Inventors: The Wright Brothers
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Build a model aeroplane and learn about flying pioneers, Orville and Wilbur Wright.
About the Wright Brothers
Wilbur and Orville Wright built printing machinery and made bicycles before they began to construct early aeroplanes. By 1900 they tested their first glider. The spot they chose was at Kitty Hawk, a seaside village in North Carolina, USA where there were long stretches of open sand and strong winds.
The brothers set about building a flying machine driven by a petrol engine. Called Flyer 1, the machine they developed first flew on 1 December 1903. It was in the air for twelve seconds, reached a height of three metres and flew a distance of thirty-six metres along the beach.
By 1905 the flying machine was staying up for as long as forty minutes. The Wright brothers had not only built the first successful aeroplane with its own special engine, they had discovered a system of control mechanisms that would guide the aircraft while in flight.
Make your own aeroplane
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Published 2 April 2013
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