National Aviation Week

National Aviation Week is set aside during this week as a part of celebrating Orville Wright’s birthday. Orville Wright was born on August 19. Franklin Roosevelt declared it to be National Aviation Day.  

The week commemorates all that we humans have accomplished up in the sky!  There are usually exhibits, webinars and live performances to help celebrate.  In NYC at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum you can get free tickets if you are a crewmember, both active and retired.

What do you know about Orville Wright? What sparked the celebration of his birthday?  

You need to look back at his childhood to understand Orville Wright. His childhood was spent in Dayton, Ohio.  He had a very simple life along with his brother Wilbur and his sister Katherine.  His house was sparsely furnished and did not have running water or electricity. His father believed in reading and education and sparking curiosity in his children.

Wilbur and Orville owned a bicycle shop to start.  Their curiosity led them to begin tinkering in aviation.  The brother’s approach focused on pilot control rather than on powerful engines. 

 It took them three years but in 1903 they had their first successful glider ride.  It cost them a mere $1,000. The first ride happened in Kitty Hawk (technically Kill Devil Hills) in the outer banks of North Carolina.  The ride crossed only 120 feet and lasted 12 seconds.  

The brothers kept working and having test flights.  They moved back to Ohio and finally opened up the Wright Company in 1909.  The rest is history.

In the end, you know both Wright Brothers for their pioneering work in aviation.  Their work on three-axis control allows pilots to accurately steer the plane and keep equilibrium.  

Perhaps Orville is the birthday celebrated by President Roosevelt because of his engineering prowess.  It is believed that he was the one behind using aluminum as a building material.

Likewise maybe Orville is the focus because of Wilbur’s death in 1912 from Typhoid Fever.  Orville lived until 1948.  He passed away from a heart attack at age 77.  

Private Home Health Care loves to take travel excursions and we are very appreciative of the gifts from Orville Wright and his brother. To infinity and beyond!