EVELYN KRISTO/Valley Press
Posted on 05/02/2003 10:16:59 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LANCASTER - The Wright Brothers may have chosen the wind-swept dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C., for their historic flight, but in the later half of the first century of flight, it has been the windy skies of the Antelope Valley where aviation history has been made.
Nestled at the edge of the natural runway of Rogers Dry Lake, the facility that began as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' High Speed Flight Research Station evolved into today's NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, making history all the way.
"The Antelope Valley should be very proud of its contributions to the first 100 years of flight," said Bob Meyer, the flight center's acting deputy director.
That history was celebrated Wednesday night with the release of the recently updated edition of "On the Frontier: Experimental Flight at NASA Dryden," a book chronicling the center's accomplishments from 1946 to 2000.
The evening featured historians and authors Richard Hallion and Michael Gorn. Hallion, an Air Force historian, penned the first edition of the Dryden history in 1984. Gorn, chief historian at Dryden, provided the updated information covering the last 20 years.
The audience resembled a "who's who" of the flight test world, with such test pilots as Dick Rutan, Bill Dana and Fitz Fulton, as well as aircraft designers and engineers, many who figure in the book itself.
"History is the working of people through time," Hallion said. "Dryden was very, very fortunate in terms of the people working in it.
"Look around, just look at the individuals here and think of their accomplishments and think of your accomplishments … and see that you made an extraordinary difference," he said.
As a key player in harnessing the power of the jet engine and breaking through the sound barrier, "Dryden was at the very heart of the most important revolution in flight that took place, in addition to the revolution of flight itself," Hallion said.
"It's quaint for us, really, to look back on those days and try to put ourselves in their shoes," he said. Now, the sound barrier is "just a flick on the Mach meter."
"Dryden made that possible."
While more closely associated in the public mind with the aeronautics of NASA, the center has also played an important part in the development of the space program, from the X-15 rocket plane to the lunar landing vehicle to the space shuttle.
"We see Dryden's fingerprints clearly on it," Hallion said. "I always though it was fitting that the first person to step on the moon was a Dryden pilot."
"Dryden really helped build American air and space supremacy," he said.
However, that supremacy is in danger of being lost.
Since its inception, the nation once dominated commercial air travel, both in terms of the airlines and the aircraft manufacturers. That lead has been greatly eroded, especially in manufacturing, as companies such as France's Airbus Industrie are providing an increasing number of aircraft.
The nation's general aviation industry also has collapsed, Hallion said, and the air traffic control system is in desperate need of modernization.
Age is also a problem for the military's air forces, diminishing their effectiveness.
"If our front-line fighters were automobiles, they'd have classic car plates," he said.
The commercial space industry has also fallen behind, relying on decades-old launch technology.
"I think we are in quite a bit of trouble," Hallion said. "If not nurtured, not watched, it can be lost in a generation."
Once lost, it can take decades to regain that competitive edge.
One cause of the problem is declining investment in research and development over the last 13 years, Hallion said.
"Matching this decline in investment is a critical decline in scientists and engineers," he said.
Investments must be made to develop both technology and people to turn things around.
While historically "America is truly an air and space nation … the U.S. will not inevitably remain the leader," Hallion said. "As Americans, that should concern all of us."
While Hallion focused on the history and future of the center, Gorn discussed the man for whom it was named in 1976.
Hugh L. Dryden was instrumental in the development of aeronautics and astronautics, but the quiet, modest man is not as well known as some others.
According to Gorn, who is researching a biography of the aeronautic pioneer, Dryden "knew almost everyone worth knowing in aerospace."
"Dryden was in essence a human conduit," he said. "Where he was, activity was generated."
Among his many accomplishments, Dryden was key in bringing the various interests together for the ground-breaking X-15 program.
"Hugh Dryden was the godfather of the X-15," Gorn said.
As the director of NACA and a deputy administrator of its follow-on, NASA, "this man is more responsible for federal research budgeting for aeronautics and astronautics than anyone else," Gorn said.
The free event, hosted by Dryden and the city of Lancaster, was part of the center's Centennial of Flight Colloquium Series.
"We had a very attentive crowd," Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts said. "I personally would like to have it on tape to hear it again."
"Those two are very fascinating," said Dennis Davenport, Lancaster's assistant city manager.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.