Persevere And Fly!

"The Wright Brothers created the single greatest cultural force since the invention of writing. The airplane became the first World Wide Web, bringing people, languages, ideas, and values together."

~~~ Bill Gates, Microsoft

I had the opportunity to recently visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of our stops was at The Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills.

The Wrights, Wilbur and Orville, were the first to design and build a flying aircraft that could be *controlled* while in the air. No one up to this point had used the three control factors; roll, pitch, and yaw. These three dimensions make it possible to fly from place to place. The aerospace business depends on this simple but brilliant idea. So do spacecraft and submarines.

This changed the way we view our world. Seen from above, distances shrink and the horizon stretches. The world seems grander, more vast and three-dimensional. Open to endless possibilities.

We talk about the perseverance needed to make our niche on the internet today. Just think of Wilbur and Orville. Their accomplishment certainly didn't happen overnight!

Wilbur and Orville were 12 and 8 years of age, respectively, when their father brought home a simple toy rubber band-powered helicopter made in France. They were so intrigued by the concept and playing with it, it broke! Immediately, they began building copies.

They were hooked on aviation!

In 1900, as young men, having built their first glider, they decided to try it out at Kitty Hawk on Kill Devil Hills. It provided consistent stiff winds, and the somewhat cushioning effects of sand and water. That first flight was unsuccessful, but it didn't deter them.

After several more tries, on December 17, 1903, with a much improved bi-plane, they risked their lives and threw caution to the wind. They ended up flying the world's first powered airplane.

(Beginning at 10:35 a.m. that day, Orville flew it about 120 feet in about 12 seconds. About 12:00 p.m., Wilbur flew it 852 feet in 59 seconds)!

Johnny Moore, one of five men who helped them that morning drag the contraption across the frozen sand for positioning, ran to the village of Kitty Hawk crying, "They done it! They done it! Damned if they ain't flew."

The birth of aviation!

At this time, Wilbur was 36 and Orville 32. Roughly 24 years had passed since their father gave them that toy!

I got to thinking as we walked around the monument (with 40 mph steady winds and pelting sand adding to the mood!) of how they never gave up. The exhilaration they must have felt when they realized they'd done it! Their perseverance had paid off.

If you have a dream, work at it. If it doesn't turn out as expected the first time, don't give up! Try again! Who wants to live and say somewhere down the road, "if only" or "what if?" Stick to what you want to accomplish. Don't ever give up!

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

~~~ Calvin Coolidge