Overview
On 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the Flyer for 12 seconds and 37 m — the first sustained, controlled flight of a powered aeroplane. The brothers made four flights that day; Wilbur's last one lasted 59 seconds and covered 260 m.
The Wrights' key invention was three-axis control, including "wing warping" to roll the aircraft. They also designed their own lightweight engine and efficient propellers. The original Flyer is displayed at the Smithsonian in Washington.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Length | 6.43 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 12.29 m |
| Height | 2.74 m |
| Wing area | 47.4 m² |
Weights & fuel
| Empty weight | 274 kg |
|---|---|
| Max. take-off weight | 340 kg |
Performance
| Max. speed | 48 km/h |
|---|
Crew & capacity
| Crew | 1 |
|---|
Powerplant
| Engines | 1 |
|---|---|
| Engine model | Wright 4-cylinder inline (driving two propellers by chains) |
| Power (each) | 9 kW |
Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Did you know?
Pieces of the Flyer's fabric and wood went to the Moon with Apollo 11, and a small piece of its wing fabric flew on Mars aboard the Ingenuity helicopter.
Photos
Photo 1: United States Mint / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Some text and images come from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA licences.
