The Wright Brothers First Flight Took Place On The "Outer Banks" On A Cold December Day.

The Wright Brothers were two stubborn guys.They would have had to had a love of wanting to be able to fly like a bird,to endure three years of building,and flying kites and gliders,and the hardships,and failures,to finally fly their plane on a cold December day.And that was 852 feet,and 59 seconds,their best flight of the day.

The Wright Brothers decided to go to the Outer Banks because of the wind,and the soft sand.If you go to Google and do a book search on them you can find some great stories on Wilbur and Orville.Ironically,neither one was ever married.

We vacation to the Outer Banks every year and the Wright Brothers Memorial is truly a landmark.The Museum is fantastic.If you are planing on a visit,you may find some information in this site that will be useful.

I bet that the Outer Banks looked a lot different in 1903, then it does today,don't you?

When they decided to start building a plane,Wilbur owned a bicycle shop in Dayton,Ohio and Orville worked for him.They started with kites and gliders,built their own wind tunnel,and even recalculated long accepted physics equations.

Although other inventers had discovered that curved wings reduce air pressure above,and increace it below,resulting in an upward push,or lift,and most used a perfect arc design,the Wright Brothers put the high point of the arc,nearer the leading edge.

They believed this would increase the flyer's stability by keeping the wings balanced over the center of pressure,where lift is focused,as the plane moved up and down during flight.

Another piece of equipment the Wright Brothers had to think of was the propellar.While others had copied boat propellars,Wilbur and Orville realized that a propellar works like a rotating force.Not only could they created lift,but could generate thrust.

The Wright's flyer had two propellars.Both moved in opposite directions.(Smart Boys)

For the engine they had one built of lightweight aluminum.Then the propellars were connected to the engine by a chain and sprocket transmission that resembled a bicycles control steering.

One of the brothers most important achievement was their three-dimensional control system. It's why their Flyer worked when other planes didn't. The Wrights realized a plane could not be turned with just a rudder, like a boat, it had to bank into turns to stay under control.

For directional control, the Wrights created wing warping,twisting the wings to facilitate turning. The pilot's torso rests in a wooden hip cradle that is connected by wires to both wings rear corners,and to the rear rudder.

By shifting his hips to one side, the pilot pulls the opposite wing tip down, while the other automatically twists up. The side with the trailing edge down experiences more lift.

The increased lift causes the Flyer to bank into a turn. The rudder keeps the turn under control.

ELEVATION AND DESCENT For vertical control, a wooden hand lever was connected by a chain and pulley to an elevator in the front. By pulling the hand lever back, the pilot rotated the elevator, causing the plane to rise. Pushing the hand lever forward would cause the plane to descend.

The first flights were made On Dec. 17, 1903.The Wright Brothers made four flights, each progressively farther:

Flight 1 120 ft. 12 sec., Orville

Flight 2 175 ft.12 sec.Wilbur

Flight 3 200 ft. 15 sec.Orville

Flight 4 852 ft. 59 sec.Wilbur

It was so cold that day in December,the WrightBrothers had to go and warm their hands in between their flights.When their last flight was over and they were talking,a strong gust of wind blew their plane over and over,even though one of the guys that was watching,grabed it, and was bruised all over his body.The plane was damaged pretty bad,and was put in storage,and fixed the following year.In just a few years,planes were flying across the ocean.All because of the accomplishments in Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers.I said it above,that they choose the Outer Banks because of the soft sand,and the wind that is always present.

I hope this page was some what enjoyable to read,and Google will give you something that you are looking for. If you vacation to the Outer Banks,stop in and see where the Wright Brothers made it all happen.(Good luck and have fun.)Below are more attractions you may want to see on your other vacations.

Ready to discover Gatlinburg, Tennessee? Start here to learn about Gatlinburg lodging options, from cabins to hotels, favorite attractions, along with these top vacation tips.

Gatlinburg Lodging Guide.

Leave The Wright Brothers And Go To Home Page

Go To NC Aquarium,Another Outer Banks Attraction