世界节假日博览 第141期:航空日（在线收听）

 　　Aviation Day is on August the 19th. It is a day to celebrate the development and importance of aviation in the world. The holiday started in 1939. President Franklin Roosevelt decided theanniversary of Orville Wright's birthday should be National Aviation Day in the U.S.A. Wright was one of the brothers who made the first ever flight.President Roosevelt invited “the peopleof the United States to observe National Aviation Day with appropriate exercises to further stimulate interest in aviation”.Today, this means educational workshops in schools learning about the history of aviation. It is also a good time for airlines to try and get students interested in a career in aviation, either as a pilot or a member of the ground crew.Orville Wright piloted the world’s first airplane, the Wright Flyer.He and his brother Wilbur built an airplane with controls that enabled them to steer.Orville’s historic flight took place on December the 17th, 1903. The flight lasted just 12 seconds. In that short time, he flew a total of 120 feet, 40 metres. The Wright brothers were bicycle engineers who believed man could fly. Theybelieved the secret to what was called “the flying problem” was not more powerful engines, but better aerodynamics.They knew that if a bicycle could remain upright while moving forwards, an airplane could fly in a straight line. Their wing and propeller design changed the world forever.