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{{short description|First powered aircraft built by the Wright brothers}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{italic title}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = ''Wright Flyer''
 |image = File:First flight2.jpg
 |caption = First airplane flight, taking off from rail, near [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]], on December 17, 1903
 |type = Experimental [[airplane]]
 |national_origin = United States
 |manufacturer= [[Wright Cycle Company]]
 |designer = [[Wright brothers|Orville and Wilbur Wright]]
 |primary_user = 
 |number_built = 1
 |developed_from = [[Wright Glider]]
 |variants = 
 |developed_into = [[Wright Flyer II]]<br>[[Wright Flyer III]]
 |other_names = ''Kitty Hawk'', Flyer I, 1903 Flyer
 |construction_number = <!-- manufacturer's construction number -->
 |construction_date = 1903
 |first_flight = December 17, 1903, {{time interval|December 17, 1903|show=y}} ago<ref name="WDL">{{cite web |url = http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11372/ |title = Telegram from Orville Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to His Father Announcing Four Successful Flights, 1903 December 17 |website = [[World Digital Library]] |date = 1903-12-17 |access-date = 2013-07-21 }}</ref>
 |last_flight = December 17, 1903
 |owners = [[Wright Brothers]]
 |in_service = 
 |flights = 4
 |total_hours = 
 |total_distance = 
 |status = Preserved and displayed at the [[National Air and Space Museum]]<ref name="NASM"/>
}}

The '''''Wright Flyer''''' (also known as the '''''Kitty Hawk''''',<ref>[https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1903-wright-flyer/nasm_A19610048000 Smithsonian Air and Space museum collection (click on Long Description)]</ref><ref>[[:File:Wright flyer fragments STS-51-L.jpg|Orville Wright note]]</ref> '''''Flyer'' I''' or the '''1903 ''Flyer''''') made the first sustained flight by a manned [[heavier-than-air]] powered and controlled aircraft on December 17, 1903.<ref name=NASM>{{cite web |title=Wright Brothers |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/highlighted-topics/wright-brothers |website=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929043536/https://airandspace.si.edu/learn/highlighted-topics/wright-brothers |url-status=dead }}</ref> Invented and flown by brothers [[Wright brothers|Orville and Wilbur Wright]], it marked the beginning of the [[Aviation in the pioneer era|pioneer era of aviation]].

The aircraft is a single-place biplane design with [[Dihedral (aeronautics)#Anhedral and polyhedral|anhedral]] (drooping) wings, front double [[Elevator (aeronautics)|elevator]] (a [[canard (aeronautics)|canard]]) and rear double rudder. It used a {{convert|12|hp|kW|0|abbr=off}} gasoline engine powering two pusher propellers. Employing "[[wing warping]]", it was relatively unstable and very difficult to fly.<ref>{{cite book |pages=12–13, 23, 32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJVTAAAAMAAJ |title=The Wright Flyer: An Engineering Perspective |author=Howard S. Wolko |publisher=National Air and Space Museum |year=1987| isbn=9780874749793 }}</ref>

The Wright brothers flew it four times in a location now part of the town of [[Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina|Kill Devil Hills]], about {{convert|4|mi|km|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} south of [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]]. The airplane flew {{convert|852|ft|abbr=on}} on its fourth and final flight, but was damaged on landing, and wrecked minutes later when powerful gusts blew it over.

The brothers shipped the wreckage back to Dayton, and the aircraft never flew again. Orville later restored it and displayed it on several occasions. The Flyer joined the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s collection of historic aircraft in 1948 after the end of a long and bitter dispute between Orville and the Institution over its refusal to recognize the Flyer as the first successful airplane. Today, it is on display in a place of honor in the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]

==Design and construction==
{{stack| clear=true|
[[File:Wright brothers patent plans 1908.jpg|thumb|Patent plan]]
[[File:1903 Wright Flyer - 3D model by The Smithsonian Institution - Sketchfab.stl|thumb|Detailed [[3D modeling|3D model]] of the ''Wright Flyer'']]
}}

The ''Flyer'' was based on the Wrights' experience testing gliders at Kitty Hawk between 1900 and 1902. Their last glider, the [[1902 Wright Glider|1902 Glider]], led directly to the design of the ''Wright Flyer''.<ref name=Yearbook1919>{{cite book |url=https://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/THE-1919-AIRCRAFT-YEAR-BOOK.pdf |title=The Aircraft Yearbook for 1919 |publisher=Manufacturers Aircraft Association Inc. |location=New York |year=1919 |pages=304–09 |access-date=September 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829070208/https://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/THE-1919-AIRCRAFT-YEAR-BOOK.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Wrights built the aircraft in 1903 using [[Sitka spruce|spruce]] for straight members of the airframe (such as wing spars) and [[ash wood]] for curved components (wing ribs).<ref>{{cite journal |title=1903 Wright Flyer Replica Construction & Dedication |url=https://libraries.wright.edu/special/wrightbrothers/flyer/construction |journal=Local and Rare Books |date=January 2002 |access-date=2021-09-29 |last1=Unitt |first1=Peter }}</ref> The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 [[camber (aerodynamics)|camber]]. The fabric for the wing was 100% cotton muslin called "Pride of the West", a type used for women's underwear. It had a warp of 107 threads per inch, a weft of 102, and a total thread count of 209.<ref>{{cite web |title=Piece of fabric from 1903 Wright Flyer aircraft |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30089609 |website=IWM |publisher=Imperial War Museums |access-date=23 February 2024}}</ref>
Since they could not find a suitable automobile engine for the task, they commissioned their employee [[Charlie Taylor (mechanic)|Charlie Taylor]] to build a new design from scratch, a lightweight {{convert|12|hp|kW|abbr=off|adj=on|0}} [[gasoline engine]], weighing {{convert|180|lb}}, with a {{convert|1|USgal|adj=on}} fuel tank.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/engine.cfm|title=The Wright Brothers &#124; Engine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015095841/https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/engine.cfm|archive-date=2022-10-15|access-date=6 March 2023|website=airandspace.si.edu|date=June 2, 2022 }}</ref> A sprocket [[chain drive]], borrowing from [[bicycle]] technology, powered the twin [[Propeller (aircraft)|propellers]], which were also made by hand.<ref name=Yearbook1919/> In order to avoid the risk of [[torque]] effects from affecting the aircraft handling, one drive chain was crossed over so that the propellers rotated in opposite directions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/propellers.cfm|title=The Wright Brothers &#124; Propellers & Transmission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205092459/https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/propellers.cfm|archive-date=2022-12-05|access-date=6 March 2023|website=airandspace.si.edu|date=June 2, 2022 }}</ref>
According to Taylor:
{{blockquote|"They figured on four cylinders and estimated the bore and stroke at four inches. It took me six weeks to make that engine. The completed engine weighed 180 pounds and developed 12 horsepower at 1025 revolutions per minute...The body of the first engine was of cast aluminum, and was bored out on the lathe for independent cylinders. The pistons were cast iron, and these were turned down and grooved for piston rings. The rings were cast iron, too.  A one-gallon fuel tank was suspended from a wing strut, and the gasoline fed by gravity down a tube to the engine. The fuel valve was an ordinary gaslight [[petcock]]. There was no carburetor as we know it today. The fuel was fed into a shallow chamber in the manifold. No spark plug. The spark was made by opening and closing of two contact points inside the combustion chamber.  Dry batteries were used for starting the engine and then we switched onto a [[magneto]] bought from the [[Dayton Electric]] Company.  There was no battery on the plane.  Several lengths of [[speaking tube]]...were used in the radiator. We blocked-tested the motor before crating it for shipment to Kitty Hawk."<ref name="hc">{{cite book |last1=Combs |first1=Harry |title=Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers |date=1979 |publisher=TernStyle Press, Ltd. |location=Englewood |isbn=0940053020 |pages=176–177}}</ref>}}

The {{convert|8.5|foot|m}} long propellers were based on airfoil number 9 from their wind tunnel data, which provided the best "gliding angle" for different [[Angle of Attack|angles of attack]].  The propellers were connected to the engine by chains from the Indianapolis Chain Company, with a [[sprocket]] [[gear reduction]] of 23-to-8.  Wilbur had calculated that slower turning blades generated greater thrust, and two of them were better than a single blade turning faster. Made from three [[lamination]]s of [[spruce]], the tips were covered with [[canvas|duck canvas]], and the entire propeller painted with aluminum paint.<ref name=hc/>{{rp|178–186}}

On November 5, 1903, the brothers tested their engine on the ''Wright Flyer'' at Kitty Hawk, but before they could tune the engine, the [[propeller hub]]s came loose. The drive shafts were sent back to Dayton for repair, and returned on 20 November. A hairline crack was discovered in one of the propeller shafts. Orville returned to Dayton on 30 November to make new [[spring steel]] shafts. On December 12, the brothers installed the new shafts on the ''Wright Flyer'' and tested it on their {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} launching rail system that included a [[dolly (trailer)|wheeled launching dolly]]. According to Orville:
{{blockquote|"We had designed our propellers to give {{convert|90|lb|kg}} [[thrust]] at a speed of 330 [[rpm|rev. per minute]] (about 950 of engine), which we had figured would be the required amount for the machine weighing {{convert|630|lb|kg}}."}}
In practice tests, they were able to achieve a propeller rpm of 351, with a thrust of {{convert|132|lb|kg}}, more than enough for their {{convert|700|lb|kg|adj=on}} flyer.<ref name=hc/>{{rp|194–201}}

The ''Wright Flyer'' was a [[Canard (aeronautics)|canard]] biplane configuration, with a wingspan of {{convert|40|ft|4|in|m}}, a camber of 1-20, a wing area of {{convert|510|sqft|sqm}}, and a length of {{convert|21|ft|1|in|m}}. The right wing was {{convert|4|in|cm}} longer because the engine was {{convert|30|to|40|lb|kg}} heavier than Orville or Wilbur. Unoccupied, the machine weighed {{convert|605|lb|kg}}. As with the gliders, the pilot flew lying on his stomach on the lower wing with his head toward the front of the craft in an effort to reduce drag. The pilot was left of center while the engine was right of center. He steered by moving a hip cradle in the direction he wished to fly. The cradle pulled wires to [[wing warping|warp the wings]], and simultaneously turn the [[rudder]], for coordinated flight. The pilot operated the elevator lever with his left hand, while holding a strut with his right. The ''Wright Flyer''{{'}}s "runway" was a {{convert|60|ft|m|adj=on}} track of [[Dimensional lumber|2x4s]], which the brothers nicknamed the "Junction Railroad".  The ''Wright Flyer'' skids rested on a launching dolly, consisting of a {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on}} plank, with a wheeled wooden section. The two [[tandem]] [[ball bearing]] wheels were made from bicycle hubs. A restraining wire held the plane back, while the engine was running and the propellers turning, until the pilot was ready to be released.<ref name=hc/>{{rp|202–204}}

The ''Wright Flyer'' had three instruments on board. A Veeder engine revolution recorder measured the number of propeller turns. A stopwatch recorded the flight time, and a Richard hand [[anemometer]], attached to the front center strut, recorded the distance covered in meters.<ref name=hc/>{{rp|213}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard Anemometer |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/5744hjpg |publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum |access-date=2021-03-10 |author=Smithsonian Institution |year=2002 }}</ref>

==Flight trials at Kitty Hawk==
[[File:Octave Chanute - Frise de la rotonde du Capitole - détail.jpg|thumb|300px|Displayed in the [[U.S. Capitol Rotunda]], the ''[[Frieze of American History]]'' detail ''The Birth of Aviation'' depicts [[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Samuel Langley]], [[Octave Chanute]], and the ''Wright Flyer''{{'}}s first flight]]
Upon returning to Kitty Hawk in 1903, the Wrights completed assembly of the ''Flyer'' while practicing on the 1902 Glider from the previous season. On December 14, 1903, they felt ready for their first attempt at powered flight. With the help of men from the nearby [[United States Life-Saving Service|government life-saving station]], the Wrights moved the ''Flyer'' and its launching rail to the incline of a nearby sand dune, [[Wright Brothers National Memorial|Big Kill Devil Hill]], intending to make a gravity-assisted takeoff. The brothers tossed a coin to decide who would get the first chance at piloting, and Wilbur won. The airplane left the rail, but Wilbur pulled up too sharply, stalled, and came down after covering {{convert|105|ft|m|abbr=on}} in 3{{frac|1|2}} seconds, sustaining little damage.<ref name=Yearbook1919/><ref>Combs, p205–208</ref>

Repairs after the abortive first flight took three days. When they were ready again on December 17, the wind was averaging more than {{convert|20|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, so the brothers laid the launching rail on level ground, pointed into the wind, near their camp. This time the wind, instead of an inclined launch, provided the necessary airspeed for takeoff. Because Wilbur had already had the first chance, Orville took his turn at the controls. His first flight lasted 12 seconds for a total distance of {{convert|120|ft|m|abbr=on}} – shorter than the wingspan of a [[Boeing 747]].<ref name="WDL"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lindberg|first=Mark|date=2003|title=A Century of Flight|url=http://www.wingsofhistory.org/index.php/library/articles-of-interest/mark-lindberg/a-century-of-flight|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604020550/http://www.wingsofhistory.org/index.php/library/articles-of-interest/mark-lindberg/a-century-of-flight|archive-date=4 June 2012|access-date=27 August 2011|website=Wings of History Museum}}</ref>

Taking turns, the Wrights made four brief, low-altitude flights that day. The flight paths were all essentially straight; turns were not attempted. Each flight ended in a bumpy and unintended landing. The last flight, by Wilbur, covered {{convert|852|ft|m|abbr=on}} in 59 seconds, much longer than each of the three previous flights of 120, 175 and 200 feet ({{convert|120|ft|m|disp=number}}, {{convert|175|ft|m|disp=number}} and {{convert|200|ft|m|disp=output only}}) in 12, 12, and 15 seconds respectively. The fourth flight's landing broke the front elevator supports, which the Wrights hoped to repair for a possible {{convert|4|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in|0}} flight to Kitty Hawk village. Soon after, a heavy gust picked up the ''Flyer'' and tumbled it end over end, damaging it beyond any hope of quick repair.<ref name=Yearbook1919/> It was never flown again.

[[File:WrightFlyer4thFlight.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.0|Distant view of the Wright airplane just after landing, taken from the starting point, with wing-rest in center of picture and launching rail at right. This flight, the fourth and final of 17 December 1903, was the longest: {{convert|852|ft|m}} covered in 59 seconds.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001696559/ | title=&#91;Distant view of the Wright airplane just after landing, taken from the starting point, with wing-rest in center of picture and launching rail at right. This flight, the fourth and final of December 17, 1903, was the longest: 852 feet covered in 59 seconds.&#93;| website=[[Library of Congress]]| year=1903}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gray|first=Carroll|date=August 2002|title=The Five First Flights|url=http://www.thewrightbrothers.org/fivefirstflights.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210818165914/http://www.thewrightbrothers.org/fivefirstflights.html|archive-date=18 August 2021|access-date=23 July 2008|website=The Wright Brothers}}</ref> The photo was published in 1908.]]{{Clear}}
In 1904, the Wrights continued refining their designs and piloting techniques in order to obtain fully controlled flight. Major progress toward this goal was achieved with a new machine called the [[Wright Flyer II]] in 1904 and even more decisively in 1905 with the third, [[Wright Flyer III]], in which Wilbur made a 39-minute, {{convert|24|mi|km|adj=on}} nonstop circling flight on October 5.<ref name="test">{{Cite web |last=Crouch|first=Tom D.|date=Winter 2010 |title=A Machine of Practical Utility |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/machine-practical-utility|access-date=23 July 2018|website=American Heritage}}</ref>

==Influence==
[[File:Orville Wright&flyer1909.jpg|thumb|Orville Wright with a later [[Wright Model A|Model A]] ''Flyer'' at [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport|Tempelhof Field]] in Berlin]]

The ''Flyer'' series of aircraft were the first to achieve controlled heavier-than-air flight, but some of the mechanical techniques the Wrights used to accomplish this were not influential for the development of aviation as a whole, although their theoretical achievements were. The ''Flyer'' design depended on [[wing-warping]] controlled by a hip cradle under the pilot, and a foreplane or "canard" for pitch control, features which would not scale and produced a hard-to-control aircraft. The Wrights' pioneering use of [[flight dynamics|"roll control]]" by twisting the wings to change wingtip angle in relation to the airstream led to the more practical use of [[aileron]]s by others, such as [[Glenn Curtiss]] and [[Henri Farman]]. The Wrights' original concept of simultaneous coordinated roll and yaw control (rear rudder deflection), which they discovered in 1902, perfected in 1903–1905, and patented in 1906, represents the solution to controlled flight and is used today on virtually every fixed-wing aircraft. The Wright patent included the use of hinged rather than warped surfaces for the forward elevator and rear rudder. Other features that made the ''Flyer'' a success were highly efficient wings and propellers, which resulted from the Wrights' exacting wind tunnel tests and made the most of the marginal power delivered by their early homebuilt engines; slow flying speeds (and hence survivable accidents); and an incremental test/development approach. The future of aircraft design lay with rigid wings, ailerons and rear control surfaces. [[Aileron#History|A British patent of 1868 for aileron technology]]<ref name="GibbsLetter">{{cite journal|journal=Flight |last=Gibbs-Smith |first= C.H. |author-link=Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200598.html |title=Correspondence: The First Aileron |date=11 May 1956 |page=598 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305154427/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200598.html |archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> had apparently been completely forgotten by the time the 20th century dawned.

After a single statement to the press in January 1904 and a failed public demonstration in May, the Wright Brothers did not publicize their efforts, and other aviators who were working on the problem of flight (notably [[Alberto Santos-Dumont]] with [[14-bis]]) were thought by the press to have preceded them by many years. After their successful demonstration flight in France on August 8, 1908, they were accepted as pioneers and received extensive media coverage.<ref name="1908Demo">{{citation |url = https://www.pilotonline.com/news/article_593f4f74-dcc9-5896-975b-fabfe6dc6899.html | title = One flight in France frenzied the world | first = Catherine | last = Kozak| date = August 3, 2008 }}</ref>
[[File:1909 Wright Flier bbbb.jpg|thumb|1909 Wright Military flier, Model B, (replica) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force]]
In 1909, the [[Wright Model A|Wright Military ''Flyer'']] became the world's first military aircraft after successful tests on June 3, 1909. This airplane was purchased by the army but was never used in combat; it was, however, used to train some pilots.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wright-military-flyer-of-1909 |title=Wright military flyer of 1909 |encyclopedia=Britannica |access-date=February 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> It was donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in 1911 and is on display in the ''Early Flight'' exhibit at the [[National Air and Space Museum]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/2009-4949hjpg |title=1909 Wright Military Flyer |work=Smithsonian |date=August 17, 2018 |access-date=February 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.si.edu/object/1909-wright-military-flyer%3Anasm_A19120001000 |title=1909 Wright Military Flyer |work=Smithsonian |access-date=February 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> A modified version, the [[Wright Model B]], was produced in larger numbers by the Wright brothers and was used by the army "for training pilots and conducting aerial experiments" including tests of "a bombsight and bomb-dropping device".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195881/wright-modified-b-flyer/ |title=Wright Modified "B" Flyer |work=National Museum of the United States Air Force |access-date=February 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>

The issue of patent control was correctly seen as critical by the Wrights, and they acquired a wide American patent, intended to give them ownership of basic aerodynamic control. This was fought in both American and European courts. European designers were little affected by the litigation and continued their own development. The legal fight in the U.S. had a crushing effect on the nascent American aircraft industry, and even by the time of America's entry into World War I, in 1917, the U.S. had "only six [American made] airplanes, and fourteen trained pilots". The numbers increased substantially over the subsequent years but during the war, all of the fighter aircraft flown by Americans were designed and built in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/dayton-aviation-and-the-first-world-war.htm |title=Dayton, Aviation, and the First World War |work=National Park Service |access-date=February 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>

===Stability===
The ''Wright Flyer'' was conceived as a control-canard, as the Wrights were more concerned with control than stability.<ref>{{Citation | last = Culick | first = Fred E. C. | date = 8–11 July 2001 | title = What the Wright Brothers Did and Did Not Understand About Flight Mechanics—In Modern Terms | url = http://www.wrightflyer.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Flight-Mechanics-In-Modern-Terms.pdf#page=6 | format = PDF | page = 5 | quote = Consistently with ignoring the condition of zero net [pitch] moment, the Wrights assumed that in equilibrium the canard carried no load and served only as a control device.}}</ref> It was found to be unstable and barely controllable.<ref>{{Citation | last = Anderson | first = Seth B. | date = September 1986 | title = A Look at Handling Qualities of Canard Configurations | journal = Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics | volume = 10 | issue = 2 | url = https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19870013196.pdf#page=10 | format = PDF | pages = 8–9 | quote = ... the Flyer was highly unstable ... The lateral/directional stability and control of the Flyer were marginal ...| bibcode = 1987JGCD...10..129A | doi = 10.2514/3.20194 | hdl = 2060/19870013196 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> During flight tests near Dayton the Wrights added ballast to the nose of the aircraft to move the center of gravity forward and reduce pitch instability. The Wright Brothers did not understand the basics of pitch stability of the canard configuration. F.E.C. Culick stated, "The backward state of the general theory and understanding of flight mechanics hindered them... Indeed, the most serious gap in their knowledge was probably the basic reason for their unwitting mistake in selecting their canard configuration."<ref name= Culick>{{citation |url = http://www.wrightflyer.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/The-First-Aeronautical-Engineers-and-Test-Pilots.pdf#page=6 |title=Wright Brothers: First Aeronautical Engineers and Test Pilots |journal=AIAA Journal |volume=41 |issue=6 | first = Fred E. C. | last = Culick | date = 26–29 September 2001 |page=4 |format= PDF |quote= ... the backward state of the general theory and understanding of flight mechanics hindered them ... |bibcode=2003AIAAJ..41..985C |doi=10.2514/2.2046 |citeseerx=10.1.1.579.7665 }}</ref>

According to aviation author Harry Combs, "Wright designs incorporated a 'balanced' forward elevator...the movable surface extending an equal distance on both sides of its hinge or pivot axis, as opposed to an 'in-trail' configuration... which would have enhanced controllability in flight." Orville wrote of the elevator, which the brothers called a "front rudder", "I found the control of the front rudder quite difficult on account of its being balanced too near the center and thus had a tendency to turn itself when started so that the rudder was turned too far on one side and then too far on the other." Thus, these early flights suffered from overcontrol.<ref name=hc/>{{rp|103,214–215}}

==After Kitty Hawk==
[[File:First flights in aviation history.ogg|thumb|A 1945 newsreel covering various firsts in human flight, including ''Wright Flyer'' footage]]

The Wright Brothers returned home to [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]] for Christmas after the flights of the Kitty Hawk ''Flyer''. While they had abandoned their other gliders, they realized the historical significance of the ''Flyer''. They shipped the heavily damaged craft back to Dayton, where it remained stored in crates behind a Wright Company shed for nine years. The [[Great Dayton Flood]] of March 1913 covered the ''Flyer'' in mud and water for eleven days.<ref name="wrightlibrary">{{cite journal|title=History of the 1903 Wright Flyer|url=http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/wrightbrothers/flyer/history|journal=Local and Rare Books|date=January 2002 |publisher=Wright State University Libraries Special Collection & Archives|last1=Unitt |first1=Peter }}</ref>

Charlie Taylor relates in a 1948 article that the ''Flyer'' nearly got disposed of by the Wrights. In early 1912 [[Roy Knabenshue]], the Wrights Exhibition team manager, had a conversation with Wilbur and asked Wilbur what they planned to do with the ''Flyer''. Wilbur said they most likely will burn it, as they had the 1904 machine. According to Taylor, Knabenshue talked Wilbur out of disposing of the machine for historical purposes.<ref>Taylor, Charles Edward. [http://www.aviationtoday.com/am/categories/military/615.html ''My Story''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219025215/http://www.aviationtoday.com/am/categories/military/615.html |date=2013-12-19 }}, as told to Robert S. Ball, ''Collier's'', 25 December 1948.</ref>

In 1910 the Wrights offered the ''Flyer'' as an exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution, but the Smithsonian declined, saying it would be willing to display other aeronautical artifacts from the brothers. Wilbur died in 1912, and in 1916 Orville brought the ''Flyer'' out of storage and prepared it for display at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]].<ref>[https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/what-happened-original-wright-flyer Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum] ''What Happened to the Original Wright Flyer'' December 15, 2022</ref>  He replaced parts of the wing covering, the props, and the engine's crankcase, crankshaft, and flywheel. The crankcase, crankshaft, and flywheel of the original engine had been sent to the Aero Club of America in New York for an exhibit in 1906 and were never returned to the Wrights. The replacement crankcase, crankshaft and flywheel came from the experimental engine Charlie Taylor had built in 1904 and used for testing in the bicycle shop. A replica crankcase of the ''Flyer'' is on display at the visitor center at the [[Wright Brothers National Memorial]].

===Debate with the Smithsonian===
The [[Smithsonian Institution]], and primarily its then-secretary [[Charles Doolittle Walcott|Charles Walcott]], refused to give credit to the Wright Brothers for the first powered, controlled flight of an aircraft. Instead, they honored the former Smithsonian Secretary [[Samuel Pierpont Langley]], whose 1903 tests of his [[Langley Aerodrome|Aerodrome]] on the [[Potomac River|Potomac]] were not successful. Walcott was a friend of Langley and wanted to see Langley's place in aviation history restored. In 1914, [[Glenn Curtiss]] had recently exhausted the appeal process in a patent infringement legal battle with the Wrights. Curtiss sought to prove Langley's machine, which failed piloted tests nine days before the Wrights' successful flight in 1903, capable of controlled, piloted flight in an attempt to invalidate the Wrights' wide-sweeping patents.

The Aerodrome was removed from exhibit at the Smithsonian and prepared for flight at [[Keuka Lake, New York]]. Curtiss called the preparations "restoration" claiming that the only addition to the design was pontoons to support testing on the lake but critics including patent attorney Griffith Brewer called them alterations of the original design. Curtiss flew the modified ''Aerodrome'', hopping a few feet off the surface of the lake for 5 seconds at a time.<ref>{{cite book| chapter-url= http://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/the_wright_brothers_19.html |title= The Wright Brothers| chapter= Chapter 19: Why The Wright Plane Was Exiled| publisher= Dayton History Books Online}}</ref>

Between 1916 and 1928, the ''Wright Flyer'' was prepared and assembled for exhibition under the supervision of Orville by Wright Company mechanic Jim Jacobs several times.  It was briefly exhibited at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1916, the New York Aero Shows in 1917 and 1919, a [[Society of Automotive Engineers]] meeting in Dayton, Ohio in 1918, and the [[National Air Races]] in Dayton in 1924.<ref name="SINASM" />

[[File:Wright Flyer at the Science Museum London.jpg|thumb|right|''Kitty Hawk'' was exhibited at the Science Museum, London, from 1928 to 1948.]]

In 1925, Orville attempted to pressure the Smithsonian by warning that he would send the ''Flyer'' to the [[Science Museum (London)|Science Museum]] in [[London]] if the Institution refused to recognize his and Wilbur's accomplishment. The threat did not achieve its intended effect, and on January 28, 1928, Orville shipped the ''Kitty Hawk'' to London for display at the museum.<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/wright_bros/WB_Bibliography.pdf Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Bibliography Commemorating the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the First Powered Flight], NASA Publication SP-2002-4527, published Sep, 2002 (pg123, pdf 132 of 153)</ref>  It remained there in "the place of honour",<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%201791.html |title=Back to the Beginning |magazine=Flight |date=28 October 1948 |page=505 |archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20170912192315/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%201791.html |archive-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> except during [[World War II]] when it was moved to an underground storage facility {{convert|100|mi|km}} away, near [[Corsham]].<ref name="SINASM">{{cite web|title=1903 Wright Flyer|url=https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1903-wright-flyer?object=nasm_A19610048000|publisher=Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum|date=21 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1942, the Smithsonian Institution, under a new secretary, [[Charles Greeley Abbot|Charles Abbot]], published a list of 35 Curtiss modifications to the ''Aerodrome'' and a retraction of its long-held claims for the craft. Abbot went on to list four regrets including the role the Institution played in supporting unsuccessful defendants in patent litigation by the Wrights, misinformation about modifications made to the Aerodrome after ''Wright Flyer''{{'}}s first flight, and public statements attributing the "first aeroplane capable of sustained free flight with a man" to Secretary Langley. The entry in the 1942 Annual Report of Smithsonian Institution begins with the statement "It is everywhere acknowledged that the Wright brothers were the first to make sustained flights in a heavier-than-air machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903" and closes with a promise that "Should Dr. Wright decide to deposit the plane ... it would be given the highest place of honor which it is due".<ref>{{cite web|title=1942 Annual Report|year=1846|url=http://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/annualreportofbo1942smit|publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>

The following year, Orville, after exchanging several letters with Abbot, agreed to return the ''Flyer'' to the United States. The ''Flyer'' stayed at the Science Museum until a replica could be built, based on the original. This change of heart by the Smithsonian is also mired in controversy – the ''Flyer'' was sold to the Smithsonian under several [[contractual term|contractual conditions]], one of which reads:

{{blockquote|Neither the Smithsonian Institution or its successors, nor any museum or other agency, bureau or facilities administered for the United States of America by the Smithsonian Institution or its successors shall publish or permit to be displayed a statement or label in connection with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane of 1903, claiming in effect that such aircraft was capable of carrying a man under its own power in controlled flight.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glennhcurtiss.com/d93f42b0.jpg |title=Archived image |website=Glenn H. Curtiss |access-date=21 January 2011 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020817151648/http://glennhcurtiss.com/d93f42b0.jpg |archive-date=17 August 2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://glennhcurtiss.com/id50.htm |title=Wright Brothers |website=Glenn H. Curtiss |access-date=21 January 2011 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030228050514/http://glennhcurtiss.com/id50.htm |archive-date=28 February 2003 }}</ref>}}

[[File:Wright Bros original airplane "Kitty Hawk", 1of3 crates, unloaded from USS Palau at Bayonne-NY Naval Shipyard annex on Operation Homecoming, London to DC, Nov 19, 1948.png|thumb|Operation Homecoming, the ''"Kitty Hawk"'' is returned, after 20 years abroad, to its origins in the US, transported by the [[USS Palau|USS ''Palau'']] aircraft carrier.]]

On October 18, 1948, the official handover of the ''Kitty Hawk'' was made to Livingston L. Satterthwaite, the American Civil Air Attaché<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/wright_bros/WB_Bibliography.pdf Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Bibliography Commemorating the One-Hundredth Anniversary of the First Powered Flight], NASA Publication SP-2002-4527, published Sep, 2002 (pg122, pdf 131 of 153)</ref> at a ceremony attended by representatives of the various flying organizations in the UK and by some British aviation pioneers such as Sir [[Alliott Verdon-Roe]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%201791.html |title=Back to the Beginning |magazine=Flight |date=28 October 1948 |page=506 |archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20180720135635/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1948/1948%20-%201792.html  |archive-date=20 July 2018}} p506</ref>

On November 11, 1948, the ''Kitty Hawk'' arrived in North America on board the ''[[RMS Mauretania (1938)|Mauretania]]'' with 1,111 passengers.<ref>''Halifax Daily Star'', Friday, Nov. 12, 1948 ([https://sova.si.edu/record/NASM.XXXX.0393?s=11210&n=10&t=C&q=Art&i=11212 Wright 1903 Flyer "Operation Homecoming" Scrapbook], [https://edan.si.edu/slideshow/viewer/?eadrefid=NASM.XXXX.0393_ref505 PDF] pg33of254)</ref> When the liner docked at [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], [[Paul E. Garber]] of the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian's]] National Air Museum met the aircraft and took command of the proceedings, overseeing its transfer to the US Navy aircraft carrier, the [[USS Palau|USS ''Palau'']], which repatriated the aircraft by way of New York Harbor. The rest of the journey to Washington continued on flatbed truck. While in Halifax Garber met [[John A. D. McCurdy]], at the time the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. McCurdy as a young man had been a member of Alexander Graham Bell's team [[Aerial Experiment Association]], which included Glenn Curtiss, and later a famous pioneer pilot. During the stay at Halifax, Garber and McCurdy reminisced about the pioneer aviation days and the Wright Brothers. McCurdy also offered Garber any assistance he needed to get the ''Flyer'' home.<ref>Hallion 1978, p.55.</ref>

===In the Smithsonian===
{{multiple image
 | align = right
 | direction = vertical
 | width = 240
 | header =  ''Wright Flyer'' 1985 restoration
 | image1 = WrightFlyerSmithsonianMay1982.jpg
 | alt1 = 
 | caption1 = 1982 before restoration
 | image2 = Wright Flyer AN0231034.jpg
 | alt2 = 
 | caption2 =  1995 after restoration
}}

The ''Wright Flyer'' was put on display in the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian on December 17, 1948, 45 years to the day after the aircraft's only successful flights. (Orville did not live to see this, as he had died that January.) In 1976, it was moved to the Milestones of Flight Gallery of the new [[National Air and Space Museum]]. Since 2003 it has resided in a special exhibit in the museum titled "The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age," in recognition of the 100th anniversary of their first flight.

====1985 restoration====

In 1981, discussion began on the need to restore the ''Wright Flyer'' from the aging it sustained after many decades on display. During the ceremonies celebrating the 78th anniversary of the first flights, Ivonette Wright Miller (Lorin's daughter), one of the Wright brothers' nieces, presented the Museum with the original covering of one wing of the ''Flyer'', which she had received in her inheritance from Orville. She expressed her wish to see the aircraft restored.<ref name="Mikesh">Mikesh.</ref>

The fabric covering on the aircraft at the time, which came from the 1927 restoration, was discolored and marked with water spots. Metal fasteners holding the wing uprights together had begun to corrode, marking the nearby fabric.<ref name="Mikesh" />

Work began in 1985. The restoration was supervised by Senior Curator Robert Mikesh and assisted by Wright Brothers expert Tom Crouch. Museum director [[Walter J. Boyne]] decided to perform the restoration in full view of the public.<ref name="Mikesh" />

The wooden framework was cleaned, and corrosion on metal parts removed. The covering was the only part of the aircraft replaced. The new covering was more accurate to the original than that of the 1927 restoration. To preserve the original paint on the engine, the restorers coated it in inert wax before putting on a new coat of paint.<ref name="Mikesh" /> The effects of the 1985 restoration were intended to last 75 years (to 2060) before another restoration would be required.<ref name="Mikesh" />

==Reproductions==

In 1978, 23-year-old Ken Kellett built a replica ''Wright Flyer'' in Colorado and flew it at Kitty Hawk on the 75th and 80th anniversaries of the first flight there. Construction took a year and cost $3,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Preston |first1=Shelley |title=Auburndale Man Re-Created the Wright Brothers' Plane |url=http://www.theledger.com/news/20031209/auburndale-man-re-created-the-wright-brothers-plane |website=The Ledger |access-date=10 August 2018 |date=9 December 2003}}</ref>

As the 100th anniversary on December 17, 2003, approached, the [[Centennial of Flight Commission|U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission]] along with other organizations opened bids for companies to recreate the original flight. The Wright Experience, led by Ken Hyde, won the bid and painstakingly recreated reproductions of the original ''Wright Flyer'', plus many of the prototype gliders and kites and subsequent Wright aircraft. The completed ''Flyer'' reproduction was brought to Kitty Hawk and pilot Kevin Kochersberger attempted to recreate the original flight at 10:35 on December 17, 2003, on level ground near the bottom of Kill Devil Hill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3b1avsSw3g| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211113/S3b1avsSw3g| archive-date=2021-11-13 | url-status=live|title=Attempt to recreate Wright Bros flight fails|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The aircraft had previously made several successful test flights; however, poor weather, rain, and weak winds prevented a successful flight on the anniversary. Hyde's reproduction is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

The Los Angeles Section of the [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics]] (AIAA) built a full-scale replica of the 1903 ''Wright Flyer'' between 1979 and 1993 using plans from the original ''Wright Flyer'' published by the Smithsonian Institution in 1950. Constructed in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight, the replica was intended for wind tunnel testing to provide a historically accurate aerodynamic database of the ''Wright Flyer'' design.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wright Flyer Project |url=http://www.wrightflyer.org/about-us/ |access-date=26 May 2019 |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819025744/http://www.wrightflyer.org/about-us/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The aircraft went on display at the [[March Field Air Museum]] in [[Riverside, California]]. Numerous static display-only, nonflying reproductions are on display around the United States and across the world, making this perhaps the most reproduced single aircraft of the "pioneer" era in history, rivaling the number of copies – some of which are airworthy – of [[Louis Blériot]]'s cross-Channel [[Bleriot XI]] from 1909.
<gallery class="center">
Wright Flyer wind-tunnel-large NASA.jpg|The [[American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics|AIAA's]] ''Flyer'' reproduction undergoing testing in a [[NASA]] wind tunnel
15 23 1065 wright flyer replica.jpg|''Wright Flyer'' Replica at the [[The Henry Ford|Henry Ford Museum]]
Frontiers of Flight Museum December 2015 109 (1903 Wright Flyer model).jpg|''Flyer'' replica at the [[Frontiers of Flight Museum]]
1903 Wright Flyer Fleming.jpg|1903 ''Wright Flyer'' replica at the Lysdale Historic Hangar [http://mn1903flyer.us]
JAM Wright Flyer.png|''Wright Flyer'' replica at Jeju Aerospace Museum
</gallery>

==Artifacts==
In 1969, portions of the original fabric and wood from the ''Wright Flyer'' traveled to the Moon and its surface in [[Neil Armstrong]]'s [[personal preference kit]] aboard the [[Apollo 11]] [[Lunar Module Eagle|Lunar Module ''Eagle'']], and then back to Earth in the [[Command module Columbia|Command module ''Columbia'']].<ref name="Whatsgoingup">{{cite web |last1=Siceloff |first1=Steven |title=Items Taken into Space Reflect Accomplishments on Earth |url=https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/Whatsgoingup.html |website=[[NASA]] |access-date=11 January 2020 |date=24 October 2007 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109220754/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/behindscenes/Whatsgoingup.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Waxman |first1=Olivia B. |title=When Neil Armstrong Went to the Moon, He Brought Souvenirs of the Wright Brothers' Flight. Now They're for Sale |url=https://time.com/5418950/first-man-neil-armstrong-wright-flyer/ |magazine=Time |publisher=TIME USA, LLC |access-date=11 January 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hansen |first1=James R. |author-link1=James R. Hansen |title=First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong |title-link=First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong |date=2005 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-7432-5631-X |page=527 |quote=He is most clear about, and most proud of, the pieces of the historic Wright ''Flyer'' that he took to the moon. Under a special arrangement with the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, he took in his LM PPK a piece of wood from the Wright brothers' 1903 airplane's left propeller and a piece of muslin fabric (8x13 inches) from its upper left wing.}}</ref> 
This artifact is on display at the visitors center at the [[Wright Brothers National Memorial]] in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NASM Press Kit — The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age|url=http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressroom/presskits/wrightbrothers/wbephotos.cfm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121024116/http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/pressroom/presskits/wrightbrothers/wbephotos.cfm|archive-date=21 November 2008|access-date=11 December 2011|website=NASM}}</ref>

In 1986, separate portions of original wood and fabric, as well as a note by Orville Wright, were taken by North Carolina native astronaut [[Michael J. Smith (astronaut)|Michael Smith]] aboard the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] on mission [[STS-51-L]], which was [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|destroyed soon after liftoff]]. The portions of wood and fabric and Wright's note were recovered from the wreck of the Shuttle and are on display at the [[North Carolina Museum of History]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 December 2009|title=Full-size Replica Wright Flyer Featured at N.C. Transportation Museum|url=http://news.ncdcr.gov/2009/12/10/full-size-replica-wright-flyer-featured-at-nc-transportation-museum/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426044500/http://news.ncdcr.gov/2009/12/10/full-size-replica-wright-flyer-featured-at-nc-transportation-museum/|archive-date=26 April 2012|access-date=11 December 2011|website=North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources}}</ref>

A small piece of the ''Wright Flyer''{{'}}s wing fabric is attached to a cable underneath the solar panel of the helicopter ''[[Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity]]'', which became the first vehicle to perform a controlled atmospheric flight on Mars on April 19, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/mars-helicopter-ingenuity-wright-brothers-plane|title=Mars helicopter Ingenuity carries piece of Wright brothers' famous plane|website=[[Space.com]]|last1=Wall|first1=Mike|date=24 March 2021|access-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> Before moving on for further exploration and testing, ''Ingenuity''{{'}}s first base on Mars was named [[Wright Brothers Field]].

<gallery class="center">
430-L1-S1 640.jpg|''Wright Flyer'' wood and fabric taken to the Moon in 1969 by [[Neil Armstrong]] aboard [[Apollo 11]] and flown to the surface in the [[Lunar Module Eagle|Lunar Module ''Eagle'']]
Wright flyer fragments STS-51-L.jpg|''Wright Flyer'' wood, fabric, and a note by Orville Wright taken aboard and recovered from [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]'s 1986 flight [[STS-51-L]], which [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|exploded soon after liftoff]]
PIA23882-MarsHelicopterIngenuity-20200429 (trsp).png|A piece of ''Wright Flyer''{{'}}s wing fabric is attached to the ''[[Ingenuity (helicopter)|Ingenuity]]'' helicopter, the first powered aircraft to fly on Mars
</gallery>

==Specifications==

{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp|
<!-- if you do not understand how to use this template, please ask at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft]] -->
<!-- please answer the following questions -->
|crew= 1
|length ft=21
|length in=1
|length m=6.43 
|span ft=40
|span in=4
|span m=12.29 
|height ft=9
|height in=0
|height m=2.74 
|wing area sqft=510 
|wing area sqm=47 
|empty weight lb= 605 
|empty weight kg= 274 
|max takeoff weight lb= 745 
|max takeoff weight kg= 338

|eng1 name=Wright
|eng1 type=[[straight-4]] water-cooled {{convert|201.1|cuin|cc|abbr=on}} piston engine.<ref name=Yearbook1919/> 
|eng1 number= 1  <!-- actually has 2 props; 1 entered here so template will correctly display the page showing ONE engine and TWO propellers -->
|eng1 hp= 12 
|eng1 kw= 8.9
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number= 2
|prop name=Wright "Elliptical" props
|prop dia ft=8 
|prop dia in=6
 
|max speed kmh=48 
|ceiling ft=30 
|ceiling m= 9.1 
|wing loading lb/sqft=1.4 
|wing loading kg/m2=6.4
|power/mass=0.02 hp/lb (15 W/kg)

}}

==Commemorations==

The Wright Brothers and their airplane have been commemorated on a U.S. Quarter and on several U. S. Postage stamps.

{| style="margin:auto"
|[[File:Wright Brothers Airplane, 2c, 1928 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Wright Brothers Airplane, 2c, 1928 issue<br>International Civil Aeronautics Conference]]
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|[[File:Wilbur and Orville Wright, 6c airmail, 1949 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Wilbur and Orville Wright and airplane, 6c airmail, 1949 issue]]
|&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|[[File:2001 NC Proof.png|right|thumb|[[North Carolina]] [[50 State Quarters|50 State Quarter]] depicts first flight of 1903.]]
|}

==See also==
{{Aircontent
|related=
* [[Wright Glider|The Wrights' unpowered gliders]]
** [[Wright Glider#1902 glider|1902 Glider]]
* [[Wright Flyer II|Flyer II]]
* [[Wright Flyer III|Flyer III]]
* [[Wright Model A]]
* [[Wright Model B]]
|similar aircraft=
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
|see also=<!-- other relevant information -->
* [[Early flying machines]]
* [[Claims to the first powered flight]]
* [[La France (airship)|''La France'' (airship)]]
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Combs |first1=Harry |title=Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers |date=1979 |publisher=TernStyle Press, Ltd. |location=Englewood |isbn=0940053020 }}
* Hallion, Richard P. ''The Wright Brothers: Heirs of Prometheus''. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian, 1978. {{ISBN|0-87474-504-7}}.
* Hise, Phaedra. "In Search of the Real Wright Flyer." ''Air&Space/Smithsonian'', January 2003, pp.&nbsp;22–29.
* Howard, Fred. ''Orville and Wilbur: The Story of the Wright Brothers''. London: Hale, 1988. {{ISBN|0-7090-3244-7}}.
* Jakab, Peter L. "The Original." ''Air&Space/Smithsonian'', March 2003, pp.&nbsp;34–39.
* Mikesh, Robert C. and Tom D. Crouch. "Restoration: The Wright Flyer."  ''National Air and Space Museum Research Report'', 1985, pp.&nbsp;135–141.
* {{citation |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%201633.html |title=The Wright Flyer |date=11 December 1953 |work=Flight |pages=787–788 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306153034/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%201633.html |archive-date=6 March 2016}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Wright Flyer}}
* [http://wright.nasa.gov/ Nasa.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422154705/http://wright.nasa.gov/ |date=April 22, 2021 }}
* [http://www.wrightflyer.org/ Wrightflyer.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227192846/http://www.wrightflyer.org/ |date=February 27, 2021 }}
* [http://www.wrightexperience.com/ Wrightexperience.com]
* [http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/FEATURE-wright-engine.html# "Under The Hood of A Wright Flyer"] ''Air & Space Magazine''
* [http://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/annualreportofbo1942smit 1942 Smithsonian Annual Report acknowledging primacy of the ''Wright Flyer'']
* [http://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/wrightbrothers/flyer/history History of the ''Wright Flyer''] Wright State University Library

{{Wright aircraft}}
{{Authority control}}

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