The National Park System, of which Wright Brothers National Memorial is a unit, is dedicated to conserving the scenic, scientific, and historic heritage of the United States for the benefit and inspiration of its people.
The National Park Service gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Dr. Marvin W. McFarland, who reviewed the manuscript and gave many valuable suggestions. We are grateful also for the excellent contemporary photographs made available by the Library of Congress. All photographs used in this book, except those otherwise credited, were furnished by the Library of Congress.
Contents
Page [The Wright Brothers of Dayton, Ohio] 1 [Young Business Partners] 3 [Pioneers of Flight] 5 [Problems of Flight] 9 [First Experiments, 1899] 10 [Why Kitty Hawk?] 13 [Glider Experiments, 1900] 14 [Glider Experiments, 1901] 19 [Wind-Tunnel Tests, 1901] 27 [Glider Experiments, 1902] 28 [The Motor and the Propellers] 33 [The Powered Machine, 1903] 36 [December 17, 1903: The Day Man First Flew] 44 [After the First Flight] 53 [The Original Airplane Exhibited] 60 [The National Memorial] 60 [Guide to the Area] 60 [Administration] 63 [Glossary] 63 [Suggestions for Further Reading] 64
Modern aircraft over the Wright memorial shaft depict a half century of aviation history. Courtesy, North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, Raleigh, N.C.
Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills are American place names that will live in history. Here Wilbur and Orville Wright, two unassuming brothers with a passion for advancing aeronautical knowledge, and the willingness to undertake a scientific adventure, made the world’s first successful flight of a man-carrying, power-driven, heavier-than-air machine.
December 17, 1903, was the day man first flew in this machine. It was a cold and windy day when Orville Wright climbed aboard their plane at 10:35 a.m. His first power-driven flight of 120 feet lasted just 12 seconds when he flew over a wind-swept stretch of level sand now preserved at Wright Brothers National Memorial. From those moments the science of aeronautics has borne the impress of the Wrights’ achievements.