The Earth's Atmosphere and Beyond
Pioneer and Innovators
        Orville Wright
Related Links:

• The Wright brother's were the first to use a wind tunnel to experiment on the science of aerial navigation.
• In order to be successful in flight the Wright brother's need to have a propulsion device, but information on propellers was non-existent in flight.
• In order to drive the propeller the Wright brother's need to have a lightwieght engine. Noone at the time would build an engine for their specifics. The Wright brother's along with Charles Taylor built their own 4-cylinder engine.

History
In the beginning of the twentieth century, efforts were made to be the first to fly. Most inventors of the day were impulsive and undisciplined. They weredaily fliers, with their results either disastrous or simply unproductive. The Wright Brothers, on the other hand, were much more scientific and methodical in their approach. As bicycle mechanics, the brothers believed in testing out their ideas before proceeding with further advancements. To help gauge their progress, they built a wind tunnel - the first one built for the purpose of checking an aircraft wing design.

After years of development, Orville and Wilbur Wright finally were ready to test their first powered plane, the Wright Flyer. On the morning of December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur stood on the beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and actually flipped a coin to see who would be first to try out the flyer. Orville won. That first flight lasted only 12 seconds and covered only 120 feet, but it was historic - the world's first powered, controlled flight. The two brothers took turns and made other successful flights that day - the longest lasting 59 seconds and traveling 852 feet.

 Fearing a rival inventor might make off with their design if they observed the plane in flight, the Wright Brothers became obsessed with obtaining a patent for the Wright Flyer. Over the next five years, the Wright Brothers rarely flew.

While Orville and Wilbur isolated themselves, other aviators began taking to the skies and - unlike the Wright Brothers - found widespread press coverage for their achievements. Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont made headlines in Europe with his brief 1906 flight in France. On July 4, 1908, American Glenn Curtiss won a silver trophy and national acclaim for flying his plane, June Bug, over one kilometer at a public exhibition.

Once the Wrights had been granted their patent, they finally felt secure enough to begin proving to the world that they, indeed, were the true pioneers of aviation. They chose France for their first flight. Many Europeans as the time were skeptical of the reports made about the Wright Brothers' ability to fly. They wanted to see the Americans fly for themselves. Wilbur Wright set sail for France along with an unassembled version of one of their planes. On August 8, 1908, in front of a crowd of French reporters and public dignitaries, Wilbur Wright climbed into his flyer and put on an aerial display which stunned the spectators. The French were only accustomed to seeing flights which lasted only a few brief seconds. Wilbur Wright was able to circle his plane for more than two and a half hours. Arriving under a cloud of skepticism, the Wrights left France hailed as masters of aviation.

Resources:
(picture 1 and 3, and data) http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/WrBr/Wrights.html,
(picture 2 and data) http://www.kitty-hawk.com/graphics/wright/1b5.jpg

Created by Michael Marling