The Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright were born in Indiana and Ohio. An early interest in flight was sparked when their father bought them a small miniture helicopter.After giving up his dreams of studying at Yale, Wilbur stayed home to design and build with his brother Orville. In 1889, they designed and built a printing press which, for a short time, published a daily newspaper. After the printing press, the Wright brothers opened a bike shop. This was commercially successful, but also enabled them to develop their skills as designers and engineers. After years away from their dreams of flight, Orville and Wilbur finally pursued their dreams and attempt to build the first aeroplane.

Other accomplishments

The Wright brothers are credited with building and flying the first heavier than air aeroplane. They achieved the first recorded flight on 17 December 1903. Over the next 10 years they continued to develop the aircraft making a significant contribution to the development of the modern aeroplane.

To simply say that the Wright Brothers invented the airplane doesn't begin to describe their many accomplishments. The first fixed-wing aircraft and a kite mounted on a stick was conceived and flown almost a century before Orville and Wilbur made their first flights. The Wrights were first to design and build a flying craft that could be controlled while in the air.

Lasting Impact

Success!

The Wright Brothers

Biography

First in Flight

Significance

On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers made the first historic airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where Orville piloted the plane (known as 'the Flyer') with Wilbur running at the wing tip.The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet only lasted 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour over the ground. The brothers had originally intended to test the flyer out first as a glider, to get a feel for how it handled, but due to significant delays in constructing it on sight, decided to just try it out as a powered, manned aircraft right away. The next two flights covered approximately 175 feet and 200 feet, by Wilbur and Orville respectively. Their altitude was about 10 feet above the ground.

The invention of the airplane was quite a milestone and greatly impacts transportation throughout the world today. Because of this invention, people can travel large distances at much less time. Today, trips that previously would have taken months by boat and train, can now be traveled by plane in a few hours.

By Andrew Scheible

Just for Laughs

Early Attempts

The Wright Brohers made their first test flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on the shores of the Atlantic where the strong winds would help to launch the gliders and the soft sands help to cushion the fall when they crashed. Their first two gliders, flown in 1900 and 1901, failed to perform as the Wrights had hoped. The gliders did not provide enough lift nor were they fully controllable. So during the winter of 1901-1902 Wilbur and Orville built a wind tunnel and conducted experiments to determine the best wing shape for an airplane. This enabled them to build a glider with sufficient lift, and concentrate on the problem of control. Toward the end of the 1902 flying season, their third glider became the first fully controllable aircraft, with roll, pitch, and yaw controls.