In 2003, the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first flight of an airplane by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. While much attention will be paid to the events of December 17,1903, it is important to note that the four flights of that day were only one small step in the development of the airplane. The brothers had already invested three years of work between 1900 and 1902 perfecting unpowered gliders and learning to fly. It would take another three years work, from 1903 to 1905, until all the problems of their powered airplane were solved.

Between 1903 and 1905, the brothers built a series of aircraft which would eventually lead to the first practical airplane. In early 1903, the Wrights could not find an engine manufacturer who would meet their requirements for both light weight and high horsepower. So, in a period of just six weeks, they built their own 4 cylinder, 12 horsepower, internal combustion engine. They also designed and built highly efficient aircraft propellers using their wind tunnel results and realizing that they must be shaped as a rotating airfoil.

After six years of work, the brothers finally had a practical working airplane and began to market it to the War Department. In 1902 the brothers, by then highly proficient in handling a glider, had built their third one. Its construction was based on the results of their own wind tunnel measurements, the accuracy of which convinced them that they were ready to build a machine equipped with an engine.

The first powered Wright plane was a biplane with a wingspan of 40 feet, 4 inches, length of 21 feet, and height of 8 feet; it weighed 605 pounds. The wings were constructed of spars and ribs covered on top and bottom with unbleached and untreated muslin cut on the bias. The outer wing extremities could be warped for lateral balance.

Behind the wings were two propellers which rotated in opposite directions. They were made of two layers of spruce glued together, each layer one and three-quarters inches thick. The ribs and undercarriage were of second growth ash and the spars and struts were of spruce. In front, mounted on outriggers, was the elevator with 48 square feet of fabric surfaces, movable for vertical steering. In the rear was a rudder with a fabric area of 20 square feet. The whole was mounted on a pair of skids which formed the landing gear. The pilot, who lay prone on the lower wing, operated the front elevator by rocking a small lever with his left hand; he controlled the warping of the wings and rudder, which were interconnected, by moving his body from side to side so as to shift the control cradle on which his hips lay.

His position on the lower wing slightly left of center balanced the weight of the engine which was fastened to the wing beams. It was impossible to get an engine from American manufacturers, so the Wrights, who had built an engine to power their tool shop, in six weeks constructed one of their own. They were aided in this project by Charles E. Taylor, a machinist in their employ. Their joint efforts produced a 4cylinder engine with a 4-inch bore and stroke developing nearly 12 horsepower.

The airframe and engine were shipped to Kitty Hawk in September 1903. There were delays and difficulties with the equipment, but on 14 December everything was ready for a test flight. The plane, facing into the wind, was mounted on a dolly, which rode on the 60-foot launching track laid out on level ground. On the toss of a coin Wilbur Wright won the first chance to pilot the plane. It rose from the track but turned up at too great an angle, stalled, and fell, breaking a skid and other small parts, but leaving Wilbur unhurt.

Repairs were quickly made, and on 17 December, a cold and windy day, another try was made, this time with Orville Wright at the controls. After traveling 40 feet, with Wilbur running alongside to steady the end of one wing, the plane rose from the ground and traveled 120 feet against a 22-27-mile-perhour wind; it had remained in the air for 12 seconds. Thus Orville Wright was the first man to achieve flight in a power-driven heavier-than air machine. The brothers took turns piloting the plane, and on the fourth and last flight of the day Wilbur had the plane in the air for 59 seconds, covering a distance of 852 feet.

A rough landing broke the skids and braces of the front elevator and while the brothers were standing nearby discussing the flight, a sudden strong gust of wind upset the plane, turning it over several times and damaging it so extensively that immediate repairs could not be made. The brothers sent a telegram from Kitty Hawk to their father, Bishop Milton Wright, telling him of their success and asking him to inform the press. Flights were discontinued at Kitty Hawk and the damaged machine was shipped back to Dayton.

Orville and Wilbur Wright designed their own lightweight motors. Hand-built by their "mechanician" Charlie Taylor, these engines were crafted with basic machine tools. This engine is on display with the 1903 Flyer at the NASM.	The engine seen from the rear on th 1905 Flyer III in Dayton. The four cast-iron cylinders are visble as well as the flywheel, the chain drive system for transferring the power to the propellers and the magneto.

The NASM's Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer seen from above-the seagulls' view on December 17, 1903.

Specifications for the Wright Flyer

Length: 21 ft 1 in Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in Height: 9 ft Wing area: 510 ft² Empty weight: 605 lb Max takeoff weight: 745 lb Powerplant: 1× straight-4 water-cooled piston engine, 12 hp Performance Maximum speed: 30 mph Service ceiling: 30ft Wing loading: 1.4 lb/ft² Power/mass: 0.02 hp/lb