The American Inventor
The article is about an American aviator and inventor Charles Rocheville who moved to America in order to pursue his American Dream. It relates to my position statement because the statement mentions American liberty and America being a land of inventors, which Rocheville’s life story emulates. Rocheville was a military man pilot and explorer who flew planes in two arctic expeditions. Despite being a incredible pilot, Rocheville took advantage of the prosperity of the 1920s to pursue his dream of becoming an aviation designer. He started out small by modifying existing aircraft but rose to prominence and eventually initiated his own designs. His first major product that launched him into aviation fame was his construction of the “Zenith Albatross, in 1927 the largest aircraft ever built on the West Coast. Designed to challenge endurance and distance records, the Albatross could lift 2.47 times its empty weight.” This led to the development of his aeronautical design firm called Emsco which made a “million dollars in capital.” He also would later be honored by NASA for the invention of an airplane lubricant to place on the metal surface of the plane. Rocheville’s American spirit would be challenged on numerous occasions, but he would preserve through these to keep his dream alive. Crashes, lightning strikes and the Great Depression would challenge his faith. Perhaps the most devastating event was when his sponsor’s tax problems that led to the loss of funding for his projects. Despite the string of bad luck, Rocheville would still remain a prominent and respected individual in the aviation community. Although his business collapsed, his ingenuity inspired a future era of aviation. Hopefully, Rocheville will inspire future Americans to go after their dreams no matter the circumstances and even though it may be in a highly competitive field.
The article is about an American aviator and inventor Charles Rocheville who moved to America in order to pursue his American Dream. It relates to my position statement because the statement mentions American liberty and America being a land of inventors, which Rocheville’s life story emulates. Rocheville was a military man pilot and explorer who flew planes in two arctic expeditions. Despite being a incredible pilot, Rocheville took advantage of the prosperity of the 1920s to pursue his dream of becoming an aviation designer. He started out small by modifying existing aircraft but rose to prominence and eventually initiated his own designs. His first major product that launched him into aviation fame was his construction of the “Zenith Albatross, in 1927 the largest aircraft ever built on the West Coast. Designed to challenge endurance and distance records, the Albatross could lift 2.47 times its empty weight.” This led to the development of his aeronautical design firm called Emsco which made a “million dollars in capital.” He also would later be honored by NASA for the invention of an airplane lubricant to place on the metal surface of the plane. Rocheville’s American spirit would be challenged on numerous occasions, but he would preserve through these to keep his dream alive. Crashes, lightning strikes and the Great Depression would challenge his faith. Perhaps the most devastating event was when his sponsor’s tax problems that led to the loss of funding for his projects. Despite the string of bad luck, Rocheville would still remain a prominent and respected individual in the aviation community. Although his business collapsed, his ingenuity inspired a future era of aviation. Hopefully, Rocheville will inspire future Americans to go after their dreams no matter the circumstances and even though it may be in a highly competitive field.