Re-Enactment of Wright Bros. Flight Fails (Flops in mud as Bush looks on)

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=716&e=3&u=/ap/20031217/ap_on_re_us/first_flight

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - One-hundred years after the Wright brothers' first flight, an attempt to re-create the moment failed Wednesday when a replica craft couldn't get off the ground and sputtered into the mud. snip

Earlier, President Bush (news - web sites) told the drenched crowd that the Wright brothers would not have been deterred by a little bad weather.


"On the day they did fly, just like today, the conditions were not ideal," Bush told a crowd of about 30,000 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.


"The Wright brothers hit some disappointments along the way. There must have been times when they had to fight their own doubts," he said.

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[Hobarticus]

1. Ironic...

That a ceremony honoring a couple of hard-working entrepreneurs falls flat with the biggest do-nothing silver-spoon boob ever looking on.

[underpants]

6. Did he ....did he ...did he have on his flight suit????

:bounce:

[LiberalFighter]

19. To bad he didn't have his flight suit on...

and a cable connected down between his legs to his Air Force 1.

[The Zanti Regent]

22. I bet you he forgot his jock and the sock he stuffed in it!

Y'know, GI AWOL is too busy playing President!

[Richardo]

2. "There must have been times when they had to fight their own doubts"

Something YOU'LL never have to face, you simple-minded, self-righteous twit.

[underpants]

4. Hey look pal once you learn to ride a bike....

Oh never mind

[Sequoia]

14. Underpants...you make my day!

Your sense of humor never fails to make me smile. You outta do stand up comedy. Merry Christmas.

[ochazuke]

3. Bush's midas touch

Everything he has ever had a hand in flops. James Baker should come and fix the flyer.

W on the phone to daddy: "Come fix, somebody FIiiiiiXXX!"

[underpants]

5. Yep W has set us back 100 years

:bounce:

[ochazuke]

10. 100 years would be cool

1903. Teddy Roosevelt and all that. The Progressive era.

I think W's gang view the 1870s to 1890s as their model.

[BiggJawn]

7. Bush's REVERSE Midas Touch...

Everything the man touches, he turns to SHIT.

[BiggJawn]

8. Dumbya got in the way...Pilot ditches to avoid jail.

Man, that was close! Look OUT George!

[MostlyBlackCat2]

16. Another perfect opportunity

shot to hell. First the carrier pilot didn't miss the hook, now these guys miss their chance to do the world a favor. you'd think SOMEONE would take the opportunity when presented with it. sheesh.

[LiberalFighter]

20. Darn

[GiovanniC]

9. George Didn't Stay For the Crash

He was gone by then.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

11. bunnypants is a real pilot !

[KansDem]

12. The “Kitty Hawk” fails while the ChickenHawk looks on…

As Greenwood finished the national anthem, a bald eagle was released in the middle of the field to the cheers of the crowd.
...which Vice-President Richard Cheney quickly bagged with his trusty 12-gauge...

[Robb]

13. "The Wright brothers would not have been deterred..."

"...by a little bad weather."

Actually, yes, they would have, Mr. President. The wings and control surfaces were made then (as today) of stretched canvas, which soaks up all the rainwater and gets much, much heavier.

Of course, they didn't have you looking over their shoulder and forcing them to "go to go" just because you were there.

Moron.

[Pale_Rider]

15. Apparently they had bad weather ...

... the night before and the high wind conditions that they apparently favored.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/NWSCentennialFlight.html

When scouting a location for their attempts at flight, the Wright Brothers knew where to go for their information. They wrote to the US Weather Bureau, the precursor to NOAA's National Weather Service, seeking information on locations with sufficient wind conditions to suit their needs. Kitty Hawk seemed like a good candidate, and they wrote a letter to the Weather Bureau office in Kitty Hawk. They received a prompt and friendly reply from Joseph J Dosher, who staffed the Weather Bureau office, which helped to convince them that Kitty Hawk was the best place to attempt their feat.

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/faqs/Wright_Brothers.html

During the night of December 16, 1903, a strong cold wind blew from the north. When we arose on the morning of the 17th, the puddles of water which had been standing about the camp since the recent rains, were covered with ice. The wind had a velocity of 10 or 12 meters per second <22 to 27 miles an hour>. We thought it would die down before long and so remained indoors the early part of the morning. But when 10:00 o'clock arrived and the wind was as brisk as ever, we decided we had better get the machine out and attempt a flight.

[DivinBreuvage]

17. If this had happened when the world had REAL Caesars...

It would have been pretty obvious to everyone that this was an omen for the sitting emperor; and NOT a good one.

I want to thank each and every one of the above posters for expressing wit above and beyond the call of duty. This has got to be one of the most consistently funny threads I've ever seen!

[rapier]

18. oh well

Damn, they should have let the old pilot Bush take the controls. With God as his copilot he would have wowed em.

Oh yea, I forgot, he's afraid to fly. Oh well.

(My story that he is afraid to pilot a plane has no basis in reported fact. We do know that something happend that made him not want to fly again. In my very very unscientific investigation of this a huge majority of ex military pilots love to fly and try to keep doing so after retirement. Let's just say that there was no financial impedement to Bush if he had wanted to keep flying. None ever quit before retirement unless grounded, usually for medical reasons. I have this idea that Bush had one of his low blood pressure induced blackouts while flying. Yes, this idea is a real flyer. It does present an interesting question however. His ultra low blood pressure if present back then should have made him unfit to be a pilot. Sorry for the meandering. I will grant that Bush did earn his wings in a high performance military jet aircraft. This is not an insignificant achievment. }

[LiberalFighter]

21. But he was also apparently grounded by the Air Force

Bottom Gun: Presidential Draft Dodger George W. Bush

MISSED' DRUG TEST GROUNDED BUSH

[tokenlib]

23. Strange....the flop made me smile...because...

..it reminded everyone that the Wright brothers really did have to overcome many hurdles. It seemed almost fitting that it was not so easy to re-enact their flight. :)