James Ader
"If birds can glide for long periods of time, then… why can't I?" - Orville Wright
Appearance
James is an simple farmer's son. Fit but not muscular, with plain features and rough, sun damaged skin he looks every part the average farm boy. His hair is dirty blonde and kept short, with a simple and easy to maintain haircut. He wears simple, utilitarian clothing and which he has only a few pairs. His hands are rough and strong, the bruised and beaten hands of someone who has worked land since childhood.
Most striking is his cocksure smile and perfect teeth, a beacon on an otherwise unremarkable individual.
Most striking is his cocksure smile and perfect teeth, a beacon on an otherwise unremarkable individual.
Skills and Abilities
Aviation Engineer; James is a natural aviation engineer, a boy so deep in his understanding of flight it stammers out of him in waves if asked about it. A farm boy with little to no education, James was not taught how the mechanics of flight function but instead seems to naturally understand and interpret it through observation of birds, insects, and simple trial and error. As his knowledge is purely instinct and observation he lacks the finite details which come from true educational understanding - however his more grounded understanding also means he is quicker to adapt his understanding to fit new knowledge.
Amateur Pilot: While James has never glided for more then a few hundred feet he is nonetheless a pilot, understanding how to tilt gliders to make them turn, slow or accelerate where needed. It is this talent which has allowed him to emerge from some less then effective designs unscathed. He probably couldn't fly an airship instantly, but with a few hours he could grasp even the most complex flight controls.
Craftsman: A one man operation, James builds his gliders entirely on his own. From sowing their fabric wings to shaping the wooden skeletons he has a very real skill as a craftsman. This skill, unlike most of his others, is learned - a gift of his upbringing and environment James absorbed the knowledge of the local carpenter, his seamstress mother, the village blacksmith and any other such skills he felt would allow him to build the object of his dreams.
Farmer: Farm boy isn't just a descriptor, despite his grandiose ideals he is still the only child of a farming family - and thus he knows intimately how to run a farm. From caring for chickens to growing crops in rotation and back again James can do any and all duties of a farmer. Though he is loathed to admit it.
Amateur Pilot: While James has never glided for more then a few hundred feet he is nonetheless a pilot, understanding how to tilt gliders to make them turn, slow or accelerate where needed. It is this talent which has allowed him to emerge from some less then effective designs unscathed. He probably couldn't fly an airship instantly, but with a few hours he could grasp even the most complex flight controls.
Craftsman: A one man operation, James builds his gliders entirely on his own. From sowing their fabric wings to shaping the wooden skeletons he has a very real skill as a craftsman. This skill, unlike most of his others, is learned - a gift of his upbringing and environment James absorbed the knowledge of the local carpenter, his seamstress mother, the village blacksmith and any other such skills he felt would allow him to build the object of his dreams.
Farmer: Farm boy isn't just a descriptor, despite his grandiose ideals he is still the only child of a farming family - and thus he knows intimately how to run a farm. From caring for chickens to growing crops in rotation and back again James can do any and all duties of a farmer. Though he is loathed to admit it.
Personality
Dreamer. That is at his core what James is, a boy who refuses to abandon his dreams no matter how absurd they are believed to be by others. Generally upbeat and positive, James is happy to experience new things and deepen his knowledge. At his heart James is single minded, he dreams of flying and cares for little else; but unlike so many other dreamers he is also a deeply conscious and responsible youth.
He is not the kind to abandon his duties to the farm to pursue his dreams, instead working on them only in his free time. His eccentric nature makes him unpopular with others his own age, but if this bothers him any he does not show it, being a natural recluse who seems to prefer his own company.
He is not the kind to abandon his duties to the farm to pursue his dreams, instead working on them only in his free time. His eccentric nature makes him unpopular with others his own age, but if this bothers him any he does not show it, being a natural recluse who seems to prefer his own company.
Biography & Lore
Born to a farmer and a seamstress, James was odd from the moment he was old enough to comment on the world he observed. Obsessed with birds it wasn't long before he was able to name every bird native to his region by species, so deep was his curiosity. As he grew older he began to tinker, once jumping off the barn roof with a pair of wings strapped to his arms in attempt to fly. Predictably, he crashed hard - but to his parents surprise he was mostly unhurt and did not cry, instead immediately asking his father why the wings worked for the birds but not him.
Unsatisfied with his father's answer of humans could not fly James went to the local hunter, the foremost expert on birds in the village. The hunter did not know, but he did have a few stuffed birds and old bones - from these James began to understand the nature of the birds hollow bones, their wing span relative to their body and their overall shape. It took a few years, but at the young age of thirteen James built his first truly functional glider.
A massive nearly 35 foot wingspan monster he built it literally on the roof of his families barn; using a handmade taught launching string inspired by a bow string James launching himself and the glider off the roof. He managed to glide about a hundred feet before his inability to control the glider in flight resulted in him crashing into a tree.
At fourteen he adapted the idea of using the angle of the wings to control movement, but again failed to gain enough altitude to stop himself from hitting the tops of trees.
At fifteen he added a tail structure, and moved much of the yaw controls to it which he controlled by a hand lever and rope while maintaining the pitch controls by adjusting the angle of the wings. This glider was incredibly effective, and were it not for the low roof height of James family barn and the heavily wooded area he believed it could glide for miles.
At sixteen he began the process of experimenting with reducing the overall size of the glider, as to allow him to pack it's pieces and move them to a location he could attain longer flight with. Early experiments found his original control of the tail was too complicated with a smaller size and thus simplified it to a simple center pivot bar his feet controlled in the laid down flying position.
Now seventeen James believes he has created a glider small enough to be packed in crates and moved by carriage; and begins his plans to do just that.
Unsatisfied with his father's answer of humans could not fly James went to the local hunter, the foremost expert on birds in the village. The hunter did not know, but he did have a few stuffed birds and old bones - from these James began to understand the nature of the birds hollow bones, their wing span relative to their body and their overall shape. It took a few years, but at the young age of thirteen James built his first truly functional glider.
A massive nearly 35 foot wingspan monster he built it literally on the roof of his families barn; using a handmade taught launching string inspired by a bow string James launching himself and the glider off the roof. He managed to glide about a hundred feet before his inability to control the glider in flight resulted in him crashing into a tree.
At fourteen he adapted the idea of using the angle of the wings to control movement, but again failed to gain enough altitude to stop himself from hitting the tops of trees.
At fifteen he added a tail structure, and moved much of the yaw controls to it which he controlled by a hand lever and rope while maintaining the pitch controls by adjusting the angle of the wings. This glider was incredibly effective, and were it not for the low roof height of James family barn and the heavily wooded area he believed it could glide for miles.
At sixteen he began the process of experimenting with reducing the overall size of the glider, as to allow him to pack it's pieces and move them to a location he could attain longer flight with. Early experiments found his original control of the tail was too complicated with a smaller size and thus simplified it to a simple center pivot bar his feet controlled in the laid down flying position.
Now seventeen James believes he has created a glider small enough to be packed in crates and moved by carriage; and begins his plans to do just that.