The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers

The world was changed on December 17, 1903 when Orville Wright flew the first airplane for a period of 12 seconds. Orville, born in 1871 and his brother Wilbur, born in 1867 grew up in Dayton Ohio with two other brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin and one sister Katherine. They grew up in a loving family, which helped the brothers with the success in their future. Many people are not aware that much of their knowledge that went into the makings of the airplane came from their mother Susan and the bicycle repair shop they owned. Interestingly, Wilbur and Orville were not the men who first thought of flying. In the 16th century, Leonardo de Vinci had thoughts of a "flying machine" that was ahead its time, though aeronautical science was still in its infancy. They proceeded to develop new scientific information and practical applications. Wilbur's confidence in the advancements of aviation is reflected in the following statement said in 1899 " I am convinced that flight is both possible and practical." Wilbur and Orville Wright made history with the invention of the first effective airplane and changed the world of aviation.

Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Katherine Wright raised their five children in Ohio and Iowa. Milton's ecclesiastical career caused the family to move around frequently. The family started in Dayton, Ohio and moved to Iowa in 1878. They returned to Ohio in 1885. When the boys had a problem they would look to their father for intellectual and scientific advice. Whereas if a toy broke they would go to their mother for mechanical help. Milton and Susan were very supportive of any interests their children pursued. Orville once stated " We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever around curiosity." Ideas of flying became a fascination at a young age for the boys. A piece of the aeronautical puzzle fell into place the day that Milton, back from one of his church group trips, brought the boys a flying top toy that was made of cork, paper, bamboo, and rubber bands. This little toy broke quickly but Wilbur and Orville always kept the memory of that toy in the back of their minds. With regard to their education, Wilbur did well in school, but was not able to graduate from high school. His mother contracted and died from tuberculosis. He also had an accident while in an ice skating game. He was hit in the head with a bat, which resulted in having heart problems. As for Orville, he did not enjoy or excel in school, as had his brother. He was an average student. He was problematic, and his behavior caused him to drop out of high school in his junior year. He developed aspirations to start a printing press firm. The brothers built their own press with cheap parts, and used it to print their own newspaper as well as other printing jobs. Their attempt at the firm was unsuccessful, so the boys bought a bicycle shop in 1893. This bike shop became a place where much thinking and production towards aviation took place. The Wright Cycle shop opened in 1893. They made bike repairing their own business. After three years of this business they made their own bikes called Van Cleves and St. Clairs. They moved their store 6 times before they converted their store into machinery shop for their manufacturing business.

The men of aviation before the Wright brothers had little but significant impact on the process of building the airplane. George Cayley lived in the late 1700's and early 1800's. He was one of the first men to understand that "to fly is not to imitate the flapping wings of a bird but to use rigid wings." This was a very important idea that proved to be true for the future. Europeans were at work to beat the Americans in building the first heavier-than-air plane. Otto Lilienthal, a German engineer, experimented with hang gliders. His main focus was on a fixed-wing glider not on a whole plane itself. He contributed much respect to the field of aeronautics. In 1896, Orville came down with typhoid. During this time Wilbur read about a German glider pilots death, Otto Lilienthal. This was the final straw that started the beginning of an aeronautical revolution. With great interest three year later Wilber wrote to the Smithsonian Institution asking for documents regarding the research of aeronautics. "I wish to obtain such papers as the Smithsonian Institution has published on this subject...I wish to avail myself of all that is already known..." Little did Wilbur know, there was a man at the Smithsonian that shared his passion by the name of Samuel Pierpont Langley. This man was also the "most prominent scientist in the United States". He made human flight his biggest interest in life. Wilbur received all the resources from the Smithsonian Institution within three years because his letter was among many requesting information; his letter was filed away and forgotten. Even though Otto, Cayley, and Langley worked to invent the airplane, the Wright brothers were by far the most successful.

Shortly after all of the information Wilbur received, he realized the necessary elements to make his own glider. They included wings for lift, power source for propulsion, and a main system controlling the glider. He found that the three axes of motion: pitch, roll and yaw were needed for control. He tested his "wing warping" theories with a kite with a five feet wingspan, made of wood and cloth. This experiment to test the roll axis proved to be a success and the results were used in the design of the gliders made in the beginning