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Orville and Wilbur Wright



Orville and Wilbur Wright

Orville and Wilbur Wright
ORVILLE WRIGHT               WILBUR WRIGHT
Inventors of the Airplane
Inspired by the experiments of Octave Chanute, they left a successful bicycle manufacturing business to devote their lives to aeronautics. Three years of unpowered flights assisted in the perfection of their design. The world's first wind tunnel in which they tested more than 200 wing shapes was a byproduct of their development program. Lack of a suitable engine caused them to design and produce their own power plant.

These pioneers changed the course of history, when without public notice, in a fragile craft weighing 750 lbs., with a 12 horsepower engine, on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, made the first successful powered flight. Orville is credited with the first flight of 12 seconds, and a distance of 120 feet. Each completing two successful flights on that epic day, Wilbur making the longest of 852 feet.

Public recognition of their achievement was to take several years, coming first in Europe. Not until 1908 were they able to interest the U.S. Government in their machine, organize Wright Airplane Company, and produce aircraft. Orville, credited with many aeronautical patents, remained active in aircraft research until his death.

Born 19 Aug. 1871                           Born 16 Apr. 1867
Died 30 Jan. 1948                           Died 30 May 1912


Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 1965