The Wright Brothers Essay Sample

R. Conrad Stein once stated, “It is often said that a journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step.” Orville Wright and his older brother Wilbur Wright must have understood that quote as they toiled with creating the Flyer, the world’s first airplane. The Wright Brothers argued, studied and  debated late into the night in their efforts to determine the best designs for their plane. Because of the determination of these inspirational men, we can now travel anywhere we please comfortably.

Before building the Flyer, the Wright Brothers built small, basic kites and gliders. These models could only fly for a few feet and could not carry people, therefore, Orville and Wilbur were not satisfied. They wanted to build a powered plane that was heavier than air and that could carry passengers for long distances. For this reason, they continued to study the principles and observations of flight. They observed a force called lift that could push objects. Lift occurs when high pressure air pushes upward on an object and low pressure pushes down on it, allowing the object to rise into the air.They made the Flyer with curved wings so that lift would push the plane upward.

Finally, after several years of hardship, these two men that had never been to college were able to accomplish what others thought was impossible. They had built the world’s very first airplane without hardly any help.The base of their magnificent plane was shaped like an open rectangular prism

made of two thin, thirty-two foot long planks of wood connected by several rods. These rods enabled the wings to move in a way called wing warping. The pilot had full control of the three movements of the plane: yaw, roll, and pitch. Each of these helped the plane remain balanced while in flight. To fly the plane, the pilot had to lie on his stomach on the bottom wing and hold onto a frame of sticks that controlled the wings and the propellers.The two lightweight propellers were positioned on the back of the Flyer on either side of the vanes. The propellers pushed the Flyer forward while the vanes controlled the yaw, the left-to-right movement of the plane.

The Wrights also attached a water-cooled engine to the Flyer. The parts for the engine were built by their friend Charles (Charlie) Tayler, who was an experienced engineer. After they were built, the three men worked to put the engine together according to the Wright brother’s unique design. The engine was then attached to the propellers by two bike chains. When the engine was turned on, it ignited a six-horsepower energy force that turned the propellers.

When the day finally arrived to test out the Flyer, the Wright brothers flipped a coin to fairly determine which of them would fly first. Wilbur won the toss and laid down in the Flyer to prepare to fly. Sadly, and to the great disappointment of the Wright Brothers, the Flyer crashed after a sudden wind tossed it out of its path. Not easily discouraged, Orville and Wilbur returned to their shop to fix the Flyer. Three days later, they returned to test their plane again. This time, Orville took a turn flying the plane.The Flyer successfully lifted off from the runway and flew around Kill Devil Hills at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the nipping December air. Wind from the crisp Atlantic coast provided lift for the wings and made the plane soar high over the land. Weeds, stones, sand, and patches of frozen water whizzed past as Orville soared over them. He was also able to masterfully balance the plane and control the yaw, roll, and pitch. For the first time, a person was controlling an aircraft that weighed more than the air around it. Orville Wright flew one hundred and twenty feet in only twelve seconds.By 1905, the Flyer could fly over twenty-five miles at forty miles per hour and stay in the air for about half an hour.

When the Flyer was first flown on December 17, 1903, history was made and a great creation entered the world. Wilbur and Orville Wright are now two extremely famous men, however, at the time they flew the Flyer, hardly anyone cared about their plane or wanted to publish the story. The original Flyer is now displayed at the Air and Space Museum in the “Milestones of Flight” exhibit located in Washington D.C. According to R. Conrad Stein’s book, “The Story of the Flight at Kitty Hawk,” “In the middle of the exhibit is the Flyer, the first powered machine to fly.” Right below it is the Apollo II (Columbia) spacecraft that was inspired by the Flyer and that carried the first men to the moon.

Many people wonder if the Wright geniuses ever imagined that their fragile Flyer would ever inspire large planes and spacecraft. Nevertheless, these heroes of history have changed the world forever. Orville and Wilbur Wright toiled diligently to build the Flyer for their generation, our generation, and the generations that have yet to come.