This Day in History: The First Airplane Flies
- 5 years ago
This Day in History:
The First Airplane Flies December 17, 1903 Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright
made the first successful flight of a
self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. The event took place near Near Kitty Hawk, NC,
an area with steady winds and sand dunes
from which to glide and land softly. In front of five witnesses,
Orville piloted the gasoline-
powered, propeller-driven biplane. On its inaugural flight,
it stayed aloft for
12 seconds and
covered 120 feet. The flight was powered
by a 12-horsepower
internal combustion engine
and gave birth to modern aviation. The Wright brothers’
aircraft is on permanent
display at the National Air and
Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
The First Airplane Flies December 17, 1903 Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright
made the first successful flight of a
self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft. The event took place near Near Kitty Hawk, NC,
an area with steady winds and sand dunes
from which to glide and land softly. In front of five witnesses,
Orville piloted the gasoline-
powered, propeller-driven biplane. On its inaugural flight,
it stayed aloft for
12 seconds and
covered 120 feet. The flight was powered
by a 12-horsepower
internal combustion engine
and gave birth to modern aviation. The Wright brothers’
aircraft is on permanent
display at the National Air and
Space Museum in Washington, D.C.