Wright Brothers Research Paper

Wilbur Wright, one of the renowned Wright Brothers, once said, “It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill” (United). He and his brother have proven this by learning everything they could about airplanes along with all of the variables associated with flying before they even started working on the aircraft. The brothers were jacks of many trades, but the first airplane is what they are most well known for. In 1892, before the Wright brothers first became interested in the idea of flying, they owned a bicycle repair shop. Later, in Dayton, Ohio, 1896, they became interested in Otto Lilienthal’s glider flights of 1890 (The Wright Brothers First). They started experimenting in flight in 1899, first with mastering …show more content…
When it came to the fifth and final flight of that day, Wilbur was the pilot. That flight was the last one they took in that plane. It stayed aloft for fifty-nine seconds and flew 852 feet away from where it began. However, after the flight was over and the brothers turned in, the plane caught wind. The aircraft had rolled over on the beach. When Orville and Wilbur went to the plane the next morning they saw that something terrible had happened. The plane had been damaged beyond easy repair and so they had to start anew. The Wright brothers had some competition in their race to build the first flying machine. Samuel Langly, an employee for the Smithsonian, had also tried to build an aircraft, but did not have near the success the brothers had. Langly had been followed by the press at every turn during his quest. All of that publicity, however, did not help in the least. His aircraft had failed, it is believed to be because the Smithsonian relied on brute force in order to stay in the air. Whereas Orville and Wilbur believed that it took relatively little power in order to achieve flight …show more content…
After two years of perfecting the flying machine, it was able to do complex maneuvers and fly for up to 39 minutes. Throughout all of this they managed to maintain a low profile in order to secure patents and contracts. Then for their first public flight, they traveled to France in May of 1908 (History). This caused widespread enthusiasm, as they made over two hundred flights (The Wright Brothers Demonstrations). One year after the brothers had gone public the U.S. Army’s signal corporation bought a specially made plane. After that, Orville and Wilbur founded the Wright Company and built and marketed aircrafts. Three years later Wilbur died of Typhoid. Then in 1948, at the age of 76 Orville passed away. Today their aircraft of 1903 is on permanent display at The National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

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