Wright brothers

For other uses, see Wright brothers (disambiguation).

Wright brothers
Orville Wright in 1905
Wilbur Wright in 1905
Orville (left) and Wilbur Wright in 1905
NationalityAmerican
Other names
  • Will and Orv
  • The Bishop's boys
Known forInventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane with the Wright Flyer, which pioneered the use of an effective flight control system
Parents
RelativesKatharine Wright (sister)[a]
Orville Wright
Born(1871-08-19)August 19, 1871
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 1948(1948-01-30) (aged 76)
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Cause of deathHeart attack[1]
Education3 years high school
OccupationPrinter / publisher, bicycle retailer / manufacturer, airplane inventor / manufacturer, pilot trainer
SignatureSignature of Orville Wright
Wilbur Wright
Born(1867-04-16)April 16, 1867
Millville, Indiana, U.S.
DiedMay 30, 1912(1912-05-30) (aged 45)
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Cause of deathTyphoid fever[2]
Education4 years high school
OccupationEditor, bicycle retailer / manufacturer, airplane inventor / manufacturer, pilot trainer
SignatureSignature of Wilbur Wright

The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful airplane.[3][4][5] They made the first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, four miles (6 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. In 1904 the Wright brothers developed the Wright Flyer II, which made longer-duration flights including the first circle, followed in 1905 by the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the Wright Flyer III.

The brothers' breakthrough invention was their creation of a three-axis control system, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. Their system of aircraft controls made fixed-wing powered flight possible and remains standard on airplanes of all kinds.[6][7][8][9][10][11]: 183  Their first U.S. patent did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.[12] From the beginning of their aeronautical work, Wilbur and Orville focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines.[13] Using a small home-built wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design more efficient wings and propellers.[11]: 156 [14]: 228 

The brothers gained the mechanical skills essential to their success by working for years in their Dayton, Ohio-based shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles, in particular, influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle such as a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.[14]: 169  This was a trend, as many other aviation pioneers were also dedicated cyclists and involved in the bicycle business in various ways.[15] From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, the brothers conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their shop mechanic Charles Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first airplane engine in close collaboration with the brothers.[16]

The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to numerous counter-claims. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTOrville was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTWilbur was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "The Wright Brothers and the invention of the aerial age". National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2010.
  4. ^ Johnson, Mary Ann (September 28, 2001). "Program 3". Following the footsteps of the Wright Brothers: Their sites and stories symposium papers. Following in the Footsteps of the Wright Brothers: Their Sites and Stories. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  5. ^ "Flying through the ages". BBC News. March 19, 1999. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  6. ^ "Inventing a flying machine – the breakthrough concept". The Wright Brothers and the invention of the aerial age. The Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "Wagging Its Tail". The Wright Story – Inventing the Airplane, wright-brothers.org. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  8. ^ "Aviation: From sand dunes to sonic booms". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  9. ^ Padfield, Gareth D.; Lawrence, Ben (December 2003). "The birth of flight control: An engineering analysis of the Wright brothers' 1902 glider" (PDF). Department of Engineering. The Aeronautical Journal. 107 (1078). The University of Liverpool: 697–718. doi:10.1017/S0001924000013464. S2CID 17689037. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2008.
  10. ^ Howard 1988, p. 89.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Jakab-1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Flying machine". May 22, 1906. US Patent 821393. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  13. ^ Mortimer 2009, p. 2.
  14. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Crouch-2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Guroff, Margaret (July 8, 2016). "The Untold Story Of How Bicycle Design Led To The Invention Of The Airplane". Fast Company. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "Taylor, Charles "Charley" : National Aviation Hall of Fame". www.nationalaviation.org. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved December 17, 2021.