The Wright Flyer at Kill Devil Hills

On a cold, windy morning in 1903, an unusual aircraft rested on a wooden rail among the sandy dunes of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Its wings stretched wide, but it looked very different from a modern airplane. This was the Wright Flyer, built by brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright.

The Flyer was a biplane, an aircraft with two wings stacked one above the other. Its frame was made mostly of wood, and fabric covered its wings. A small gasoline engine powered two propellers, which spun behind the wings and pushed the aircraft forward. Instead of sitting in a cockpit, the pilot lay flat on the lower wing.

The brothers chose the area partly because its steady winds could help lift their aircraft. They had tested gliders there before building the powered Flyer. They also developed controls that let the pilot change the aircraft’s direction and balance while in the air.

On December 17, Orville took the controls for the first flight. The Flyer moved down the rail and lifted off the ground. It stayed in the air for only 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet, but the flight was a major achievement: the aircraft had carried a person through the air under its own power and control.

The brothers made four flights that day, taking turns as pilot. On the last flight, Wilbur traveled 852 feet in 59 seconds. The Flyer was damaged by a strong gust afterward and never flew again. Its brief trips over the sand helped open a new chapter in the history of flight.