Wright Brothers Research Paper

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” Leonardo da Vinci. Wilbur and Orville Wright are known throughout the world as the first men to fly an airplane. This, however, is a myth. “The first fixed-wing aircraft -- a kite mounted on a stick -- was conceived and flown almost a century before Orville and Wilbur made their first flights” (Engler). The Wright Brothers, however, were the first to control an airplane in the air. Though not the first to fly, these flight-loving brothers made tremendous impacts on aviation. Three controls, roll, pitch, and yaw, are what allows an airplane to fly in all three dimensions. This simple,
but genius ideas is used throughout the entire aerospace business, as well as spacecraft, submarines, and even robots. Wilber and Orville, though not the first to fly, were both brilliant men who influenced the world through their determination, persistence, and genius. By discovering their life, experiments, and legacies, we will further discover that the Wright Brothers truly did change the world.
Wilber and Orville grew in up in a warm family that encouraged learning and experimenting.
Wilbur Wright was born the middle child of five. His father, Milton, was a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. His mother was Susan Catherine Koerner. Younger brother and playmate, Orville Wright was four years younger than Wilbur. Wilber and Orville grew up sharing a love for aeronautics and flying. Always on the road, their father would never fail to bring back toys and gadgets for the young Wright brothers. On one occasion, Milton brought back a small, model helicopter for the boys. They soon were remaking models of their own. Wilber Wright had always been a bright and hardworking child. He excelled in school and planned to attend Yale University. One day, however, an accident occurred which drastically changed Wilber’s life. In an ice hockey game, Wilber was badly injured when another player’s stick hit him in the face. His face and teeth eventually healed, but he continued to have heart and digestive problems. After this incident, Wilbur faded into depression. He decided against his plans for college and retreated back to his home. Wilbur spent the next three years desperately nursing his dying mother back to health. She died of tuberculosis in 1889. Around this same time, Orville was losing interest in school. He wished to pursue the printing business. So that year, 1889, he dropped out of high school and opened a print shop. One year later, Wilbur joined
Orville in the business crafting their own newspaper for their Dayton neighborhood. While somewhat successful, they failed to offer competition to the larger newspaper companies. In 1894, Wilbur and Orville were pulled into the bicycle craze that swept the nation. They soon began another business: repairing and selling bicycles. Eventually, they began manufacturing their own bikes. The Wright Cycle Company continued to grow and they made handsome profits. But the Wrights cared little about money. They had their eyes fixed on something bigger. They were looking to trade their wheels for wings (Engler).
Around that time, Wilbur and Orville began noticing accounts of flying machines in the newspapers.
One person they closely followed was German aviator Otto Lilienthal. After Lilienthal died in a glider crash, the brothers began work on their experiments. Both Wilbur and Orville were determined to develop a successful design. Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, known for its strong winds, became their test center. The two brothers wondered how a pilot must balance an aircraft in the air, just as a bicyclist balances on the road (Engler). They began to create gliders to test their theories. The first two gliders failed to perform as the Wrights had hoped. They began viewing how birds angled their wings for balance and control. The Wrights attempted to duplicate this method developing a concept known as “wing warping” (History.com Staff). Wilbur then resolved to create a wind tunnel in which he could test the best wing shape for an airplane. Soon after, “their third glider became the first fully controllable aircraft, with roll, pitch, and yaw controls” (Engler). With help from Charlie Taylor, the Wright’s mechanic, they were able to design and build a gasoline engine powerful enough to propel an airplane. This extraordinary achievement would one day change the world. At the time, however, these genius brothers still had much to perfect. The 1903 Wright Flyer did actually fly, but it was hard to control. They soon established the world’s first test flight facilities at Huffman Prairie.
Never giving up, these brothers made flight after flight for two years. By the end of 1905, “they were flying figure eights over Huffman Prairie, staying aloft for over half an hour” (Engler). They finally accomplished what the world had failed to do: the first practical, stable, controlled airplane. The world quickly accepted this new flying machine. The now famous Wright brothers set out to expose their invention to audiences around the country, the U.S. Army, and even Europe. Wilbur and Orville, however, soon grew weary of competitors, patents, disputes, and even court cases. In the middle of this chaotic fame, Wilbur developed typhoid fever in May of 1912. He grew sicker throughout the month and died on May 30. His heart no longer in the business, Orville sold the Wright Company and went back to inventing. Orville spent the next 30 years inventing new concepts, working on engineering problems, and developing important projects. He died of a heart attack in 1948. These two brothers will never be forgotten.
Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplished what the world had given up on. Their inventions and discoveries are still used today. Even early on in their discoveries, they “displayed the possibility of conquering air itself to the world” (Schweikart and Allen). Wilbur and Orville were the heroes of the flight industry. As children, they were eager students. As teens, they were diligent businessmen. As young adults, they were patient inventors. As men, they changed the world. During a flight at Le Mans, France one day, a French newspaper gushed that it had witnessed “Wilbur Wright and his great white bird, the beautiful mechanical bird…there is no doubt! Wilbur and Orville Wright have well and truly flown” (Schweikart and Allen). This extraordinary deed that the world had deemed impossible was soon a reality for all Americans. While the airplane business was still in its infancy, no one perceived that America would one day be dotted by hundreds of airports around the country and the world. The flames of the Wright brother’s legacy will never burn out. They had well and truly flown.