That’s a quote from a kid named Johnny Moore who ran shouting that commentary through the streets of Kitty Hawk, NC 100 years ago yesterday.
Little Boy atomic bomb. Sweet.
Kelly Johnson’s contributions to flight were well-represented. This fellow seems to me to be to aerospace what John Browning was to firearms. He designed the XB-35 flying wing, of which an early concept model was present, he had a hand in the design of the U-2 and SR-71 and the outfit he founded at Lockheed “The Skunk Works” had their latest creation on display, the XB-35 STOVL, prototype of the Joint Strike Fighter. The JSF in the museum was the first aircraft in history to execute a short takeoff, go supersonic in level flight and then land vertically. That we’ve been able to accomplish this in less than 100 years from the first time someone hooked a 12 horsepower engine to a glorified kite and lift off from the ground is staggering.
And lording over all, in its own separate Space section is the Enterprise, first of the Shuttles.
Mind-boggling, like I said.
So, even though it’s late hoist a glass to Orville and Wilbur and drink to another 100 years.