On this day in history — December 17, 1903 wright brothers first flight

Putting aside the debate of whether they truly were the first to fly a powered aircraft what they did was still a major historical accomplishment.
It`s even more amazing when you consider that they were discovering and learning through trial and error.There were no schools or classes on how to design and fly an airplane.
It wasn`t just the designing and engineering of an airplane that they were teaching themselves they were inventing and building parts that didn`t exist yet.They couldn`t just grab parts off the shelf because those parts didn`t exist yet, they even designed and built their own light weight engine.

The brothers began their experimentation in flight in 1896 at their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. They selected the beach at Kitty Hawk as their proving ground because of the constant wind that added lift to their craft.
Having perfected glided flight, the next step was to move to powered flight. No automobile manufacturer could supply an engine both light enough and powerful enough for their needs. So they designed and built their own.

eyewitnesstohistory.com...

Their main occupation was printing and publishing,they had a side business of selling and making bicycles.
neither of them were ever married.

everytime I go to the outter banks (which is a long drive even in todays modern automobiles) I always wonder how long and hard of a trip it was for the wright brothers to haul their airplane from ohio in a horse drawn wagon over dirt and mud roads to kitty hawk.

Wilbur wright died at a relatively young age of 45 in 1912 he didn`t live to see how fast airplane development would progress.
Orville wright lived to be 76 years old and died in 1948, he lived to see the bi-planes of WW1 and the planes of WW2.

a reply to: Tardacus

Great idea for a thread!

This should help bump up the numbers in the new forum.

a reply to: Tardacus

There were no schools or classes on how to design and fly an airplane. It wasn`t just the designing and engineering of an airplane that they were teaching themselves they were inventing and building parts that didn`t exist yet.

S&F

It is also worth emphasizing that, technically, they were the first ever pilots in human history. The open-mindedness needed to achieve something that is neither backed by formal study or science is astonishing.

The fact that they didnt know how to fly, didnt stop them from building a plane!

a reply to: Tardacus

And what's funny about it is that we're going back to a technique they used to advance aircraft design for the future.

even tho its the wright brothers 1st flight that they had.. but Gustave Whitehead was the 1st to fly on record 1899
don't believe everything your thought in school remember whom ever wins the war wrights the books

They must have had a lot of confidence in their design to test it themselves there`s a lot of danger involved in being the first.
They did have experience in flying their gliders so I guess they figured the next logical step was to attach an engine to the gilder,but there was still danger involved in doing that. There was no way to predict how the glider would react to having that extra weight and to being powered.

I think that by working in the printing and publishing field they read a lot about a lot of different subjects which helped a great deal in their experiments in flight.Wilbur was also the editor so he had to read everything that they published, he must have been a very knowledgeable person on a lot of different subjects.

Being a publisher is a pretty white collar job and a far cry from being an airplane designer and test pilot but they did it all.

ETA; on a side note, Orville was extremely tall for a person of that era, he was 6` 4"

a reply to: Tardacus

My husband and I were remarking on this very idea a few days ago! I am horrible with dates, so I didn't realize that Dec 17 was the date of Kitty Hawk. Yes, the Wright Brothers were no more "bicycle makers" than Jimmy Carter was just a "peanut farmer." There could be several reasons why important people in history are given monikers that don't adequately describe them.

As far as I was concerned as a kid learning history, the Wright Brothers merely put wings on a bicycle (something I tried as a kid to do but failed.... but had fun trying) and "Presto! The airplane was born!"

Well, as you say, they had to think about aerodynamics as well as propulsion as well as being master machinists. I think that's what started the discussion with hubby the other day, as I was telling him that I think my grandfather worked as a machinist for Lockheed (if he had been born in the late 1900s rather than the late 1800s, he probably would have gone to college as an engineer.) The conversation turned to the WB and to their astounding work as you describe to even come up with their invention!

And, then, for sure, to transport their invention to Kitty Hawk... I hadn't thought about that! We're so used to the roads and systems of roads we have today.

a reply to: Tardacus

Discovering the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Brador Novia Scotia was a big eye opener for me in the history of inventions . When I first read your title I was going to chime in about the debate you mentioned in the first paragraph so I did what any other curious person would do I took the next step to find a bit of history on the other rabbit path ..

In 1907, Glenn Curtiss was recruited by the scientist Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, to be among the founding members of Bell's Aerial Experimental Association (AEA), with the purpose of helping establish an aeronautical research and development organization.[1] According to Bell, it was a "co-operative scientific association, not for gain but for the love of the art and doing what we can to help one another."[2]
In 1909, the AEA was disbanded[3] and Curtiss formed the Herring-Curtiss Company with Augustus Moore Herring on March 20, 1909,[4] which was renamed the Curtiss Aeroplane Company in 1910.[5][6]
Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company[edit]

Curtiss 160 hp Reconnaissance Bi-plane (1918)
The Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was created on January 13, 1916 from the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York and Curtiss Motor Company of Bath, New York. Burgess Company of Marblehead, Massachusetts, became a subsidiary in February 1916.[7]
With the onset of World War I, military orders rose sharply, and Curtiss needed to expand quickly. In 1916, the company moved its headquarters and most manufacturing activities to Buffalo, New York, where there was far greater access to transportation, manpower, manufacturing expertise, and much needed capital. The company housed an aircraft engine factory in the former Taylor Signal Company-General Railway Signal Company.[8] An ancillary operation was begun in Toronto, Ontario that was involved in both production and training, setting up the first flying school in Canada in 1915.[9]

en.wikipedia.org... I have a soft spot in my heart for the Avro Arrow story as well .....

originally posted by: combatmaster
a reply to: Tardacus

There were no schools or classes on how to design and fly an airplane. It wasn`t just the designing and engineering of an airplane that they were teaching themselves they were inventing and building parts that didn`t exist yet.

S&F

It is also worth emphasizing that, technically, they were the first ever pilots in human history. The open-mindedness needed to achieve something that is neither backed by formal study or science is astonishing.

The fact that they didnt know how to fly, didnt stop them from building a plane!

Actually, they were far from the first pilots of heavier than air aircraft. Starting in 1891, 26 years before the Wrights, Otto Lilienthal made more than 2000 flights in heavier than air aircraft he designed and built, including both biplanes and monoplanes.

Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi (1609-1640), an inhabitant of Istanbul in the 17th century Ottoman Empire is credited with the first appropriate flight with artificial wings in the history of aviation.

The event took place in the year 1638 during the tenure of Sultan Murad IV. Hezarfen took off from the 183-foot tall Galata Tower near Bosporus and landed successfully at Uskudar, on the other side.

This feat was 200 years ahead of its time. Evliya Celebi, historian and chronicler and an eyewitness, recorded vividly in his Seyahatname (a book of travel), the jubilation that followed.

Sultan Murad IV was inordinately pleased. Hezarfen was awarded a thousand gold pieces.

www.turkeyforyou.com...

Wow, already learned a few new things with this thread.

If I remember correctly, I think what put the WB into a new era for flight was their ability to bend the wings to shape them for CONTROLLED flight. By controlling the bending and reshaping of the wings in flight, they could bank and turn the aircraft this way, rather than shifting the pilots center-of-gravity. They also ended up controlling for vertical movement, as well as yaw. So they ended up with an aircraft that could have flight control over three axes. They were the giants upon whom others would stand.

I read on Reddit today that they only flew together once, after gaining their father's permission since there was concern they'd both be killed in an accident. Good thread OP.

a reply to: Zaphod58

After I remembered the name of what the WB came up with, wing warping, I understood your post. Then I found out what's it's called these days--active aeroelastic. I guess the new name is more scientific Thanks for the info!


speaking of wings....
a reply to: the2ofusr1

To me the deltas were the art deco of wing design. The Avro Arrow .... unfortunately, the Avrocar seemed to engender only laughter....

Also, I didn't know about the Curtiss Bell connection. I do find affection for the Curtiss bi-planes and flying boats. And the magnificent Curtiss-Wright engines.

originally posted by: somungho
even tho its the wright brothers 1st flight that they had.. but Gustave Whitehead was the 1st to fly on record 1899
don't believe everything your thought in school remember whom ever wins the war wrights the books

The brothers told the Smithsonian it could have their aircraft, provided the Smithsonian labled the aircraft as the first manned flight.

a reply to: desert

They actually flew it in the 80s on an EF-111 under the Mission Adaptive Wing program. The new program adjusts the control surfaces instead of the entire wing, like the MAW did. Under MAW, the wing would adjust shape based on the phase of flight. For takeoff and landing, the wing curved more for low speed lift. For cruise, the wing would adjust shape for the most efficient cruise shape. For high speed flight, it was almost supercritical.

Found this out about WB business side. Secrecy, tying up would be manufacturing rivals in patent court. Quite an interesting read. Re Curtiss... he established flight control using ailerons, not the "wing warping" of the WB. Here is the end of the story

Twenty years after the Wrights sold their first airplane, struggling into business while fighting their debilitating patent wars, the company they had started finally became the second-largest aircraft and engine manufacturer in the nation (after the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation). But it had had to merge with its archenemy, Curtiss, to achieve this stature. And put its name second.

How The Wright Brothers Blew It

Basically, they lost manufacturing contracts over their level of secrecy, long fights over patent infringement, and wanting too much control over their flight control invention.

Hey, check out this steam powered Ader Avion III from 1890s. Looks like the WB also had wing design nailed down.


a reply to: Zaphod58

Great videos. Thanks! The first one also explains the flight control axes. Recommended. The third one... those giant airbags are a lot bigger than the ones on our pu truck!

That second one reminds me of looking up from my camp chair wondering what a plane is doing up there. It just goes to show that a plane doesn't have to look different to be testing an exotic concept... or, as in this case, an old concept brought back.

originally posted by: desert
That second one reminds me of looking up from my camp chair wondering what a plane is doing up there. It just goes to show that a plane doesn't have to look different to be testing an exotic concept... or, as in this case, an old concept brought back.

Here's another great example of that.



Looking up, without binoculars, you'd be hard pressed to tell this was anything but a 757. It's a 757, loaded up with sensors and software for the F-22 program.

a reply to: Zaphod58

And with binoculars that 757 looks like a goose with some kind of hat.

a reply to: desert

Yes the connection between Bell and Curtis is important in the history of the development . " Silver Dart Centenial Celebrations in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada. The first flight in the British Empire took place on Feb 23, 1909. Celebrating 100 years of Flight in Canada a replica of the Silver Dart took flight Feb 22, 2009 on the frozen runway of the Bras d'Or Lakes in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada "

Bit if difference 112 years makes!