Research Visit: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

If you haven't figured out yet, I'm a pretty big Wright Brothers fan.  It probably all started for me because I grew up on Air Force bases around the world. 

 I have many early memories of lying on my back for hours watching planes fly overhead.  I used to be able to name just about any military aircraft simply from its silhouette.  When our family decided to rent a house for a week on the barrier islands in NC it was like a dream come true for me.  We visited Kitty Hawk, the site of the first flight.  Standing on those dunes, you could imagine the brothers lining up against that strong, steady wind and taking off into history.

Having lived on Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio as a child, I guess I somehow always felt like they were a part of my family; or I was a part of theirs.

There are multiple monuments on the dune.  The first is the several stories tall monolith you see above.  My favorite however, is the re-creation of the Wright Flyer.

It's an exact replica of the moment where Orville lifted off.  What I liked most about it though was that you were encouraged to climb on and sit on the wing with Orville. 

You can see in the photo that both of my kids, who were a lot younger then, are sitting astride Orville and I.

  

Here's the man who captured that first flight.

This steel rail marks the track that the Wright's used to achieve the necessary speed for lift off.  The large rock on the right shows the point of lift off.  You can see the same rail in the black and white photograph above.

The spot where Orville touched down after the very first controlled flight.

The photo on the left is of Orville in 1928 when the monument was dedicated and the large monolith's cornerstone was placed.  The last piece of the of my Wright Brothers trifecta was to hang glide on the same dunes that they first learned to fly.  Kitty Hawk Kites taught me the basics of hang gliding. 

 

I can't say I was good at it, but I did only get three glides.

  My best glide was the one above.  Thankfully, the instructor never let go of the black tether.  I got a little bit of air on my final flight.  I hope to get another chance to try this too!

Research Visit: Flying on the Wright B. Flyer

Sometimes you don't realize you are doing research.  Sometimes you just think you are doing something you've always dreamed about.

On August 26, 2000, I had the chance to fly on the Wright B. Flyer. My parents, as a birthday gift, had given me a membership to the Wright B. Flyer Historical Society. One of the benefits of this was an 'orientation flight' on the 'B.'  I wish the technology that exists today was there on that day so that I could have recorded my flight.  This video captures much of what I remember:  

 The tiny airport has a hangar museum dedicated to the Wright's.  It chronicled the process of building the Wright B. Flyer replica.

I love this image my wife captured.  I talk when I'm nervous.  I didn't stop talking for most of the flight.  The pilot told me when we landed that he hadn't had a passenger who knew more about the Wrights.  I think that was a compliment!

I couldn't have been more proud than I was that day.  As the pilot handed me my certificate, I felt a kinship with all the men and women who have taken to the skies.

I plan to fly again on the Wright B.  This time I'll have my Go Pro mounted to the wing!

Research Visit: Wright Patterson Air Force Base

 If you are researching the Wright Brothers, you are eventually going to end up in Dayton, Ohio. Thankfully for me, I was driving back from my recent visit to the archives in Washington, D.C.  My destination today was Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Many years ago, when I joined the United States Army, my dream was to be a pilot.  That dream was dashed quite early when I was told that I was color blind.  I was defiant.  I could see colors just fine, but after failing the test several times, it was officially put in my record. My dream of flying, at least in the Army, were done.

So, it was pretty interesting when, earlier this year, I read a post on Facebook by Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  They were looking for test subjects who were color blind.  Since I was spending this spring break researching, I decided to become a test subject. I spent the better part of a day completing test after test that analyzed my vision.  It was fascinating!  I learned that I am indeed slightly color blind, but only in one eye.  I was such a unique test subject that they asked if I would be willing to complete even more extensive testing.  Of course, I was intrigued and said yes. 

By the end of the day, I had a full work up and had several doctors explain to me how unique my eyes were.  My brain was compensating when both eyes were used, but the problem was when I was only allowed to use one eye.  I asked if knowing what they know about my eyes now if I would have been flagged for flight school and sadly, they said I would have.  Not only was I color blind, but I was also losing my depth perception and needed a prescription for reading.  The whole experience was fantastic and I was honored at the end of the testing when the staff handed me this coin: 

They said that the things they learned from my eyes would help them analyze and understand some of the minute deficiencies that may or may not disqualify future aviators. 

On my way out, they took me into a huge simulator that they were developing with NASA.  It had a 360 degree video array that reacted with the cockpit that was located in the middle of the array.  I asked if I could take a 'ride,' but sadly, I was not allowed to.  Just sitting in the cockpit was pretty exciting for me though!  I have some pretty solid ties to Wright Patterson Air Force Base. 

As a child, I lived on the base when my father served in the Air Force.  I didn't recognize anything!  This model of one of the Wright Brothers airplanes was at the gate. 

 

It was life size and was incredibly detailed.  Despite the constant rain, I was able to make a few images that captured its beauty.

Curious if you are color blind?  Check this site out.  It's called EnChroma and they make sunglasses that 'correct' color blindness.  It actually works!  Plus their site has a fun color blind test you can take online.

Research Visit: National Archives and Smithsonian

Probably my favorite part of being a writer is researching.  I love digging into newspapers, books and magazines from the past.  There's nothing better than a research visit.  Most of the time, my research takes place at a local museum or library, but every once in a while I get the chance to do something fantastic.  For example, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit the National Archives for the first time.  If you've never been there, you really need to.  I was amazed at the facility.  I had thought I was going to be going to a building in Washington, D.C. but instead I ended up in one of the other 'campuses' in Virginia where many of the resources are housed. 

Before I could even get into the archives, I had to apply for a research card.  After receiving my card and agreeing to not take anything in or out of the archives, I entered the main lobby and began the process of submitting my research request.  I was there to view a film from 1947 of Orville Wright flying in a C-69 Constellation.  I filled out my request and was ushered up to the third floor.  Before I could do that, however,

I had to go into the locker room where I was to leave everything.  In order to get into the archives, every item you carry on your person has to identified, tagged and noted.  After submitting my request, I headed up to the  floor where my film would be delivered.  The gentleman in charge of the films thankfully helped me load the film in the viewing bay; I would have had no idea how to do so.  I donned my white gloves and sat down. 

I had read the details of the film, but sitting down and getting to view the actual film of the event I was writing about was magical.  The film began running through the projector and I watched as the black and white images flickered across the screen.  It took so much effort to get here, get into the archives and to this room and it was 'over' in less than five minutes.

  I rewound the film and watched it again and again.  Because the film had not been digitally converted, they allowed me to make a 'copy' of the film with my camera.  I set up my tripod and recorded. Here is my copy of the film:

 
Orville Wright's Final Flight from Todd Burleson on Vimeo.

And that was that.  I left the archives and headed toward Washington, D.C.  I had seen the Wright Brother's Wright Flyer before, but when you are this close, you gotta go see it again.  I headed toward the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in D.C. 

Nothing really compares to seeing the real deal.  The Flyer is a beautiful machine.   I was amazed that this fragile craft, made of spruce and cotton, had carried the brothers on that windy beach in Kitty Hawk, N.C. over one hundred years ago.