking, on the part of one entity, can lead to good Thinking, by another entity. One must follow through on what one believes, to find Truth. But do so intelligently. A wrong premise will always remain a wrong premise.

The Wright brothers acute awareness of this actuality empowered both men to seek, and find Truth, with equanimity.

In other words, confidently reveal Natures Secrets.

Hypotheses must be proven to be true or not. But sacrificing one's life is a high price to pay in the pursuit of knowledge. Even in the normal course of conducting life, better by far, is to develop the ability to make mistakes in our imagination before constructing Reality.

Serious Limitation

German Military General, Inventor, and founder of the Zeppelin Airship Company, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, (1838-1917)  pioneered lighter than air machines which probably deserved to be more successful.

Zeppelin may have been more successful had he focused his efforts on commercial, rather than military uses for his invention.

With today's frantically fast World, the attraction of a tranquil luxury Air Cruise is appealing. The panoramic view from one thousand feet above the ground is exquisitely wondrous and balm for the soul.

Sorry, I allowed my mind to wander. Back to the story - - -

The pioneers of Aviation were distinguished men all. But the conspicuous practitioners of Human Intelligence in the field of early Flight were the Wright brothers.
 
Without power, Aviation's usefulness was seriously limited. Wilbur and Orville Wright's dream was powered, manned, controlled Flight, in a heavier than air machine.

Wide Open Field And A Special Lesson

Facing one serious disaster after another, pioneering participants in the embryonic field of Aviation - relaxed their efforts, and the general public, Considered Flight beyond the reach of man, and classed its adherents with the inventors of perpetual motion.- to quote the Wright Brothers.

In common with the herd thinking of a vision-less General Public, it could be that these early pioneers ran out of Ideas as opposed to Courage. Quite oblivious to the power of their minds.

All but abandoned and deserted, this rudimentary field of Flight was wide open to Wilbur and Orville Wright. Who were special men indeed. Special Men with a Special Lesson for anyone with a deep Desire to learn.

Remarkable Story

The Wright Brothers accomplishments is a remarkable story. Unlike other Disciplines where participants usually have a wealth of previous knowledge to refer to and build on, according to Wilbur and Orville, all previous Scientific Calculations made by other parties in the field of Aviation were mere guesswork.

Faith in the existing scientific wind pressure and other data dissolved into disbelief, as one measurement and formula after another failed to stand up in practice.

After two years of attempting to make sense of it, the brothers cast it aside, concluding that - Truth and error were everywhere so intimately mixed as to be indistinguishable.

Albeit not exactly comforting, René Descartes did not have this problem of Knowledge and Belief failing to align with Fact, on his own.

We can recognize this common failure to seek Truth, in every aspect of Human activity. We can do so from the beginning of recorded History, up to and including the present day.

This failing is particularly evident in Humanities widespread hesitant approach to, and hazy comprehension of, the Power available to our Greatest Asset.

Our Mind.

Personal Development offers a more than satisfactory remedy to this drawback, when applied with Wright brothers type diligence.

Self Reliance

From this point on the two brothers would conduct their own investigations. This proved to be an excellent decision.

The fact that they were ignored and their goal was considered impossible by their fellows did not deter these two men.

Lack of support in the face of lack of comprehension can be a trying obstacle. An obstacle that can only be overcome with irrefutable proof.

Today, using hindsight, it appears quite inconceivable that so little interest, in such a momentous Discipline as Flight, could be possible. Sadly though, even in modern daily life, general incomprehension remains a common problem.

Being familiar with the efforts, failures, then abandonment of the once vivid dreams, by their contemporaries in the pursuit of Flight, merely proved to these two outstanding Minds that inadequate Thought had been devoted to the subject.

Paradoxically, recognizing this inadequate Thought syndrome for what it was, served to guide the Brothers away from investigating unfruitful avenues. While retaining useful knowledge.

Discernment rules. The Wright brother's Intention was to provide irrefutable proof. These two sound Thinkers did just that. Who would argue against Flight today?

Human Intelligence Prevails

Unstinting devotion to their dream, and to the Scientific Method, led Orville and Wilbur Wright to the discovery of the Natural laws that would permit them to realize that dream.

Their ground-breaking efforts created the launching pad that other curious minds used to investigate and develop the myriad possibilities presented by their work.

An abundance of possibilities that continues to keep open it's outspread arms the more we Humans seek Truth.

From unmanned Spacecraft that explore the Heavens to the edge of our Galaxy and beyond. To manned Space Flight and manned Space Station.

The enticing edge of Space remains the barely explored Frontier. Sharing the Technological Marvels Stage with the Human Mind.

Now birds look at Human aviators with awe. Accurate Thinking pays mind blowing dividends.

This is accurate Thought in action, a product of Human Intelligence. Via the Human Mind. A product of the Human Brain.

Does it send a shiver up your spine?

Back To Earth

Coming back to earth we realize it is the late nineteenth century and much effort is yet to be applied in the transportation arena. Where Nicolaus Otto's Internal Combustion Engine is taking it's first baby steps.

Hello World. Human Intelligence has only just rolled up it's sleeves

Human Intelligence Rocks!

Part 21 - Part 20

Next - Seed Of The Internal Combustion Engine

Return To A Fundamental Element

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