I love creativity. Innovations. New ideas. And I love hearing about things people try to do to solve problems, things that range from the deceptively simple to the Rube Goldberg contraptions. Some that work. Some that don't. Here's one that seemed logically simple, but in practice didn't work out.
In 1929 my dad was the youngest person in New Jersey to earn a private pilot's license. He was just 16 years old. He wore a leather flying suit, snoopy hat and goggles as many of the planes were open cockpit. The mechanicals were fairly primitive and the instrumentation was minimal at best.
One difficulty in flying these primitive aircraft was to know the orientation of the plane to the ground, especially when landing. Was the nose up or down and by how much (Pitch)? Were the wings level or was one lower than the other (Roll)? Gyroscopes for aircraft were available, but not in widespread use. Someone at the airport decided that two carpenter's levels could be used as a simple and inexpensive substitute.
One level was placed on the floor of the cockpit lengthwise to show pitch, and one was placed crosswise to show roll. Great idea except it was dark on the floor of the cockpit and the level bubble was difficult to see. A flashlight solved the problem.
Dad said it was a great idea and worked well when cruising along. But not good at all for landing when needed most. On the first landing attempt using the levels, the pilot found he needed one hand on the control stick, one hand on the throttle and one hand on the flashlight. Oops! The quick thinking pilot put the flashlight in his mouth and when he tilted his head to see the levels the light would go that way as well.
Well everyone probably had a good laugh. But I don't believe the system got much use. Anyway, Dad said the gyroscope soon became widely available and solved the problem.
When it comes to solving problems, "ya never know until ya try."
About me: Dan Pelley teaches problem solving and continuous improvement techniques as part of his "Proactive Leadership" program. Click here to see the program learning objectives. You can learn more about all of Dan's program by clicking here to visit our website.
In 1929 my dad was the youngest person in New Jersey to earn a private pilot's license. He was just 16 years old. He wore a leather flying suit, snoopy hat and goggles as many of the planes were open cockpit. The mechanicals were fairly primitive and the instrumentation was minimal at best.
One difficulty in flying these primitive aircraft was to know the orientation of the plane to the ground, especially when landing. Was the nose up or down and by how much (Pitch)? Were the wings level or was one lower than the other (Roll)? Gyroscopes for aircraft were available, but not in widespread use. Someone at the airport decided that two carpenter's levels could be used as a simple and inexpensive substitute.
One level was placed on the floor of the cockpit lengthwise to show pitch, and one was placed crosswise to show roll. Great idea except it was dark on the floor of the cockpit and the level bubble was difficult to see. A flashlight solved the problem.
Dad said it was a great idea and worked well when cruising along. But not good at all for landing when needed most. On the first landing attempt using the levels, the pilot found he needed one hand on the control stick, one hand on the throttle and one hand on the flashlight. Oops! The quick thinking pilot put the flashlight in his mouth and when he tilted his head to see the levels the light would go that way as well.
Well everyone probably had a good laugh. But I don't believe the system got much use. Anyway, Dad said the gyroscope soon became widely available and solved the problem.
When it comes to solving problems, "ya never know until ya try."
About me: Dan Pelley teaches problem solving and continuous improvement techniques as part of his "Proactive Leadership" program. Click here to see the program learning objectives. You can learn more about all of Dan's program by clicking here to visit our website.
Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
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