Timeline
The Wright Brothers began their journey to Kitty Hawk in 1900. They traveled to North Carolina when the Wright Cycle Company was in its slow season. The trip from Dayton, OH to Kitty Hawk, NC was a total of 677 miles.
1900
|
The Wrights traveled the 677 miles to Kitty Hawk, NC from Dayton, OH. They chose an area in Kitty Hawk called Kill Devil Hill. They brought with them a 17-foot glider that they believed was ready to be tested. Unfortunately, the glider flew like a kite, which wasn’t what they were wanting. The Brothers went back home determined to come back with a better machine.
Orville and Wilbur created the largest glider that anyone had attempted to fly with a wingspan of 22 feet. Unfortunately, the glider was uncontrollable when it was in the air. They again traveled to Kitty Hawk, NC with an even more advanced plane, this time with 32-foot wings. The glider was working but there were issues when it tried to turn in the air, the brothers knew that the tail was the problem and were convinced that they could fix this issue. On December 17, 1903, there were a total of 12 seconds that changed the world forever. Orville and Wilbur made the appropriate changes to the glider and on the empty beach in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina they took off. According to Learn NC, “It lasted only 12 seconds, and the distance of the flight was less than the length of an airliner. But for the first time, a manned, heavier-than-air machine left the ground by its own power, moved forward under control without losing speed, and landed on a point as high as that from which it started.” The Wright Flyer was made of wood, wire, and cloth, and traveled 120 feet in 12 seconds. |