First Flight

By late 1903 the Wright brothers were ready to try out their invention. On December 14, 1903, Wilbur got ready for the first takeoff. The pilot did not have a seat-he lay stretched out on his front, slightly to the left of center. The engine started, the propellers whirled, but the Flyer refused to lift off the rail.

On December 17, they tried again, this time with Orville as the pilot. It was a cold, windy day. At 10:30 a. m., Orville released the wire that held the Flyer to the launch rail, while Wilbur held the right wing steady. The engine hummed, the propellers whirred once again, and the Flyer rolled slowly along the launch rail and then lifted into the air. At a height of only 10 feet (3 meters) or so, it flew for about 88 feet (27 meters) before swooping back to land safely. Five peo­ple witnessed the historic flight from a lifeboat station nearby.

The Flyer made three more flights that day. On the last flight, Wilbur flew for 853 feet (260 meters). Their longest flight that day lasted just under a minute. It was difficult to

О A replica of the first Flyer is on display at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in the Wright Brothers National Memorial visitor center.

О The Wright Brothers Memorial Tower was complete in 1932. It stands at Kitty Hawk on top of Kill Devil Hill. The inscription at its base reads: "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright-conceived by genius-achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith."

estimate speed, but the Flyer probably reached about 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers per hour). The Wrights sent a message home, packed up their airplane, and went off for dinner.

Flyer III

Because the Wrights had conducted their experiments away from spectators, their first flight did not create an immediate sensation. The world learned of the breakthrough, however, because the brothers built Flyer II and then the improved Flyer III, which they regarded as the first practical powered airplane.

Flyer III had a wingspan similar to the Flyer, but it was slightly longer and had a more powerful engine. Flyer III made its first flight on June 23, 1905. Between that date and October 16, 1905, the Wrights made nearly fifty flights, some lasting more than 30 minutes. They demonstrated that their airplane could turn, bank, and fly a figure eight pattern with perfect ease. On October 5, 1905, Flyer III flew for 24.2 miles (38.9 kilometers) in 38 minutes.

The brothers were ready to offer their machine for sale, with flying lessons. Wilbur Wright went to France to give demonstrations of flying, while Orville

continued to display the plane in the United States. In September 1908, Orville Wright completed fifty-seven cir­cuits of the drill field at Fort Myer, Virginia, managing to stay in the air for over an hour.

The original Flyer of 1903 was pre­sented to London’s Science Museum by Orville Wright in 1928, but it was returned to the United States in 1948. It is now in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D. C.

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SEE ALSO:

• Aerodynamics • Aeronautics

• Biplane • Glider • Lilienthal,

Otto • Propeller • Wind Tunnel

• Wright, Orville and Wilbur

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