| 1903 | |
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Plans/Diagrams |
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Construction |
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Photos |
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Engine |
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Specifications |
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Wind Tunnel Tests |
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| 2003 | |
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Rediscovering Secrets |
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Construction |
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Photos |
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Wind Tunnel Tests |
| The Wright Flyer 1903  In Dayton, Orville and Wilbur
completed the design and construction of their powered glider in June
1903. It weighed in at just over 600 pounds including its 179-pound, 12
horsepower engine. The craft had a wingspan of 40 feet, 4 inches.
At 10:35 a.m., December 17, 1903, Orville Wright fired up the four-cylinder engine and embarked on the first manned, sustained, powered flight. That initial ascent lasted about 12 seconds and spanned an estimated 120 feet. Wilbur then gave it a try and exceeded his brother’s distance by about 75 feet. As any pilot knows, nothing can substitute for experience: By Wilbur’s second try (the fourth overall and the last one of this fateful day), he sustained flight for nearly a full minute and a distance of over 850 feet. 2003 To
ensure the authenticity of the 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction and research
from The Wright Experience, Ford Motor Company has provided technological
expertise and major help for the project. At
10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003, 100 years to-the-minute of the first flight,
EAA and Countdown to Kitty Hawk presenting sponsor, Ford Motor Company,
are scheduled to re-create the Wright brothers’ historic moment.
It will mark the first time a truly accurate 1903 Wright Flyer
reproduction has taken to the air at the site of the Wrights’ flight.
Through a special partnership with the National Park Service,
EAA’s 1903 Wright Flyer is the only reproduction scheduled to re-create
the flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Orville and Wilbur Wright, two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, made a discovery that changed the course of history — powered flight. And the sand dunes near Kitty Hawk is the place where they actually took to the air. Today, American citizens call this place the Wright Brothers National Memorial. |
