Editor's Corner

I found a delightful set of tips on avoiding and fixing the passive voice, one of the top “crimes” we see here at Symitar Editing. Rather than get right into that, however, I’m going to bore you with one more article that’s a result from my North Carolina vacation.

Today’s lesson is from our visit to the Wright Brothers’ Monument in Kitty Hawk, NC. We learned a few new words and concepts while we were there that I thought I would share with you.

First, here’s Wilbur strapped into the 1903 Wright Flyer I. No, he’s not lying on the plane backwards. Initially, the lift of planes was controlled in the front.

Here’s a diagram of the same plane with the parts and motions marked.

The ranger explained that several of the part names are derived from French:

· fuselage (from the French word for spindle) – the body of the airplane

· canard (the French word for duck) – the “elevator,” the front portion of the Wright brothers’ plane

· aileron (the French word for fin) – the tip of the wing

And lastly, we learned about the different motions of the airplane (roll, pitch, and yaw) and which parts of the plane control those motions. I’ve added a text box next to the lovely graphic from PBS, above.

That’s your lesson for the day. Fly! Be free!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services