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There inspirations
The Wrights’ serious work in aviation began in 1899 when Wilbur wrote the Smithsonian
for literature. Dismayed that so many great minds had made so little progress, the brothers
were also exhilarated by the realization that they had as much chance as anyone of
succeeding. Wilbur took the lead in the early stages of their work to solve the problems of
flight, but Orville was soon drawn in as an equal collaborator. They quickly developed their
own theories and, for the next four years, devoted the -
The start of building
In 1889, when he was only 18 years old, Orville left high school and started a printing business, using a press that he had made himself. Wilbur joined the business, and they did very well. In 1893, when bicycling had become popular, the enterprising Wright brothers decided to open a bicycle repair shop across the street. Eventually they were building and selling custom-made bicycles as well as repairing them. -
More about the Wright brothers
The Wright brothers were much more scientific and methodical inventors. They believed in testing their ideas in smaller or safer versions before building an actual plane. Scientists today, like the Wright brothers, don't just build things and see what happens; they make observations, then form a hypothesis or guess, and then do more tests to see if their hypothesis is correct. This is known as the "scientific method." For example, the Wright brothers built a wind tunnel to compare wing shape ide -
How the machine was built
The idea of the box kite has been adhered to strictly in the basic formation of the flying
machine.
A huge framework of light timbers, 33 feet wide, five feet deep and five feet across the
top forms the machine proper.
This is covered with a tough, but light canvas.
In the center, and suspended just below the bottom plane is the small gasoline engine
which furnishes the motive power for the propelling and elevating wheels. -
There achievements
The Wright brothers would spend the next thirteen years of their lives pursuing that dream. They achieved powered flight on December 17, 1903 -
The road to the first flight
In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, became the first
people to fly a heavier-than-air, power-controlled machine, known as the Wright Flyer. This
did not simply happen overnight. The brothers had been tinkering with the idea of flight
off and on since childhood. They were mechanically inclined young men who were
inspired by the efforts of others. -
Flight #2
However, the Wright brothers were not satisfied with Flyer I. They went back to their shop and over the next two years constructed the Flyer II and then the Flyer III, which proved to be a much more reliable airplane than the original flyer. On October 5th, 1905, Wilbur set an endurance record in the Flyer III, flying over 34 miles in 38 minutes. In 1909, the Wright brothers formed the American Wright Company to manufacture airplanes for the US military.