December 17, 2018

On Dec. 17, 1903, 115 years ago today, Ohioan brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made the world’s first controlled flight in a machine that was piloted, power driven, and heavier than air. They flew this airplane—called the Flyer—near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. With Orville at the controls, the plane flew 120 feet (37 meters) on the first flight. It stayed in the air 12 seconds. The brothers made three more flights that day. The longest, by Wilbur, was 852 feet (260 meters) in length and lasted 59 seconds.

The American brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright built the first successful airplane. In this photograph, Wilbur looks on as Orville pilots their plane, called the Flyer, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, marking the world’s first flight in a heavier-than-air vehicle. Credit: © Classic Image/Alamy Images

After years of research and experimentation, and by studying the attempts of other would-be pilots, the Wright brothers knew that heavier-than-air flight was possible. They corresponded frequently with American engineer Octave Chanute, a friend and supporter of their work. The brothers built the Flyer in sections in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. The airplane was assembled and tested on the coastal dunes of North Carolina, where their creation could, like a kite, take advantage of high winds—as well as soft sands for potential crashes.

Orville Wright. Credit: Library of Congress

After that first flight, the Wrights continued their experiments at Huffman Prairie near Dayton in 1904 and 1905. The site of their Ohio flights became Wilbur Wright Field, which evolved into the sprawling Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1948. The Wright brothers continued as aviation pioneers, building new airplanes, setting flight records, and developing aircraft for the U.S. military as well as for governments in other countries. Wilbur died of typhoid fever on May 30, 1912. Orville retired in 1915 but continued to work privately on aviation development until his death on Jan. 30, 1948.

Wilbur Wright. Credit: Library of Congress

Wilbur was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in New York City in 1955. Orville was elected in 1965. They were the first two individuals named to the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1962. Their first airplane, the Flyer, is displayed in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.