Lawrence Sperry Research Paper

Without the genius inventions brought to the surface by Lawrence Sperry, we would not have been able to advance in our knowledge of aviation–or fly once it became dark outside. Autopilot, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a device for automatically steering ships, aircraft, and spacecraft”. Mr. Sperry is the man who brought this device–made by his father and improved by him–into the aviation world, which was an enormous leap in the process of improving airplanes. He had reduced the number of workers on an airplane, and made the process of flying so much easier. The same basic design of his autopilot device is used today, which proves that it was a major advancement in aviation history. Without this invention, we would still have an extensive set of problems that we would need to …show more content…
Lawrence Sperry created the first successful version of the autopilot, reducing the amount of workers needed to operate a plane and making flying a more enjoyable experience, making him one of the most crucial pioneers to modern aviation. Lawrence Sperry’s fascination with aviation began in the year 1909, after watching a man named Henri Farman complete a daring flight. Soon after witnessing this, Sperry decided something that would put him on the course to greatness–he wanted to build a plane that was even better than Farman’s. This project began while most of his family went on vacation. With the help of his brother, Elmer Junior, Lawrence turned their home into a sort of airplane factory. After building the parts, though, they had no way to get them outside; their solution was to break a hole in the wall of their parents’ bedroom, where they could slide parts out into the yard easily. Their mother had not liked to come home to an enormous hole in her wall, but Lawrence Sperry continued to build the airplane with