“It simply can’t be done, Sir Coulter. Heavier than air machines cannot fly on their own volition, without a gas or hot air envelope to lift them. It’s been tried numerous times.”

“You have gliders, don’t you?”

“Respectfully, that’s not the same thing. And yes, many gliders have been developed, and many people have died. Otto Lilienthal is perhaps the most famous, and his life tragically ended in an Alpine glider accident not long ago.”

Rip looked around at the engineers in the room. He had gathered the best men from Brooke & Company’s bicycle factories to work on a new project. Specifically, a flying machine.

His audience appeared highly skeptical, including the man addressing him.

He glanced at Blair, sitting in a chair at the table, her baby bump making her look larger, and rather uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat, trying to find a better position.

Rip turned back to the engineers.

“Gentlemen, let me show you something.”

He took a sheet of typing paper from a briefcase on the table and folded it from the top by a third. Then he folded it in half lengthwise, tapered down the folding and made some wings.

He held it up for the men, pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

“This will demonstrate a certain property of aerodynamics for us today.”

“An aeroplane?” someone said.

“No, a paper airplane.”

He walked over to an open space in the large room and threw it toward the floor at an angle. It swooped, caught the air and floated up several feet before gliding to the far wall.

“You all saw how it went up, right? It should have crashed into the floor. But, when air goes faster over a fixed wing, it creates lift. This is the most important principle in aerodynamics. It creates lighter air pressure and pulls the wing up.”

The men looked less dubious now. Some of them scratched their chins in thought.

“The key is to provide our own wind. We do that with a propeller attached to a motor mounted on the front.”

“And they have done this on your world, Sir Coulter?” someone asked.

“Absolutely. The first time was in my home state of Texas. A German immigrant by the name of Jacob Brodbeck sold shares in a pending patent for a flying machine by advertising in a San Antonio newspaper. When he built his prototype, he flew it in a field near the town of Luckenbach, which later got famous for being in a country song.”

Blair piped up, despite her discomfort.

“Just ignore the parts that don’t make any sense.”

“Anyway, Brodbeck was into clocks, so he designed the propeller’s engine to be a windup affair complete with springs. It worked, and he flew, but the prototype crashed and was destroyed. Somebody took a picture of the wreckage, but no serious documentation of Brodbeck’s effort was made. It wasn’t until 1903 that the Wright brothers launched the first gasoline-powered airplane. They made sure and took pictures of the flight, to prove it happened. The rest, as they say, is history.”

He opened up the briefcase again and pulled out a wooden glider.

“This is a balsawood airplane, made with flat pieces. Some of the design guys at Wayne Enterprises cut this out for me. Attached to it is a tiny wooden propeller, and connected to that is the ‘engine,’ a rubber band. So, this is essentially operating on Brodbeck’s idea of a wind-up propeller. On my world we sold millions of these. Our toy division will start working on these later this year.”

He turned the little propeller several times, the rubber band tightening in response. Finally he let go, tossing the contraption in the air at the same time. The propeller spun, and the little wooden plane floated across the room on its own. Several people gasped.

It slammed into the far wall and dropped to the floor, broken.

“And just like Brodbeck’s prototype, it crashed,” Rip said with a smile.

He turned to the men, most of whom continued staring at the little pile of wood.

“Gentlemen, your job is to develop a much bigger airplane. One that has a gasoline engine and is big enough to safely fly two people. Start with two wings, that will simplify your initial designs. Stick with wood and canvas for now. Later we’ll use some of what we’ve learned about bicycle manufacturing, mainly lighter metals, cogs, gears and cables. Figure out how to steer the thing in the air by using flaps on the wings and tail.”

He smiled at the men. They no longer seemed so skeptical. A handful busily scribbled in notebooks.

“You can reach me at the main office. Just leave a message if you have any questions.”

He turned to Blair and offered a hand. She stood up and together they walked toward the door.

When he opened it, she stopped suddenly. He noticed her face turning green.

“I’ve got to puke.”

She ran through the door and down the hall.