I'm reading To Conquer the Air, by Tobin, about the Wright brothers.

They succeeded where others did not because they dreamed, designed, tested, tweaked, and tried, while others only dreamed, designed, and tried...or just dreamed. The Wrights were big on scientific testing. Although, neither Orville nor Wilbur graduated from college, and although they were bicycle repairmen and no more qualified to build flying machines than am I, they surpassed the greatest experts of the day. How? They used meticulous and systematic trial and error, stick-to-it-ivness, and creative design insights. All of these techniques are available to almost anyone.