Synopsis
Understanding How the Airplane Was Invented The Wright brothers achieved their earth-shattering first flight more than one hundred years ago and the story of their lives and airplane has been recounted in dozens of newspapers, magazine articles, and books. None, however, has explained to non-technical readers how they accomplished their epic invention that forever changed the world around us.Their success came about through a careful mix of focused vision, steadfast determination, careful testing, keen observation, astute interpretation, and engineering practical solutions to previously unknown technical problems. They were hard workers, putting in long days and applying themselves diligently to the complex task every day except for Sundays, respecting their father, who was a bishop.The Wrights were fortunate to sustain a sometimes rocky relationship with the acknowledged dean of aviation, Augustus Chanute. He provided the brothers practical advice, loaned them test equipment, and directed the industrious inventors to printed matter that was relevant to aeronautics. Most significantly, however, he was an important sounding board for Wilbur Wright to report successes, failures and frustrations, and in turn, Chanute provided a sympathetic ear and occasionally constructive feedback.Therefore, in Wilbur's letters to Chanute, the Wrights' diaries and family correspondence, and their many notes and sketches, the story of how they invented the airplane was preserved, only waiting to be told. Author Jack Shagena drew on his engineering background, experience with technical publications, and passion for history to convincingly weave together their account in an easy-to-understand book. Through the use of many illustrations and practical examples, the story of the Wrights' invention comes alive.
About the Author
Jack L. Shagena, Jr. developed an interest in history at an early age while accompanying his parents on visits to Colonial Williams-burg. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1959, with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and in 1966 received a master's degree in management science from Johns Hopkins University. He worked as an engineer, program manager, and aerospace executive for Bendix, later AlliedSignal, for thirty-four years. Upon retiring in 1993, he began researching Colonial and federal history and wrote his first book, Brief History & Walking Tour of Historic Chesapeake City, a former lock town along the nineteenth-century Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. When researching and writing the script for an audiotape, Historic Driving Tour of Cecil County, a chance discovery of a Maryland roadside historic marker identified someone other than Robert Fulton as the inventor of the steamboat. His interest in history and engineering background coalesced and his book, Who Really Invented the Steamboat? Fulton's Clermont Coup, was published by Prometheus in June 2004.Mr. Shagena, a retired registered professional engineer, has also written, An Illustrated History of the Barrel in America; Jerusalem – A Restored Mill Village, An Illustrated History of Tinware in America; Bel Air Roller Mills: The Town's First Industry; Eden Mill: An Illustrated History; and a fun book, Things Your Grandparents Used to Say: the Wise, the Witty, and the Weird.He and his wife, Signe, have eleven grandchildren and live in Harford County near Bel Air, Maryland.
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