Introducing The Famous Wright Brothers; Known For Their First Flight

The Wright Brothers (Wilbur and Orville) were famous for being able to successfully complete their first flight in an airplane.  The Wright Flyer was launched on December 17, 1903.  Orville was the pilot and his brother Wilbur was manning the wings. 

The Wright brothers built the aircraft themselves.  They used spruce and wood that was light in weight.  Their propellers for the airplane were also made out of wood.  They manufactured them and had them carved a certain way. 

The engine in the airplane used gas to power it up.  There were some points as they were building that they did not disagree on some things.  However, in the end they were able to have common ground on what the propeller should look like and how it should be designed for their airplane. 

They studied other designs and made a final decision on how they wanted it.  The Wright Brothers ended up using twin propellers for their airplane.  The twin propellers would give the airplane more power than a single one.

Next, they wanted an engine that didn’t carry a lot of weight.  They inquired with several companies, but none of them had what the Wright Brothers were looking for.  Their mechanic, Charlie Taylor, had designed an engine in about a month and a half. 

He was able to help the Wright Brothers design a lightweight engine for their airplane.  The propeller had chains that were from bicycles. 

At the time, the cost for making the airplane wasn’t a lot of money.  In fact, it was less than one thousand dollars.  After their airplane was completed, the famous Wright Brothers were ready to roll.  However, getting the plane off the ground was not without delays.  At Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, there was trouble with some of the plane parts. 

Some parts of the propeller were found to be broken during testing.  Even though the real test was on December 17, on December 14, 1903, Wilbur tried to fly the plane without success.  The plane did manage to takeoff briefly.  It experienced a stall in the engine, which caused the Wright Flyer minimal damage.

Wilbur felt that he was able to get something done, even if it did last a few seconds.  He felt that the delay was only a minor setback.  The airplane went through a few repairs, and the Wright Brothers tried again on that famous day, December 17, 1903. 

Four flights were made in all on that day and they were all short.  The first flight lasted only 12 seconds while the final flight for that day lasted just about a minute.  After the fourth flight, the front rudder frame was damaged.  However, the engine was fine. 
There were a few people on hand that saw this historic event of the famous Wright Brothers.  People from all over ended up finding out about what happened, despite the brothers not wanting everyone to know. 

After the last flight, the Wright Flyer was taken back to Kitty Hawk.  During this time, strong winds blew the aircraft away from them.  The aircraft turned over several times and was damaged beyond repair.  The brothers later retired it and Orville refurbished it.  It is now sitting in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC.