The History of the Airplane

The History of Flight
The History of the Airplane
Photo: Orville and Wilbur Wright in the Wright Brothers' Plane
Photo The Wright Brothers testing the first military aircraft History of the Airplane Contents • Early History of Flight • Orville and Wilbur Wright Airplane Technology • How Does an Airplane Fly • The Part of an Airplane More Airplane and Flight Innovations • Jet Engines • Seaplanes • Flight Suits - Anti-Gravity Suits • Airports/Airlines - Luggage • Ejection Seats • Black Box/Flight Recorders • Helicopters • Rockets • Parachutes • Air Ships • Understanding Engines Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright - Inventors of the First Engined Airplane Orville Wright (1871-1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) requested a patent application for a "flying machine" nine months before their successful flight in December 1903, which Orville Wright recorded in his diary. As part of the Wright Brothers' systematic practice of photographing every prototype and test of their various flying machines, they had persuaded an attendant from a nearby lifesaving station to snap Orville Wright in full flight. The craft soared to an altitude of 10 feet, traveled 120 feet, and landed 12 seconds after takeoff. After making two longer flights that day, Orville and Wilbur Wright sent this telegram to their father, instructing him to "inform press." Sponsored Links Rambus: 1990 - 2010Video: A Company of Inventors Award-winning technologywww.rambus.com 2011 Newest RC AirplanesReady-To-Fly Jets and Planes With Best Technical Supportwww.BananaHobby.com Aircraft PartsGeneral Aviation Aircraft Parts Over 350,000 Items In Stockwww.krn.com Earlier in 1900, Wilbur Wright wrote to French aviation pioneer Octave Chanute (1832-1910) and expressed the belief that "flight is possible to man...[and] I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life". More on the Wright Brothers' invention of the airplane. Drawing: Patent drawing from Wright brothers' patent