{"id":8222,"date":"2021-12-17T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=91885"},"modified":"2021-12-17T12:35:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T11:35:09","slug":"flying-into-history-the-wright-brothers-flyer-and-the-worlds-first-flight","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/flying-into-history-the-wright-brothers-flyer-and-the-worlds-first-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying into history: the Wright Brothers\u2019 Flyer and the world\u2019s first flight"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Amir Adhamy\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 17 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Where did the \u2018first flight\u2019 happen?<\/h3>\n

The biting wind, at 27mph, may have been gusting harder than was ideal, but Wilbur and Orville Wright were determined to complete a test of their latest invention: a powered biplane. After all, they chose the Kill Devil Hills, a barren patch of land in North Carolina, as the site for their Flyer\u2019s inaugural flight specifically for its strong winds. So they set up the launch rail on the flat rather than an incline, and Orville climbed into position aboard the lower wing and took the controls.<\/p>\n

At about 10.35am on that chilly morning of 17 December 1903, the Flyer lurched into life\u2026 for about 12 seconds. It came down with a bump some 36 metres away, which may not sound overly impressive, but it was enough to prove that the Wright Brothers had built an aircraft \u2013 considered the first of its kind \u2013 that was powered and fully controlled by a pilot.<\/p>\n

The American brothers, taking it turns at the controls, made three further flights that day reaching 53, 61 and, saving the best for last, 260 metres. They would have kept going, but while the brothers were celebrating the massive distance achieved by Wilbur, a gust of wind flipped the Flyer and caused severe damage. It was never flown again, yet in its short life, the first Wright Flyer ensured its place as one of history\u2019s most famous planes.<\/p>\n