The Wright Stuff

Ninety years ago Friday, Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world’s first power-driven aircraft. They made four flights that day -- the longest 852 feet, taking 59 seconds.

Off and Running

1900: Wrights test their first piloted glider. It has a 17-foot wingspan, but lacks necessary lifting power. Spruce frame is covered with satin. Cost: $15.

1901: They test larger glider with 22-foot wings covered with muslin. It has more sophisticated balance control, be still lacks lifting power. Wrights rewrite formula for how air pressure creates lift.

1902: They build third, aerodynamically superior glider for Kitty Hawk experiment. It includes controls for roll and pitch and makes nearly 1,000 piloted glides, up to more than 600 feet.

First Successful Flight

Storms and minor plane defects delayed the original September date. By December, the Wrights were fairly certain they would succeed because previous glider experiments had proven their design to be sound and they had become skilled pilots.

1. Despite 30-degree temperatures and winds gusting to 30 m.p.h., Wilbur and Orville wear only suits and ties. Orville wins coin toss to pilot the plane. The engine, primed by pouring gasoline into the carburetor, starts with a jump from a dry cell battery.

2. At 10:35 a.m. the plane, poised on a 60-foot rail laid on level sand, is launched into the prevailing wind from the northeast; 40 feet down the rail it is airborne.

3. Cruising altitude wavers erratically from 10 to 15 feet; 20 feet downrange the plane reaches its top speed, 31 m.p.h.

4. After 12 seconds the flight ends with a crash, causing only minor damage to the undercarriage. First flight distance: 120 feet.

Abord the Kitty Hawk

The Wrights added a lightweight engine and designed revolutionary new propellers to create the 1903 Flyer I, also known as the Kitty Hawk. After their four successful flights, the brothers planned to fly from Kill Devil Hills to the nearby village of Kitty Hawk. But a huge gust overturned the plane, and the Flyer I never soared again.

Tail rudder: 18” wide x 7’ tall

Length: 21’ 1”

Horizontal rudder: 12’ wide

Wingspan: 40’ 4”

Weight without pilot: 605 pounds

Construction cost: $1,000

Height between wings: 6 feet, 2 inches

Overall height: 8 feet, 2 inches

Propulsion: Lightweight, 12-horsepower engine, its crankshaft connected to sprockets and chains that turn two counter-rotating wooden propellers.

Control systems: Wire device strung from wingtips to a “cradle” fitted around pilot’s hips to preserve plane’s balance. Hand-controlled front wings control “pitch” and moveable rudder controls sideways movement.

Cockpit: Pilot, in prone position on lower wing, had only one instrument--to measure air speed.

Wing material: Cotton cloth covering wooden frames.

Landing gear: Wooden runners were used instead of wheels, which would mire down in the sand.

After the Flight

* 1904-05: Wrights make 105 flights at a field near Dayton, Ohio, but total only 45 minutes in the air. The longest, on Oct. 5, 1905, covers 24.2 miles in 38 minutes, 3 seconds.

* 1907: Wrights contract with the Army Signal Corps to build an airplane capable of carrying two men up to 125 miles.

* 1908: Orville’s plane snaps a propeller at 75 feet; he breaks a thigh bone and two ribs; passenger Army Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge sustains a skull fracture and dies.

* 1909: Wright Co. forms to build airplanes.

* 1910-12: They give flying lessons to several people who later become aviation leaders, including Henry H. (Hap) Arnold, a World War II major general in the 8th Air Force.

* 1912: Typhoid fever kills Wilbur on May 30.

* 1948: Heart attack kills Orville on Jan. 30.

Why Kitty Hawk?

On the advice of the U.S. Weather Bureau, the Wrights chose an isolated beach near Kitty Hawk, N.C., for their aircraft testing. Sand dunes, a lack of obstructions and a steady wind made for ideal testing conditions.

Did You Know?

* First injury: John Daniels of the U.S. Life Saving Service (now the Coast Guard) took the famous photograph of the first flight. That same day, when a gust lifted the plane, he tried to hold it. He was tossed between the two wings, sustaining cuts and bruises. He later declared, “I will never fly again.”

* Rejection: The plane originally was offered to the Smithsonian Institution in 1928, but museum officials refused it. Museum director Samuel Langley claimed he was the first person to fly a powered plane; 20 years later, museum accepted the plane and acknowledged Wrights’ accomplishment.

Sources: Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk, Academic American Encyclopedia, World Book Encyclopedia.

Researched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times