Wright brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers who researched, invented, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane.

On December 17, 1903, they made the first controlled, lasting flight of an engine-powered heavier-than-air aircraft. The Wright Flyer flew four miles (6 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills. In 1904 they developed the Wright Flyer II, which made longer flights, including the first circle. In 1905 came the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the Wright Flyer III.

The brothers' biggest breakthrough was a three-axis control system. This system let the pilot steer the aircraft well and keep it balanced. Their aircraft controls made fixed-wing powered flight possible, and they remain standard on airplanes of all kinds. Wilbur and Orville believed that good pilot control was the key to solving "the flying problem," which set them apart from other experimenters of the time who focused more on powerful engines. They also used a small home-built wind tunnel to collect more accurate data than anyone before them, which helped them design better wings and propellers.

The brothers learned the mechanical skills they needed by working for years in their shop in Dayton, Ohio, where they worked with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles helped convince them that an unstable vehicle, such as a flying machine, could be controlled and balanced with practice. Between 1900 and their first powered flights in late 1903, they carried out many glider tests, which also built their skills as pilots. Their shop mechanic, Charles Taylor, became an important part of the team by building their first airplane engine alongside them.

For other uses, see Wright brothers (disambiguation).

Childhood

Milton Wright, a clergyman, and Susan Catherine Koerner had seven children, and Wilbur and Orville Wright were two of them. Milton's mother, Catherine Reeder, came from a family linked to the Vanderbilt family, one of America's richest families, and to the Huguenot Gano family of New Rochelle, New York. The Wrights were distantly related to the Revolutionary War patriot John Gano. Wilbur was born near Millville, Indiana in 1867, and Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1871. The brothers never married. Their sisters and brothers included Katharine, and twins Otis and Ida, who died as babies.

None of the Wright children had middle names. Their father wanted them to have unusual first names. Wilbur was named after Willbur Fisk and Orville after Orville Dewey, two clergymen whom Milton Wright admired. Friends called them "Will" and "Orv," and their neighbors in Dayton called them "the bishop's kids." Their father was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, so the family moved often, twelve times in all, before they settled back in Dayton in 1884. In 1878, while the family lived in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, their father brought home a toy helicopter based on an invention by French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. The brothers played with it until it broke, and then they built their own. Years later, they said this toy first sparked their interest in flying.

Early career and research

Both brothers went to high school but did not receive diplomas. In 1884 the family suddenly moved from Richmond, Indiana to Dayton, Ohio, which kept Wilbur from getting his diploma. The diploma was awarded to Wilbur after his death, in 1994. Orville left high school in 1889 to start a printing business, and Wilbur joined him. Their clients included their friend Paul Laurence Dunbar, who became a famous poet and writer. In 1892 the brothers opened a bicycle shop, the Wright Cycle Company, which helped pay for their growing interest in flight.

In the 1890s the brothers read about the glides of Otto Lilienthal in Germany. In 1896 Samuel Langley flew an unmanned model aircraft, and Octave Chanute gathered men to test gliders. Later that year Lilienthal died in a glider crash, and the brothers said this was when their serious interest in flight began. In 1899 Wilbur wrote to the Smithsonian Institution for information about flight. The brothers studied the work of Sir George Cayley, Leonardo da Vinci, and others. Author James Tobin wrote that Wilbur was the leader from the beginning to the end. The brothers believed that control was the hardest part of flight. Unlike Lilienthal, who shifted his body weight, they wanted pilots to steer by changing the angle of the wings, as birds do. Wilbur found a way to do this, called wing-warping, while twisting a box at the bicycle shop. They also chose wings that were less stable on purpose, so the pilot would have full control. Other builders, such as Ader, Maxim, and Langley, tried to build machines that were stable by design, such as those with dihedral wings, but the Wrights rejected this approach.

See also: List of Wright brothers aircraft

Main article: Wright Glider

In 1899 the brothers tested wing warping by flying a biplane kite. Twisting the wings made the kite roll, and the flyer controlled it with lines. In 1900 they went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to begin gliding experiments. They chose the spot for its steady breezes, soft sandy landings, and privacy from reporters, and they studied data from the Weather Bureau. Their gliders were based on earlier work by other pioneers, including Otto Lilienthal. The Wrights used wings with camber, a curved top surface, which gives better lift. Their tests in 1900 and 1901 showed that their gliders lifted less than they expected. In 1901 Wilbur used the Smeaton coefficient, a number for air pressure, and found it was wrong. The brothers built a wind tunnel and tested many wing shapes, which gave them valuable information.

By 1902 the brothers had a glider that could be controlled in turns. They found that the elevator controlled up and down motion, the wings controlled roll, and a movable rudder controlled the direction of the nose. This system, called three-axis control, let the pilot steer the aircraft and keep it balanced. The brothers applied for a patent for their "Flying Machine" in 1903. In 1903 they built the powered Wright Flyer, with a small engine and propellers they designed themselves. On December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, Orville flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds, the first controlled, powered flight by a heavier-than-air aircraft. Wilbur then flew a little further, and the two took turns on four flights that day.

In 1904 the brothers built the Wright Flyer II and flew at Huffman Prairie, near Dayton. On September 20, 1904, Wilbur flew the first complete circle by a manned, powered, heavier-than-air machine. In 1905 they built the Flyer III, which made longer flights of up to 24.5 miles (39.4 km). Reporters were slow to believe the news, and the brothers would not fly unless they had a firm contract to sell their aircraft. Other pioneers, such as Santos-Dumont and Glenn Curtiss, became more famous for a time.

European skepticism

By 1906, skeptics in the European flying community had turned the press against the Wright brothers. Newspapers in France were openly mocking them and called them bluffeurs ("bluffers"). Ernest Archdeacon, founder of the Aéro-Club de France, publicly doubted the brothers' claims even though reports had been published. In 1906, he said that "the French would make the first public demonstration of powered flight."

The Paris edition of the New York Herald shared Europe's view in an editorial on February 10, 1906. It said the Wrights had either flown or had not, and that they were either fliers or liars. It added that flying is difficult, while saying "We have flown" is easy. In 1908, after the Wrights' first flights in France, Archdeacon publicly admitted that he had treated them unfairly.

Contracts and return to Kitty Hawk

On October 19, 1905, the brothers contacted the United States Department of War, the British War Office, and a French group. The U.S. Board of Ordnance and Fortification said it would take no action until a machine could fly level and carry an operator. In 1906 and 1907, the brothers built new machines and worked on business deals. They then turned to Europe, especially France, where people were very excited about flying. In France, Wilbur met Frank P. Lahm, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Aeronautical Division, who helped Wilbur give a presentation to the U.S. Board in Washington, D.C. This time, the Board was impressed. In December 1907, the U.S. Army Signal Corps invited bids for a flying machine, and the Wrights won a contract on February 8, 1908. Later that year, the brothers also formed a French company with Lazare Weiller, Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, Hart O. Berg, and Charles Ranlett Flint.

In May 1908, the brothers returned to Kitty Hawk to practice for their demonstration flights. Reporters soon arrived, including John C. Burkhart, an aeronautical engineering student at Cornell University. Because the contracts required flights with a passenger, the brothers changed their 1905 Flyer to hold two seats. On May 14, 1908, Charlie Furnas, a mechanic from Dayton, became the first passenger on a fixed-wing aircraft, flying with both brothers on separate flights. Later, Wilbur lost control of the front elevator and crashed into the sand. He was bruised and hurt his ribs, and the crash ended the practice flights. In October 1911, Orville Wright returned to the Outer Banks to test a new glider for safety and stability. On October 24, he soared for 9 minutes and 45 seconds. This record lasted almost 10 years, until gliding became a sport in the 1920s.

Public showing

In August 1908, Wilbur Wright began public flights in France at the Hunaudières racetrack near Le Mans. His smooth turns amazed onlookers, including Louis Blériot. Crowds of thousands came to watch, and the Wright brothers became world famous. That September, Orville began demonstrations for the United States Army at Fort Myer, Virginia, and on September 9 he made the first hour-long flight.

On September 17, Army lieutenant Thomas Selfridge was flying as a passenger when the plane crashed. Selfridge died later that day, and Orville was badly injured. Wilbur was deeply upset by the accident and worked to make even better flights, setting new records for height and time in the air. In May 1910, Orville and Wilbur flew together once, and Orville took their father, Milton Wright, on a flight, the only powered flight of his life.

Patent war

See also: Wright brothers patent war

The Wright brothers wrote their 1903 patent application themselves, but it was rejected. In January 1904, they hired Ohio patent attorney Henry Toulmin. On May 22, 1906, they were granted U.S. Patent 821393 for "new and useful Improvements in Flying Machines." The patent showed a flying machine without an engine, the 1902 glider. Its main importance was a new way of controlling a flying machine, whether or not it had an engine. The brothers described wing-warping, but the patent also said other methods could change the angle of the wings on each side to control rolling. The steerable rear rudder, used together with wing-warping, let the airplane make a coordinated turn, which avoided dangerous adverse yaw. The patent also described the forward elevator, used for going up and down. In March 1904, the brothers applied for French and German patents, and the French patent was granted on July 1, 1904.

Glenn Curtiss and other early aviators made ailerons to copy the side control shown in the patent and in the Wrights' public flights. After Curtiss flew his AEA June Bug on July 4, 1908, the Wrights warned him not to profit from flying or selling aircraft that used ailerons. Curtiss was then a member of the Aerial Experiment Association, led by Alexander Graham Bell, where he had helped create wingtip ailerons for the AEA White Wing. Curtiss refused to pay license fees, so the Wrights sued him, starting a legal fight that lasted for years. They also sued foreign flyers, including Louis Paulhan. In the U.S., the Wrights agreed with the Aero Club of America to license approved air shows. In February 1913, a judge ruled that ailerons were covered by the patent, but Curtiss appealed. In January 1914, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against Curtiss. From 1910 until his death from typhoid fever in 1912, Wilbur led the fight, and the lawsuits slowed the brothers' work on new designs. When the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917, American forces had to use French airplanes. That year, the government pushed the industry to form a cross-licensing group, and the "patent war" ended. In 1929, the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and the Curtiss company merged to form the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. Historian C. H. Gibbs-Smith said the Wrights' legal victory would have been "doubtful" if an earlier M. P. W. Boulton patent, which described an aileron control system and an optional autopilot, had been known. A U.S. judge disagreed. The lawsuits also hurt the brothers' public image, as critics called them unfair, while supporters said they were protecting their rightful earnings.

In business

The Wright Company was started on November 22, 1909. The brothers sold their patents to the company, and Wilbur became president while Orville became vice president. The company built a factory in Dayton and set up a flying school and test field at Huffman Prairie. In 1910 the brothers moved the airplane's front elevator to the back, which made it easier to control. Because few people wanted to buy airplanes, the brothers hired and trained the Wright Exhibition Team of pilots to show off the machines and win prize money, even though Wilbur disliked what he called "the mountebank business." The team first performed at the Indianapolis Speedway on June 13. The brothers disbanded the team in November 1911.

On November 7, 1910, the company carried two bolts of dress silk 65 miles from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio, for a department store. Company pilot Phil Parmelee made the flight, which was more of an advertisement than a simple delivery. Between 1910 and 1916, the Wright Brothers Flying School at Huffman Prairie trained 115 pilots. Several of them became famous, including Henry "Hap" Arnold, who later became the first head of the U.S. Air Force; Calbraith Perry Rodgers, who made the first coast-to-coast flight in 1911 in a plane called the "Vin Fiz," named after the sponsor's grape soft drink; and Eddie Stinson, who founded the Stinson Aircraft Company.

Smithsonian feud

Samuel Langley led the Smithsonian Institution from 1887 until his death in 1906. He tested model flying machines for years, but two tests of his full-size manned Aerodrome in 1903 failed. The Smithsonian still displayed the Aerodrome as the first craft "capable" of manned powered flight, which placed the Wright brothers' invention in second place. This started a long dispute with Orville Wright. The Smithsonian based its claim on short test flights that Glenn Curtiss and his team made with the Aerodrome in 1914, after major changes to the craft. The Smithsonian did not reveal these changes, but Orville learned of them from his brother Lorin and from Griffith Brewer, who had watched some of the tests.

Orville objected many times, but the Smithsonian would not change its position. In 1928 he lent the restored 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer to the London Science Museum instead of giving it to the Smithsonian. Charles Lindbergh tried to settle the dispute without success. In 1942, after years of bad publicity and encouragement from Fred C. Kelly, the Smithsonian admitted its earlier statements about the 1914 tests were misleading. Orville died before the Flyer returned to the United States. In 1948 his estate agreed to sell the Flyer to the Smithsonian for one dollar, with strict rules for how it could be displayed. Some supporters of Gustave Whitehead have accused the Smithsonian of refusing to investigate claims of earlier flights.

Later years

Neither Wilbur nor Orville ever married. Wilbur joked that he "did not have time for both a wife and an airplane." In 1909, a short silent film, Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine (Wilbur Wright and his Flying Machine), became the first use of motion picture aerial photography filmed from a heavier-than-air aircraft. After giving a short training flight to a German pilot in Berlin in June 1911, Wilbur never flew again. He spent more and more time on business and lawsuits. The family then built a grand new home, Hawthorn Hill, in Oakwood, Ohio, designed by Schenck and Williams. Wilbur did not live to see it finished in 1914. He became ill in 1912 and was diagnosed with typhoid fever. He died at the family home on May 30, 1912, at age 45. His father wrote that Wilbur had "an unfailing intellect" and "great modesty."

Orville became president of the Wright Company after Wilbur's death. In 1914, he won the Collier Trophy for his automatic stabilizer on the Wright Model E. He sold the company in 1915, and it became part of Wright-Martin in 1916. He made his last flight as a pilot in 1918 and was later elected an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He also served on the NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. In 1936, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the anniversary of Orville's birthday National Aviation Day, a national observation that celebrates the development of aviation. Orville died on January 30, 1948, at age 76, more than 35 years after his brother. Both brothers are buried at Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.

Competing claims

Main article: Claims to the first powered flight

Further information: Early flying machines and Aviation in the pioneer era

Some people claim that other pioneers flew first. Clément Ader, Gustave Whitehead, Richard Pearse, and Karl Jatho are said to have made powered flights in tests before and including 1903. Others say the first true flight came after 1903, pointing to Traian Vuia and Alberto Santos-Dumont. Some supporters of these pioneers argue that the Wright brothers used methods that mean they should not be called the first. These methods included a launch rail, skids instead of wheels, a headwind at takeoff, and a catapult after 1903. Supporters of the Wright brothers argue that their proven, repeated, controlled, and sustained flights earn them credit as the inventors of the airplane, no matter those methods.

The aviation historian C. H. Gibbs-Smith supported the Wrights' claim to be first in flight. He wrote that a barn door can be made to "fly" for a short distance if enough energy is applied to it. He decided that the very limited flight experiments of Ader, Vuia, and others were "powered hops" rather than fully controlled flights.

State rivalry

Ohio's 50 State Quarter shows the 1905 Wright Flyer III, which was built and flown in Dayton, and Ohio native Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon. North Carolina's 50 State Quarter shows the famous first flight photo of the 1903 Wright Flyer in Kitty Hawk, at what is now Kill Devil Hills. Both Ohio and North Carolina take credit for the Wright brothers. Ohio does so because the brothers developed and designed their plane in Dayton. North Carolina does so because Kitty Hawk was the site of their first powered flight. In a friendly rivalry, Ohio adopted the slogan "Birthplace of Aviation," later changed to "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers" to also honor astronauts John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, both Ohio natives. The slogan appears on Ohio license plates. North Carolina uses the slogan "First in Flight" on its license plates, with a picture of the Wrights' plane.

The site of the first flights in North Carolina is preserved as the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and the Wrights' Ohio facilities are part of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. Both states can defend their claims, and each played an important role in the history of flight, so neither has an exclusive claim to the Wrights' achievement. Even with this competition, the Wrights' last bicycle shop and home were moved in 1937 from Dayton, Ohio to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, where they remain.

Commemorations

The Wright brothers and their airplane appear on both the front and back of the official United States pilot certification. They have also been honored on several U.S. postage stamps, including these:

• Wright Flyer, 2c, 1928 issue, International Civil Aeronautics Conference
• Wilbur and Orville Wright first flight, 6c airmail, 1949 issue

Wright Brothers Field

NASA named the first Martian airfield for the Ingenuity helicopter "Wright Brothers Field". The miniature helicopter arrived on Mars on February 18, 2021, attached to the Perseverance rover. A small piece of wing fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer was attached to a cable underneath Ingenuity's solar panel.

In 1969, Neil Armstrong carried a similar Wright Flyer artifact to the Moon in the Lunar Module Eagle during Apollo 11. Ingenuity flew five times from Wright Brothers Field between April 19 and May 7, 2021, then departed for other areas, making a total of 72 flights.