I recently went to the National Archives to see the “What’s Cooking Uncle Sam” exhibit (more on that later). As I was browsing in the gift shop, this postcard caught my eye.
As a patent attorney, I immediately knew what it was. Whenever someone files a patent application, the inventors have to sign an “oath or declaraiton” attesting that they believe themselves to be the “original and first” inventor. This postcard is a copy of the oath that the Wright Brothers signed for their patent applicaiton on a “Flying Machine.” Somehow our form has grown to 2-3 pages since this one that was used in 1903, but the basic langauge is very similar.
I thought about the Wright Brothers when I boarded this plane last week.
If I think about the phenomenon of flying too much, I get freaked out. I know that forces called “lift” and “drag” come into play, but I find it really hard to beleive that the difference in air flow above and below a curved wing can really keep a huge, heavy plane in flight for hours. I majored in chemistry, not physics! Thank goodness the Wright brothers had the knowledge and vision to get their flying machine off the ground.
Is there a technology that stumps you?
Do you mind flying on small planes?
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
OMG I am terrified of flying on small planes…big planes no problem
Flying doesn't bother me, but my husband won't even get on a plane. That patent application is so cool. I love that kind of stuff.
I think the bigger planes scare me more than the smaller ones…I figure the smaller ones are easier to land more safely if something goes wrong. My husband, who understands pretty much all technical/mechanical/physics-related stuff reassures me all the time.
What I don't understand is how fax machines work 😉
airplanes definitely trip me out — but you know what really gets me — the technology that BLOWS MY MIND — The Internet!!
My first flight was in a tiny, tiny plane from Lynchburg to Pittsburgh through the clouds. It was no fun. Even though I've since been to Europe, I am terrified of flying.