Exponential Effort

While many people know the Wright brothers performed numerous test flights on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, their wind tunnel experiments back in Dayton are less appreciated. However, it was their meticulous testing and measuring of wind tunnel airfoils that served as the foundation for their continuous flight innovations over several years at the start of the 20th century.

A model of their wind tunnel can be found in the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.

As described on the Franklin Institute website, ”The Wright brothers made hundreds of tests in the wind tunnel, recording all of the measurements precisely. They used the back of scrap pieces of wallpaper to record data and then filled page after page of their notebooks with precious information.

Within a few months, the Wrights had the world's best collection of lift data. Years later, Orville reflected on the wind tunnel experiments and said, "I believe we possessed...more data on cambered surfaces, a hundred times over, than all of our predecessors put together."

As you strive for exponential results, it’s critical to measure what works, and what doesn’t work!

As you can see, their work did not require advanced super computers - but it did require persistence, attention to detail, and more persistence. Behind their attention to detail was also a profound willingness to discard previous flight theories and base their revised airfoil designs based on what the data was telling them.

Eventually, the results would speak for themselves!