Wright Brothers

Gave wings to the world:

In this day and age of high-tech spacecraft, air travel is nothing new. It's so easy now to travel from one country to another and air travel has become an indispensable part of people's lives. These developments wouldn't have been possible however, if not for the efforts of two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Although attempts at flying had been made by man for many centuries, the Wrights were the first to design and build a flying craft that could be controlled while in the air.

The entire aerospace business depends on the simple, but brilliant idea invented by the brothers - the three controls (roll, pitch, and yaw) used in navigating an aircraft. It was their invention that provided us with a three-dimensional view of the world.

Wilbur and Orville were the third and fourth sons of Bishop Milton and Susan Catharine Wright, who also had

 two elder sons, Reuchlin and Lorin, and a daughter Katharine. Wilbur was born in Indiana, USA on April 16, 1867, while Orville was born in Dayton on August 19, 1871.

A minister in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Bishop Wright changed jobs rather often, so the Wrights moved house frequently. An inspiring and encouraging environment was provided to the Wright children from early childhood.

The souvenirs and trinkets Milton brought the boys from his many journeys on church duty gave them ideas and thoughts to work on. One such item, a toy helicopter-like top, is believed to have sparked the boys' interest in flying.

The large collections of books at home also whetted(stimulated) their apetite for even further exploration. They sought their mother for mechanical expertise and their father for intellectual challenge.

In the period between 1884 and 1886, Wilbur, despite being a good student, had to give up his education due to heart problems and an accident during an ice-skating game.

Around this time, he started caring for his mother, who was dying from tuberculosis. Orville was an average student with a mischievous streak, and left school before his senior year to start a printing business.

The first reference to the duo as 'The Wright Brothers' came about when they started their own printing business at the ages of 22 (Wilbur) and 18 (Orville). They started small, and printed odd jobs as well as their own newspaper, The West Side News.

They started a bicycle repair business around 1892 and several years later, produced their own bicycles called Van Cleves and St. Clairs.

First flight

In 1896, Wilbur's interest in flying was aroused by reading about a German glider pilot. He started reading more on the subject and tested what he learnt on a kite; it was an overall success.

In August 1900, Wilbur built his first glider and with Orville, tested it in an area named Kitty Hawk. This was on the shores of the Atlantic where the strong winds helped to launch the glider and the soft sands helped to cushion the fall when they crashed.

They built several glider versions, some of them failed while some were successes. Their next step was a flying machine and after many tests and experiments, they built their own 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine, the Flyer in 1903. Kitty Hawk was again selected as the venue for the test flight. On December 14, 1903, Wilbur won a coin toss and made the first attempt to fly the machine.

It stalled on take-off, receiving some minor damage. After repairs, Orville made the next attempt on December 17. At 10:35 a.m., he made the first heavier-than-air, machine-powered flight in the world. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.

They started improving on their aircraft and established the world's first test flight facilities at Huffman Prairie, northeast of Dayton (it's known as the Wright Patterson Air Force Base now).

For two years they carried on, fine-tuning the controls, engine, propellers, and the shape of their airplane.

 Although they could only fly in a straight line for less than a minute at the beginning, by the end of 1905, they were flying figure-eights, staying aloft for over half an hour, or until they ran out of fuel. The 1905 Wright Flyer was the world's first practical airplane.

Orders and legal problems

In 1907, the US Army Signal Corps placed an order with them for an aircraft and in 1908, some French businessmen asked to purchase another one. As their fame grew, orders started pouring in. However, many started copying their designs, which led to a number of legal cases.

In 1912, Wilbur Wright, worn out from legal and business problems, contracted typhoid and died. Orville, having lost interest in the business, sold the Wright Company in 1916 and went back to inventing. He did aeronautical work, but he also worked on an automatic record changer, a toaster, children's toys and anything that caught his fancy.

He was also on the board of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics/NACA (which later became the National Air and Space Administration/NASA).

He helped oversee the Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, which helped America recapture the lead position in aviation during the 1930s. He also worked tirelessly to help unknown inventors make something of their ideas.

The second half of one of the world's most famous inventive partnerships, Orville Wright died of a heart attack in 1948 while fixing the doorbell at his home.