The First Flight

The Wrights were now ready to try pow­ered flight. Charles Taylor, a mechanic in their bicycle shop, built a four-cylinder engine. The Wrights spent three months designing a propeller, a difficult problem that produced several heated arguments.

The brothers went back to North Carolina with their powered plane, the Flyer, in late September 1903. However, bad weather and mechanical problems plagued them through the entire fall. At last, on December 14, Wilbur attempted the first flight. The plane rose briefly into the air, but the engine stalled and the plane crashed into the sand. Fortunately, the repairs were easy.

On December 17, 1903, the weather allowed another attempt. At 10:35 a. m., Orville took off. In 12 seconds of flying, he cruised 120 feet (37 meters). The brothers had three more successful flights that day, two by Wilbur and one more by Orville. The last, piloted by

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Wilbur, was the longest (59 seconds) and went the farthest: 852 feet (260 meters). That evening, a powerful wind picked the Flyer up and smashed it into the ground. The brothers packed up the pieces of the aircraft and went home.