Orville Wright
Orville Wright
The Wright brothers, Orvilleand Wilbur, were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who are generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903, four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In 1904–05 the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionInventor
Date of Birth19 August 1871
CityDayton, OH
CountryUnited States of America
With twelve horse power at our command, we considered that we could permit the weight of the machine with operator to rise to 750 or 800 pounds, and still have as much surplus power as we had originally allowed for in the first estimate of 550 pounds.
If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance.
Isn't it astonishing that all these secrets have been preserved for so many years just so we could discover them!
The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall.
We estimated that we could make one of four cylinders with 4 inch bore and 4 inch stroke, weighing not over two hundred pounds, including all accessories.
With all the knowledge and skill acquired in thousands of flights in the last ten years, I would hardly think today of making my first flight on a strange machine in a twenty-seven mile wind, even if I knew that the machine had already been flown and was safe.
If birds can glide for long periods of time, then why cant I ?
If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance
Before leaving camp in 1902 we were already at work on the general design of a new machine which we proposed to propel with a motor.
Success four flights Thursday morning all against twenty one mile wind started from Level with engine power alone speed through air thirty one miles longest 57 second inform Press home Christmas.
We decided to place the motor to one side of the man, so that in case of a plunge head first, the motor could not fall upon him.
Before leaving for our camp at Kitty Hawk we tested the chain drive for the propellers in our shop at Dayton, and found it satisfactory.