Learning to control a glider
Wilbur and Orville Wright approached flight through glider experiments. In North Carolina they used coastal wind and dunes for testing, measured wing lift and drag in a wind tunnel and refined the coordination of wing warping with the rudder.
Their 1902 glider supplied experience in pitch, roll and directional control. They then designed an engine and propellers for a powered machine, joining propulsion with a controllable airframe.
Twelve seconds and 120 feet
On the morning of December 17, 1903, Orville lay aboard Flyer while Wilbur assisted as it moved along the launch rail. The machine lifted off and sustained flight under its own power. The first flight lasted about 12 seconds and covered 120 feet, roughly 37 metres.
John Daniels operated the camera the brothers had prepared. The photograph showed Orville aboard and Wilbur beside the machine as it left the ground.
Four flights in one day
The brothers took turns at the controls and made four flights that day. Wilbur flew the last for 59 seconds over 852 feet, about 260 metres. As they became familiar with the controls, the motion grew less undulating and the distance increased.
After landing, a gust overturned the machine and damaged it badly. Orville recorded the flights and accident in his diary and telegraphed the news to the family.
Developing a practical aircraft
The Wrights continued flying near Dayton, improving the engine, propellers and controls while developing turns and longer flights. Wings supplied lift, the engine provided thrust and the pilot controlled attitude and direction; these functions had to work together.
The four flights in 1903 brought them into an actual piloted journey. Diaries and photographs preserved measured times and distances, while later trials developed a machine that could manoeuvre, return and fly again.