Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • Wright Brothers, 1907

    President Theodore Roosevelt heard of the Wrights and their flying machine and directed the U.S. Army to investigate their claims of having flown. This interest led to meetings with the Wrights, and on Dec. 23, 1907, Specification No. 486 was issued for a "Heavier-than-air Flying Machine." On Feb.

  • Mastering Flight at Huffman Prairie

    During 1904-1905, the Wrights continued researching the mysteries of flight at Huffman Prairie near the Simms Station trolley stop (now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio). In September 1904 Wilbur Wright reached a significant milestone. After ascending over Huffman Prairie in the Flyer

  • Conquering the Sky: Dec. 17, 1903

    Pictured is the take-off of the 1903 Wright Flyer on the world's first powered, sustained and controlled heavier-than-air flight on Dec. 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Piloted by Orville Wright, the airplane remained aloft for 12 seconds and flew a distance of 120 feet in a straight line.After

  • Original 1903 Wright Flyer Fabric

    The world's first successful, controlled, powered, manned heavier-than-air craft, the Wright 1903 Flyer, made only four flights, all on Dec. 17 of that year, before a gust of wind overturned it and damaged it extensively. Rather than repair it, the Wrights developed improved versions, but

  • Wright Brothers, 1903

    By 1903, the Wrights had solved two of the three basic problems associated with developing a successful flying machine -- lift and control. The problem of adding a lightweight power plant for propulsion remained.In the summer of 1903, they built a 40-feet, 4-inch span airplane that incorporated all

  • Wright Brothers, 1902

    Between the fall of 1901 and the summer of 1902, the Wrights developed and tested more than 50 airfoil sections on a modified bicycle and in a homemade wind tunnel. At last they had solved the problem of calculating lift.Using the tables they developed, the Wrights built a 32-foot span glider. In

  • Wright Brothers, 1901

    Encouraged by their experience with their first glider, the Wrights built a 22-foot span glider in 1901. It followed the basic design of their first glider but incorporated a pilot's hip-cradle for operating the wing-warping control cables. The Wrights flew this glider at Kill Devil Hills in the

  • Wright Brothers, 1900

    Bicycles to Flyers After limited success in the printing business, Wilbur and Orville Wright decided to sell and repair bicycles. They opened up the first of several bicycle shops in 1893, and three years later, the Wrights began building bicycles of their own design. The successful bicycle business

  • Wright Bicycle

    This bicycle sprocket hub and sprockets from the Wright Bicycle Co. are on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The Wrights later used a bicycle-type chain drive in their early airplanes. Also on display are a composting stick and metal type from the Wright printing

  • Charles E. Taylor (1868-1956): The First Aviation Mechanic

    Charlie Taylor was a brilliant, self-taught mechanic who made a crucial contribution to the Wright brothers' invention of the airplane. When a suitable engine was not available for the first flight, he designed and built the first successful airplane engine in only six weeks. This made the Wright