Flying aces and airborne races: A snapshot in aviation history

Monday, February 10 was an important anniversary in aviation history. In 1908 (one hundred and six years ago) the Wright Brothers, bicycle shop owners turned airplane inventors, signed their first contract with the U.S. Army. But did you know that the Wright Brothers were not the only winners of this government contract? Their story became even more intriguing when I learned that the contract had a performance component, requiring the Wrights to show off the airplane's speed, agility and overall effectiveness of aircraft design to U.S. government officials. The flight trials occurred the following September at Fort Myer, Va., a military post near Washington D.C. Unfortunately, this exhibition did nothing to strengthen their cause. The casualties included a destroyed airplane, a severely injured pilot (Orville) and the death of Lt. Thomas Selfridge, the first ever airplane fatality. However, I appreciate Wilbur and Orville's gumption and perseverance. The Wrights went on to succeed in their second flight trial and as history illustrates, forever changed the fields of transportation and the military. This snapshot in history is not only a great story, but a reminder of the power of motivation and the maxim, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again". To read more about the Wright Brothers and other flying aces, peruse the aviator collection of eBooks and audiobooks available through OverDrive: Aviation Titles (4297) https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/4297 Aviation Titles MA (4296) https://marketplace.overdrive.com/Marketplace/OneCopyOneUserAndMeteredAccess/SuggestedList/4296   *Some titles are metered access and may have limited regional or platform availability.   Renee Lienhard is a Collection Development Analyst at OverDrive.

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