Orville Wright
Wilbur Wright
Inventing the Airplane
Testing the Wright Flyer, 1903: Image courtesy of NASA
Brothers from Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright were always fascinated by the potential power of flight. They made it their life goal to build a successful flying machine.
Wright brothers: Image courtesy of Janet R. Bednarek
“They were conscientious, stubborn, persistent. Yet, their rivals included trained engineers with skill, persistence, time, and money”
~ Philip N. Johnson-Laird, Author and Philosopher
3-Axis control system: Video courtesy of Kevin Thorp
Thanks to the Second Industrial Revolution, the Wright brothers had nearly everything to build a successful flying machine, but there was one crucial missing element: the controls. The airplane needed a way to safely take off, land, and steer to work. "The last puzzle piece" was their 3-axis control system. On March 23, 1903, the Wrights filed a patent for their system, which controlled the flying machine's pitch, yaw, and roll. This change helped turn what was merely a kite into an airplane with future military potential.
"The three-axis control system was their single most important design breakthrough."
~ National Air and Space Muesuem
After four years of work, the Wrights' first powered airplane flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, making a 12-second flight. An airplane was now invented, but it wasn’t designed for war yet.
Wright Flyer I: Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
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