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Speeds of the Wright Flyer

The Wright Flyer was the first heavier-than-air, controllable powered aircraft to fly successfully. It was built by Wilbur and Orville Wright during the summer of 1903 after three years of testing gliders at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Basically a larger, reinforced version of their 1902 glider, the 40-foot wingspan Flyer was powered by a one-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine designed and built by Wright bicycle mechanic Charles Taylor. In the fall of 1903, the Flyer was disassembled and transported by railroad from the Wright's shop in Dayton, Ohio, to the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. The Wright Flyer was destined to fly successfully only four times.

Flight One
- After an aborted three-second attempt off Kill Devil Hill on December 14, 1903, damaged the Flyer's undercarriage, the first successful flight occurred December 17 on nearly level ground near the Wright's workshop. Piloted by Orville Wright, the 12-second flight covered approximately 120 feet for a speed of 6.8 miles per hour. This flight is immortalized in John Daniel's famous photograph of the Flyer lifting off its launching track as Wilbur runs alongside.
Flight Two
- With Wilbur Wright piloting, the second flight on December 17 lasted only one second longer than the first, but at 175 feet covered substantially more distance and reached a speed of 9.2 miles per hour.
Flight Three
- Orville Wright again took the controls and added two seconds of duration and 25 feet of distance to the previous flight's statistics. The speed was unchanged. At an altitude of 10 feet, the Flyer flew at 9.2 miles per hour.
Flight Four
- December 17th's last flight, as well as the Flyer's, took place at noon. Wilbur took the Flyer up for 59 seconds and covered 853 feet. The flight began with uncertainty as the plane pitched several times soon after liftoff. By the time 300 feet had been covered, however, Wilbur established a level flight for some thirty seconds and achieved an average speed of 9.8 miles per hour. At approximately 800 feet of distance, the Flyer began undulating again and on one of its downward swoops contacted the ground, shattering the frame supporting the front elevator and ending the flight.
Aftermath
- Following a break for lunch, the brothers set out to haul the Flyer back to their workshop, intending to continue flying attempts after repairs to the damaged elevator. As Wilbur, Orville and a group of volunteers from the nearby Kitty Hawk lifesaving station hoisted the Flyer, a gust of wind caught one of its wide wings and flipped the aircraft violently, destroying it in an instant. The Wright Flyer never flew again, but its disassembled remains were shipped back to Dayton. Today, the rebuilt Flyer resides in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Aviation