Final Construction of the "Flyer" Took Place At Kitty Hawk.

Looking back nearly a century later, it is easy to assume that the Wrights' historic first powered flight on December 17, 1903, was inevitable. After all, they had done their homework and it was bound to happen. In fact, all that fall the brothers were besieged by problems that almost overpowered them, but to their credit they never ceased to persevere…and so won the final prize.

Their first day at Kitty Hawk was marvelous - 75 glides in the '02 glider, the best of which, 30 and 2/5 seconds in length, broke their old record. Quickly, they set about repairing their old building, which had been blown off its foundation during the winter, and constructing a new 44x16 foot shed in which to store the glider and their "Flyer." Then their luck turned sour.

On Oct. 15, the first of a succession of storms hit the Outer Banks, repeatedly damaging their buildings and causing a lake to circle their camp. The mosquitoes returned so thick that, as Orville wrote, "They turned day into night." When it was not raining, there was punishing heat. Through it all, the Wrights continued to work on their "Flyer" - first completing construction of the frame, then placing the engine and propellers into the craft. On Nov. 5, the "Flyer" was ready for ground testing, but disaster struck. The engine sprockets could not be tightened; the magneto failed to provide a sufficient spark; vibrations from the engine damaged the propeller shafts. Disheartened, they sent the shafts back to Dayton, so Charlie Taylor could repair them.

The Completed "Flyer" Beside the Camp Sheds.

The next day, however, things began to go their way. A liberal dose of tire cement solved the sprocket problem, the magneto problem was solved by an adjustment to the gasoline feed valve, which allowed the engine and propellers to produce an additional 16 to 18 pounds of thrust, more than they had thought possible. "Our confidence in the success of the machine," Orville recorded in his diary, "is now greater than ever before."

A week later, however, disaster struck again. While testing the engine, one of the propeller shafts cracked. Orville left immediately for Dayton, to make new shafts of solid tool steel. Until he returned on Dec. 11, there was nothing for Wilbur to do but wait…and anguish.

This "Kitty Hawk Moment" is brought to you by EAA, whose Countdown to Kitty Hawk program, presented by Ford Motor Company, includes an exact flying reproduction of the Wright Flyer. It is the centerpiece of EAA's national tour during 2003, which will conclude with a five-day celebration at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright flyer will fly again at exactly 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003, commemorating 100 years of powered flight.

This “Kitty Hawk Moment” is brought to you by EAA, whose Countdown to Kitty Hawk program, presented by Ford Motor Company, includes an exact flying reproduction of the Wright Flyer. It is the centerpiece of EAA’s national tour during 2003, which will conclude with a five-day celebration at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where the Wright flyer will fly again at exactly 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003, commemorating 100 years of powered flight.