Overcoming Obstacles Leads to Success
Wilbur and Orville had many obstacles to face before, during, and after their creation. The Wright brothers did not have the proper education, skills, and credibility for the public to recognize them as genius inventors. While they did open a bicycle shop which helped their mechanical skills, the brothers did not work with a crew of engineers, but only themselves and a couple of their friends. Because of this lack in credentials and team, the Wright brothers were never noticed until their product was finished. Wilbur and Orville's major obstacle was challenging the European inventors' theories. Their invention of warped wings designed with the aerodynamics of a bird's wings was so different than the European's, that America was very skeptical and convinced it was to fail. However, only in 1908 did their success become known. That summer, Orville dazzled United States Army observers at Fort Myer, Virginia, while Wilbur did the same in France for European observers. The effect was electric, and aviation enthusiasts now adopted the Wright method of aero-dynamical
control. Although a United States Army officer was killed and Orville seriously injured in a crash at Fort Myer, the army accepted a Wright plane. This complicated process of the Wright brothers was fruitful not because of their learned knowledge, but from their desire to search the unknown and use some practical intelligence.