10 Track 10

Unit 8

Space and Flight

chapter 2

Pioneers of Flight

Page 141

Pioneers of Flight

Throughout the ages, inventors have been labeled dreamers for daring to imagine possibilities beyond what already exists. Of course, many have proven their critics wrong and brought their ideas to life, thus changing the world and the way we live. Here are three inventors who refused to give up on the “impossible” idea of human flight.

The Legend of Wan Hu

On October 15, 2003, China launched its first proper spaceship. Astronaut Yang Liwei was the first Chinese national sent into space, thus fulfilling a dream that had its roots in a much earlier time.

Legend has it that in A.D. 1500 a man named Wan Hu prepared his own mission into space. At that time, the Chinese invention of gunpowder was widely used in rockets for military purposes as well as an fireworks.

Wan Hu devised a risky plan to use the power of such rockets to take him to the stars. The story goes that Wan Hu built the first spaceship: a chair with powerful gunpowder rockets and two kites attached to it.

On the day of the launch, each of the 47 rockets was lit by 47 servants carrying torches. The servants then moved back and waited. What followed was a huge explosion: Wan Hu and his primitive spaceship had disappeared completely.

Although the story may seem a little far-fetched, Wan Hu’s crazy plan involving rocket power actually contained the basic principles of spaceflight.

Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose

On November 2, 1947, a crowd of people at San Pedro harbor in Los Angeles witnessed an important moment in flight history. An enormous flying boat, nicknamed the Spruce Goose, sped across the bay and rose 70 feet (21 meter) above the water.

After just under a minute, it landed perfectly one mile (1.6 kilometers) down the bay. It was the first and last time the boat ever flew. The concept for construction of the Spruce Goose came from the need for more effective ways of transporting people and materials in World War II.

The idea came from a man called Henry Kaiser, but it was Howard Hughes, the legendary multimillionaire, who actually developed the flying boat. It was the biggest airplane ever built it still holds the record for the greatest wingspan − and it was made entirely of wood.

In the end, though, the project failed for various reasons: it was too expensive to operate, working with wood was slow and difficult, and Hughes’ desire for perfection caused the project to finish behind schedule.

By the time the Spruce Goose was completed, the war was long over. However, many of its design features have been incorporated into modern planes. Like other pioneers in the field of transportation, Hughes was simply ahead of his time.

The Futuristic Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci

Centuries before the Spruce Goose, another inventor was planning a different kind of flying machine. Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps the most famous artist of the Renaissance period, was inspired by the science of how birds fly.

He wanted to build machines with flapping wings which would be controlled and steered by human pilots, but his dreams remained just that dreams.

It took almost 500 years for Leonardo’s ideas to be tested. In June 2000, a professional parachutist named Adrian Nicholas jumped out of a hot-air balloon over the South African countryside.

He used a parachute made of wood and canvas based on one of Leonardo’s designs. Nicholas landed safely, and Leonardo’s dream became reality.

These three individuals, Wan Hu, Howard Hughes, and Leonardo da Vinci − came from places and cultures that are about as different as we can imagine. What they shared was a fascination with flying, a spirit of innovation, and the courage to make their dreams come true.