The Wright Brothers, First Successful Airplane (1903)

The Wright Brothers, The First Successful Airplane, 1903. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16th, 1867, in Millville, Indiana, and Orville Wright was born on August 19th, 1871, in Dayton, Ohio. Both brothers were pioneers credited with inventing the first airplane. In late 1901, the Wright brothers had gathered the aerodynamic data they needed to build a successful flying machine, and in 1902, the Wright brothers had built their latest glider based on this data. They had identified a wing shape that was efficient, producing the expected lift, and engineered controls that were responsive. The glider would also use a trailing rudder for yaw, therefore enabling the Wright brothers to navigate in the air in all three dimensions. Following this success, the next stage for the brothers was powered flight. No manufacturers could provide an engine light enough and powerful enough for their needs, so the brothers had to design and build their own. The flyer was designed in a biplane configuration, with a wooden airframe and a wingspan of 12.3 meters, or 40 feet 4 inches. The pilot flew on his stomach on the lower wing, steering by moving a cradle attached to his hips. This cradle pulled wires which warped the wings and turned the rudder. The Wright Flyer 1, based on the previous glider, was set up near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the United States of America on December 17, 1903, where there was a hill and a good breeze. The first flight lasted 12 seconds, traveling 36 meters or 120 feet with Orville piloting. Three more flights were made on that day, with Wilbur achieving the best flight, covering 255.6 meters or 852 feet in 59 seconds. The Wright brothers had made history with the first successful flight of a controllable, self-propelled, heavier-than-air machine. Over the next few years, the Wright brothers developed new flyers while remaining secretive in an attempt to secure patents and contracts. Subscribe for more history videos. Thank you for all your support on the Simple History YouTube channel. If you enjoy the channel, please consider supporting us at Patreon.