World's First Airplane

A brief history of flight:

• Around 400 B.C. the first kites were created.
• In the 1480's Leonardo da Vinci created many drawing illustrating various aircraft, some of which have been proven to work and his helicopters are based on his Ornithopter flying machine.
• In 1783 Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier make the first hot air ballon flight.
• In the early to mid 1800's George Cayley designed numerous glider, some of which were flown successfully.
• In 1891 Otto Lilienthal designed a glider capable of carrying humans and had over 2,500 successful flights before losing his life in a crash.

The above is a very brief history as a lead up to the world's first airplane flight with many significant events excluded.

On December 14 1903 the Wright brothers were ready to fly the world's first powered airplane, but who would fly it? They flipped a coin and Wilbur won.
Wilbur Wright launched the Wright flyer for its first flight but unfortunately the left wing caught the ground and crashed.
Three days later, on the December 17 1903, it was Orville's turn and 12 seconds and 120 feet later the world's first airplane flight had taken place.

They flew 3 more flights that day with Wilbur making the longest at 852 feet.

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers 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. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before. Their first U.S. patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.

They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.[11] From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers.

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

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