First to Fly

It was December 17, 1903. Two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, were on a beach in North Carolina. They had brought their brand-new invention. It was an airplane. They were going to try to fly it.

It was a frigid and windy day. The brothers shivered in the cold.  The wind made them nervous. It could help them take flight. But it could also make them crash.

The brothers started the plane’s engine. Orville lay down in the pilot’s spot. The plane began to speed along the ground. The wind howled in his ears. Then the plane began to rise. It was flying!

The flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it made history. It was the first-ever airplane flight.

How did these two brothers create this amazing invention?

It was December 17, 1903. Wilbur and Orville Wright were at the beach in North Carolina. The brothers had a brand-new invention. It was an airplane. They were going to try to fly it.

The day was windy. It was frigid. The brothers shivered in the cold. The wind made them worry. It could help them take flight. But it could also make them crash.

The brothers started the plane’s engine. Orville got in the plane. He lay down in the pilot’s spot. The plane began to move along the ground. The wind was loud. Then the plane began to go up. It was flying!

The flight lasted only 12 seconds. It made history. It was the first airplane flight.

How did these two brothers make this amazing invention?

Wilbur was born in 1867. Orville was born just a few years later, in 1871. They grew up with their parents and three siblings.

When Wilbur and Orville were young, their father brought home a helicopter toy. Real helicopters hadn’t been invented yet, but there were little helicopter toys for kids. 

The boys loved it. They played with it until it broke. From then on, they were fascinated by flight.   

They also loved building things. When they grew up, they built a machine that printed newspapers. They also built bicycles.

The brothers worked well together. Wilbur was a great reader. Orville was creative. They could build almost anything!

But there was one thing they really wanted to build. They wanted to build an airplane.

Wilbur was born in 1867. Orville was born in 1871. They had three siblings. They all grew up with their parents.

When Wilbur and Orville were young, helicopters hadn’t been invented. But there were little helicopter toys for kids. One day, their father brought home a helicopter toy. 

The boys loved it. They became interested in flying. They played with the toy until it broke. 

They loved building things. When they grew up, they built a machine that printed newspapers. They also built bicycles.

The brothers liked working together. Wilbur was a great reader. Orville was creative. They could build almost anything!

But they really wanted to build an airplane.

Humans have always wanted to fly like birds. For most of history, they couldn’t. But by the late 1800s, people were getting close to flying with the invention of gliders. Gliders were like giant wings made from wood and cloth. People would strap themselves into gliders to fly.

Gliders could soar on the wind for a little while. But they needed the right kind of wind to fly.

People wanted a machine that could fly in any wind. They wanted to build a glider that was powered by an engine. An engine would push the glider through the air. But there were a few problems.

First, engines were heavy. A glider with an engine would be too heavy to fly. Second, the gliders that had been built weren’t easy to steer. It was hard to turn them in the direction you wanted to go.

That made gliders risky. If you couldn’t steer your glider, you could run into a tree! You could get hurt.

The Wright brothers knew about these problems. They wanted to solve them.

People have always wanted to fly. Until the late 1800s, it wasn’t possible. Then gliders were invented. Gliders were like giant wings. They were made from wood and cloth. People would strap themselves into gliders. Then they could fly.

Gliders could fly for a little while. But they needed the right kind of wind.

People wanted a machine that could fly anytime. They wanted to build a glider with an engine. The engine would push the glider through the air. But there were a few problems.

First, engines were heavy. They would make the glider too heavy to fly. Second, the gliders that had been built were hard to turn. It was hard to steer them in the right direction.

That made gliders risky. You could run into a tree. You could get hurt.

The Wright brothers wanted to solve the problems.

In 1899, Wilbur and Orville decided to build a really great glider. Then they would find a way to put an engine on it.

Once they built their glider, they needed to fly it. They brought it to a beach near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The sandy beach would be soft to land on if they crashed.

The brothers got their glider into the air! They also crashed it many times. But they learned something new with every failure. They learned how to steer the glider. They learned how to land safely.

They kept building and testing. They had more crashes. They got hurt. But they kept trying. Finally, they built their best glider yet.

Now they needed to put an engine on it. They decided to build an engine from scratch. It was light and powerful. Would it be light enough to fly?

By December 1903, they were ready to find out. 

In 1899, Wilbur and Orville decided to build a glider. Then they would find a way to add an engine.

They needed to fly the glider they built. They took it to a beach near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They thought the sandy beach would be soft to land on if they crashed.

The brothers got their glider into the air! They also crashed it many times. But they learned something new with every failure. They learned how to steer the glider. They learned how to land it.

They kept building. They kept testing. They had more crashes and got hurt. But they kept trying. Finally, they built their best glider.

Now they needed an engine. They decided to build it from scratch. It was light and powerful. Would it be light enough to fly?

It was December 1903. They were ready to find out if it could fly.

Let’s go back to that cold beach on December 17, 1903. Orville strapped himself into his brand-new airplane and took flight.

The plane flew for just 12 seconds. That was a very short flight! But it changed the world forever.

After this first flight, everything changed. People started building their own airplanes. At first, these planes were very small. Flights were turbulent. The planes bounced around in the wind.

Then people built bigger planes that could carry more people. By the 1930s, some planes could carry 30 passengers. By the 1960s, planes could carry 300 passengers!

Today almost 3 million people fly in the U.S. every day. Some planes carry more than 500 passengers. We even have spacecraft that can travel to the moon and beyond.

If Wilbur and Orville Wright could see today’s airplanes, they would be shocked! But these two incredible American inventors made it happen. 

Orville strapped himself into his brand-new airplane on December 17, 1903. It took flight.

The plane flew for just 12 seconds. It was a very short flight! But it changed the world forever.

After this first flight, people started building their own airplanes. At first, these planes were very small. They bounced around in the wind. The flights were turbulent.

Then people built bigger planes. They could carry more people. By the 1930s, some planes could carry 30 passengers. By the 1960s, planes could carry 300 passengers!

Today in the U.S., almost 3 million people fly every day. There are planes that can carry more than 500 passengers. We even have spacecraft. They can travel to the moon and beyond. The Wright brothers would be shocked! But the two inventors made it happen.