actually the wright brothers greatest invention was

charles ramsey said:

the left hand pedal thread.

I don't know...the right hand one is quite important too ;-)

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

charles ramsey said:

the left hand pedal thread.

I don't know...the right hand one is quite important too ;-)

True, but someone else invented that one. 🙂
-------------
Alex

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 16:51:32 -0500, Alex Rodriguez <[email hidden]>

may have said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

charles ramsey said:

the left hand pedal thread.

I don't know...the right hand one is quite important too ;-)

True, but someone else invented that one. 🙂

Is this another "who's on first?"

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

charles ramsey said:

the left hand pedal thread.

All right, I'll bite, and risk leaving the masses laughing at me...

... Did they really? If you *are* serious, cite a source?

Mark "credulous" Janeba

In article <NUEUb.185523$sv6.967877@attbi_s52>,

Mark Janeba said:

charles ramsey said:

the left hand pedal thread.

All right, I'll bite, and risk leaving the masses laughing at me...

... Did they really? If you *are* serious, cite a source?

first-to-fly.comwright bicycles.htmOpen ↗
sheldonbrown.comsymspoke.htmlOpen ↗ bikexprt.comtancrank.htmOpen ↗

=Luns

[email hidden] (charles ramsey) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

the left hand pedal thread.

Not the aeroplane then?

"Michael Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (charles ramsey) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the left hand pedal thread.

Not the aeroplane then?

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline engine, just
managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

W K said:

"Michael Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (charles ramsey) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the left hand pedal thread.

Not the aeroplane then?

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline engine, just
managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

Well, by that definition of "invent" I've just invented the perpetual motion machine. I just haven't
gotten it to work quite right yet... ;-)

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

On Fri, 6 Feb 2004 12:44:13 +0000 (UTC), "W K" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline engine, just
managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

Yes, anyone could have done such a trivial thing.

*stare*

A working motorised airplane and some bits of wood and canvas you can ride off a cliff are miles
apart. The word "invent" is a bit of a misnomer, anyway. Very few complex things get 'invented'.
Paperclips. Wire coathangers. That sort of stuff. Almost everyhting that's even remotely complex
gets *developed*, over a long period of time. The Wright Brothers developed their aircraft. They
started out with gliders, ran tests, changed some bits, ran more tests, until eventually that one
flight at Kitty Hawk. Actually, paperclips were invented by accident by someone who was *developing*
a wire-bending-machine.

Jasper

Jasper Janssen said:

Kitty Hawk. Actually, paperclips were invented by accident by someone who was *developing* a
wire-bending-machine.

Probably trying to sort out his cantilever return springs.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Kill the tomato!

Mark Hickey <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

W K said:

"Michael Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (charles ramsey) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> the left hand pedal thread.
Not the aeroplane then?

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline engine, just
managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

Well, by that definition of "invent" I've just invented the perpetual motion machine. I just
haven't gotten it to work quite right yet... ;-)

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

Yes they really did it was in one of the current magazines until then all cyclist had a screw loose.

Yes they really did it was in one of the current magazines until then all cyclist had a screw loose. [/B][/QUOTE]

That is just Waaaay too easy to make a come back to! So I won't.

Mark Hickey <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

W K said:

"Michael Green" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] (charles ramsey) wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> the left hand pedal thread.
Not the aeroplane then?

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline engine, just
managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

Well, by that definition of "invent" I've just invented the perpetual motion machine. I just
haven't gotten it to work quite right yet... ;-)

Mark Hickey

Dear Mark,

The rest of us appreciate your noble refusal to close the perpetual-motion field off by patenting.
The Wrights got snarled up in trying to patent things and never escaped.

By the way, what sort of mileage does your machine get? Mine is almost ready for government fleet-
average approval testing.

Competitively,

Carl Fogel

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

W K said:

Certainly not. They did not invent aeroplanes just as they did not invent gasoline

engine,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

just managed to be the first to put them together and get them to work fairly well.

Yes, anyone could have done such a trivial thing.

Uh oh.

Quoted message said:

*stare*

*avert gaze from loony*

Yes, many people can make an airplane when you have a light enough engine. There were many pioneers
of the field getting fairly close.

Quoted message said:

complex gets *developed*, over a long period of time. The Wright Brothers developed their
aircraft.

Yes, developed. They did many things, but it was far more about development than invention.

W K said:

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yes, many people can make an airplane when you have a light enough engine. There were many
pioneers of the field getting fairly close.

The key difference with the Wright plane compared to earlier efforts was that their design provided
for separate control in three axes - pitch, roll, and yaw. This was the basis for their patent on
the glider they built prior to the 'Flyer.'

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

complex gets *developed*, over a long period of time. The Wright Brothers developed their
aircraft.

Yes, developed. They did many things, but it was far more about development than invention.

Complex development frequently requires some inventions along the way. I'd say the flight
controls of the Wrights qualify as an invention. The airfoil (wing-like) shape of their propellor
was also novel.

Really why should I spend $1000 on a cross country flight when I can spend $700 on a bike and $300
on food and ride across myself. Be quicker too with todays delays.

(Carl Fogel) said:

Mark Hickey <[email hidden]> wrote ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, by that definition of "invent" I've just invented the perpetual motion machine. I just
haven't gotten it to work quite right yet... ;-)

Mark Hickey

Dear Mark,

The rest of us appreciate your noble refusal to close the perpetual-motion field off by patenting.
The Wrights got snarled up in trying to patent things and never escaped.

By the way, what sort of mileage does your machine get? Mine is almost ready for government fleet-
average approval testing.

Right now it's getting about 25 miles (40km) to a banana. Top that!

Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles habcycles.comhabcycles.comOpen ↗ Home of the $695 ti frame

"Peter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:7A4Vb.244313$na.403938@attbi_s04...

Quoted message said:

W K said:

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yes, many people can make an airplane when you have a light enough

engine.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There were many pioneers of the field getting fairly close.

The key difference with the Wright plane compared to earlier efforts was that their design
provided for separate control in three axes - pitch, roll, and yaw. This was the basis for their
patent on the glider they built prior to the 'Flyer.'

I've since thought about an article I read in "scientific american". They kept everything they had
done quiet for several years after 1903, in which time, others had independently developed some
quite sensible, but not as efficient aircraft. The "invention" element was not as importnant as the
"development" element.

I'll also remind you that some of the wright plane elements were evolutionary dead ends - warping
wings and control surfaces in front of the main wing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

complex gets *developed*, over a long period of time. The Wright

Brothers

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

developed their aircraft.

Yes, developed. They did many things, but it was far more about development than

invention.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Complex development frequently requires some inventions along the way.

I'd

Quoted message said:

say the flight controls of the Wrights qualify as an invention.

Yes, but dead ends...

Quoted message said:

The airfoil (wing-like) shape of their propellor was also novel.

It was novel, and a great advance.
Note: I am not saying they did nothing, just that "inventing" the airplane is not particularly
convincing. A bit like James Watt and the steam engine.

charles ramsey said:

Really why should I spend $1000 on a cross country flight when I can spend $700 on a bike and $300
on food and ride across myself. Be quicker too with todays delays.

That's a nice shot of humor to make my day. Now if you can figure out how do do this when the
weather is well below freezing...

Dave dvt at psu dot edu