Photo: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; Wright flyer flies: December 17, 1903 source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer
Today marks a very important day in the history of aviation. On this day in 1903 the Wright Brothers made their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
According to the website:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer
"On December 14, 1903, the Wright Brothers felt ready for their first attempt at powered flight. With the help of men from the nearby government life-saving station, the Wrights moved the Flyer and its launching rail to the incline of a nearby sand dune, Big Kill Devil Hill, intending to make a gravity-assisted takeoff. The brothers tossed a coin to decide who would get the first chance at piloting and Wilbur won. The airplane left the rail, but Wilbur pulled up too sharply, stalled, and came down in about three seconds with minor damage."
"Repairs after the abortive first flight took three days. When they were ready again on December 17, the wind was averaging more than 20 mph, so the brothers laid the launching rail on level ground, pointed into the wind, near their camp. This time the wind, instead of an inclined launch, helped provide the necessary airspeed for takeoff. Because Wilbur already had the first chance, Orville took his turn at the controls. His first flight lasted 12 seconds for a total distance of 120 feet (36.5 m) – shorter than the wingspan of a Boeing 707."
"Taking turns, the Wrights made four brief, low-altitude flights that day. The flight paths were all essentially straight; turns were not attempted. Each flight ended in a bumpy and unintended "landing". The last flight, by Wilbur, was 852 feet (260 m) in 59 seconds, much longer than each of the three previous flights of 120, 175 and 200 feet. The landing broke the front elevator supports, which the Wrights hoped to repair for a possible four-mile (6 km) flight to Kitty Hawk village. Soon after, a heavy gust picked up the Flyer and tumbled it end over end, damaging it beyond any hope of quick repair. It was never flown again."
Here is a link to more information concerning the Wright Flyer:
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/planes/wrightfly.html
Here is a link to a page at the National Geographic website which allows you to see how the Wright Brothers built their machine:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0312/feature1/flyer/main.html
This is a link to more information about the Wright brothers and their achievements:
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/TheWrightBrother.htm
Lastly, here is a link to a video which describes how the Wright Brothers achieved controlled flight:
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/nasa/2197-how-did-the-wright-brothers-control-flight-video.htm
