The invention of manned flight was one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind, a triumph of the rational mind. This course describes the history of the Wrights’ achievement, including the failed (and usually fatal) attempts of previous flight pioneers; the false conclusions and incorrect technical calculations of those earlier pioneers; the many, highly technical discoveries the Wright brothers had to make; their many experiments with gliders (some of which were nearly fatal); their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and their subsequent achievements.

Dr. Locke presents the nontechnical, historical material and, in a form that is easily understandable to the layman, Ted Gray, an engineer, explains some of the technical principles of flight that the Wright brothers had to discover.