Wright Flyer Specs

On Dec 17, 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first succesful powered and controlled flight in man's history. Doing this makes the Wright Flyer the first succesful X-plane in history. The brothers figured out how to overcome the problems of thrust overcoming drag and lift overcoming the age old pull of gravity. They also learned how to control pitch and yaw in the same way that it is done today. While roll is controlled differently today then their solution, shifting the pilot's weight, the principle is the same.

Their powerplant was an original design, by the brothers mechanic Charlie E. Taylor, which had four cylinders and 12 hp. While this amount of power sound like a lawn mower engine today, it had a sufficient power to weight ratio to alow more thrust to the flyer than it had weight, with the help of a catapult. The Wright flyer was the first aircraft to do what man had been trying for centuries, heavier than air, controlled flight. The priciples they discovered are used in every aircraft that has ever flown. Without their ground breaking work we would still be looking up at the sky wondering what it is like to soar.