Wright Brothers' Airplane, "Kitty Hawk," in its First Flight
12/17/1903
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This photograph shows Wilbur Wright running alongside the airplane as Orville Wright left the ground in the brothers' famous first sustained flight. The original caption reads: Original Wright Brothers' 1903 Aeroplane ("Kitty Hawk") in first flight, December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, N.C. Orville Wright at controls. Wilbur Wright standing at right. (first flight was 12 seconds).
The Wright brothers, like many aviation pioneers at the beginning of the 20th century, believed that powered flight was possible and that the only obstacle was achieving lateral control, the movement from side to side. The felt that control should depend on the pilot, much like how a rider balances a bicycle. After successful tests on a five-foot biplane kite, it soon became obvious that the weather conditions at their home in Dayton were ill-suited for sustained experiments.
In 1900 the Wrights contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau about locations that contained the following three criteria: steady winds, ample soft sand dunes, and isolation. They ultimately settled on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, specifically the small settlement of Kitty Hawk, due to several large sand dunes known as Kill Devil Hills.
The brothers had high hopes for their first glider, believing the design to be sound and stable. Unfortunately, the wings didn't generate enough lift. The brothers returned to Kitty Hawk, in 1901 with an improved design. While this glider worked well in level flight, it was hard to control and unpredictable, leading them to almost give up. Eventually, they returned to Ohio and created a wind-tunnel to create their own data, rather than rely upon data collected by other aviation pioneers as they had been doing up to that point, which had proven to be inaccurate.
The 1902 Wright Glider represented all of the brothers' exhaustive research from their wind tunnel experiments. Improvements included a more efficient wingspan and the addition of moveable, vertical stabilizers on the rear of the craft to prevent side-to side movement (yaw) during turns. A moveable tail, combined with the horizontal stabilizer at the front and control of the wings, created a controllable aircraft, known today as the three axes of flight.
After conducting approximately one thousand glides during 1902, the brothers returned to Dayton confident that they could put a powered aircraft in flight during their next trip. They were so confident that once they returned to Dayton, they filed a patent for their flying machine in March 1903.
After three challenging and sometimes dangerous years, the brothers believed that 1903 would be the year that they achieved powered flight. They had to make critical refinements to their design, chiefly finding a power source. After failing to find an adequate commercial engine, they commissioned a machinist at their bicycle shop to build one. They designed their own propellers. They also needed to address weight. Their flying machine weighed nearly five times more than their 1902 glider, requiring a launching system to get it up to flying speed. Their setup consisted of a 60-foot wooden monorail on a dolly with two modified bicycle hubs and another hub attached to the front of the machine.
After arriving at Kitty Hawk in September 1903, the date of their attempt at powered flight was continually set back due to mechanical issues. After repairs were made, the Wright brothers attempted powered flight on December 14th. The pilot was decided by a coin toss, which Wilbur won. Unfortunately, during takeoff he oversteered, and the flyer climbed too steeply, stalled, and dove into the sand, necessitating more repairs.
On December 17th, 1903, with the winter weather beginning to set in, the brothers prepared for what would likely be their last attempt to achieve powered flight for the year. The wind was much stronger than they would have liked, but they pressed on. Since Wilbur had gotten the first turn, Orville took the controls for the second attempt. At 10:35 AM, Orville released the restraining wire and the flyer began rolling down the monorail and left the ground. As he left the ground, John Daniels, a member of the local lifesaving station, snapped this iconic photo as Wilbur ran alongside.
The brothers then took turns, flying three more times, increasing their distance as they familiarized themselves with the controls. After the fourth flight, a gust of wind caught the flyer, rolled it over and damaged it beyond simple repair. The flying season ended, but the Wright Brothers had achieved their famous first sustained flight.
The Wright brothers, like many aviation pioneers at the beginning of the 20th century, believed that powered flight was possible and that the only obstacle was achieving lateral control, the movement from side to side. The felt that control should depend on the pilot, much like how a rider balances a bicycle. After successful tests on a five-foot biplane kite, it soon became obvious that the weather conditions at their home in Dayton were ill-suited for sustained experiments.
In 1900 the Wrights contacted the U.S. Weather Bureau about locations that contained the following three criteria: steady winds, ample soft sand dunes, and isolation. They ultimately settled on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, specifically the small settlement of Kitty Hawk, due to several large sand dunes known as Kill Devil Hills.
The brothers had high hopes for their first glider, believing the design to be sound and stable. Unfortunately, the wings didn't generate enough lift. The brothers returned to Kitty Hawk, in 1901 with an improved design. While this glider worked well in level flight, it was hard to control and unpredictable, leading them to almost give up. Eventually, they returned to Ohio and created a wind-tunnel to create their own data, rather than rely upon data collected by other aviation pioneers as they had been doing up to that point, which had proven to be inaccurate.
The 1902 Wright Glider represented all of the brothers' exhaustive research from their wind tunnel experiments. Improvements included a more efficient wingspan and the addition of moveable, vertical stabilizers on the rear of the craft to prevent side-to side movement (yaw) during turns. A moveable tail, combined with the horizontal stabilizer at the front and control of the wings, created a controllable aircraft, known today as the three axes of flight.
After conducting approximately one thousand glides during 1902, the brothers returned to Dayton confident that they could put a powered aircraft in flight during their next trip. They were so confident that once they returned to Dayton, they filed a patent for their flying machine in March 1903.
After three challenging and sometimes dangerous years, the brothers believed that 1903 would be the year that they achieved powered flight. They had to make critical refinements to their design, chiefly finding a power source. After failing to find an adequate commercial engine, they commissioned a machinist at their bicycle shop to build one. They designed their own propellers. They also needed to address weight. Their flying machine weighed nearly five times more than their 1902 glider, requiring a launching system to get it up to flying speed. Their setup consisted of a 60-foot wooden monorail on a dolly with two modified bicycle hubs and another hub attached to the front of the machine.
After arriving at Kitty Hawk in September 1903, the date of their attempt at powered flight was continually set back due to mechanical issues. After repairs were made, the Wright brothers attempted powered flight on December 14th. The pilot was decided by a coin toss, which Wilbur won. Unfortunately, during takeoff he oversteered, and the flyer climbed too steeply, stalled, and dove into the sand, necessitating more repairs.
On December 17th, 1903, with the winter weather beginning to set in, the brothers prepared for what would likely be their last attempt to achieve powered flight for the year. The wind was much stronger than they would have liked, but they pressed on. Since Wilbur had gotten the first turn, Orville took the controls for the second attempt. At 10:35 AM, Orville released the restraining wire and the flyer began rolling down the monorail and left the ground. As he left the ground, John Daniels, a member of the local lifesaving station, snapped this iconic photo as Wilbur ran alongside.
The brothers then took turns, flying three more times, increasing their distance as they familiarized themselves with the controls. After the fourth flight, a gust of wind caught the flyer, rolled it over and damaged it beyond simple repair. The flying season ended, but the Wright Brothers had achieved their famous first sustained flight.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs.
National Archives Identifier: 7580929
Full Citation: Photograph 165-WW-713-6; Wright Brothers' 1903 Aeroplane Kitty Hawk in First Flight; 12/17/1903; American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918; Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, Record Group 165; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/wright-brothers-kitty-hawk, December 5, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
