Orville and Wilbur Wright

Orville Wright
Orville Wright
(1871–1948)

Wilbur Wright
Wilbur Wright
(1867–1912)

 

Anecdote...

Weary of explaining the principles of their biplane's performance to the inquisitive, the Wright brothers said simply, "The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall."


More Info buttonView a photo of the first flight in the Wright Flyer
First flight of the Wright Flyer I, 17 December 1903, Orville piloting, Wilbur running at wingtip.
Photo by John T. Daniels of the Kill Devil Hills Life Saving Station, using Orville's tripod-mounted camera


Biographical Note...

U.S. pioneer aviators. In December 1903 their biplane, Flyer 1, made the world's first powered heavier-than-air flights in a series of hops totaling 97 seconds. Their aircraft was the product of intensive research and preflight testing with kites and gliders. Orville was the first to take to the air near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The fourth and final flight, with Wilbur as pilot, lasted 59 seconds and covered 852 feet.


More Information...

READ a short biography of Orville Wright. READ a short biography of Wilbur Wright. READ an anecdote about Orville and Wilbur's father, Bishop Milton Wright.