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 the fall of 1902, they made made nearly a thousand flights with it at Kill Devil Hills. From this glider, the Wrights learned that to obtain adequate control in the air, they would have to install a movable rudder in place of fixed rudders. This last modification solved the problem of control. Click here to return to the Wright Brothers Overview.