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The Wright Brothers First Flight
It was on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina that Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplished what many
others had attempted but failed - the first heavier than air flight of a man-made machine through the air.
As Wilbur later described it, "This flight lasted only 12 seconds, but nevertheless it was the first in the
history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power in the air in full flight,
and sailed forward without reduction of speed and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it started."
The photograph above shows the Wright biplane, piloted by Orville Wright, just after it had taken off from the
monorail. Orville Wright was the pilot while Wilbur Wright ran alongside holding the wing to balance the aircraft
until it left the monorail.
For a short history of early flight attempts, including those by the Wright Brothers, click here: Early Flight Attempts
For testimonies and first-hand accounts of those who were at Kitty Hawk that day, clich here: First Hand Accounts
For additional information, refer to the Wright
Brothers National Memorial operated by the National Park Service.
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