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12/18/2003 Entry: "Trains, Planes and ..."

Yesterday marked one hundred years of powered flight, thanks to the Wright brothers and their experiments with aviation. You may not have noticed how well these early experiments were photographically documented , spoiled as we are with today's instant video coverage and promises of "film at eleven." Given the rudimentary equipment available, view cameras and glass negatives, we are fortunate that the Wrights were not only passionate about flight but also enthralled by photography.

"In looking at this picture you will readily understand that the excitement of gliding experiments does not entirely cease with the breaking up of camp. In the photographic darkroom at home we pass moments of as thrilling interest as any in the field, when the image begins to appear on the plate and it is yet an open question whether we have a picture of a flying machine, or merely a patch of open sky."
-Wilbur Wright, 1901

I've been shut out of my favorite transportation shooting site since the roundhouse dome collapsed. It's too chilly to roam the harbor looking for tugboats. So maybe I'll follow in the Wright's footsteps and wander down to the new National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. I've flown hang gliders, ultralights, sailplanes, and small powered planes, so maybe it's time to get a few photos of the progress of aviation.