Flyer One Airplane Model

The Wright Flyer (also known as the Kitty Hawk, the Flyer, or the 1903 Flyer) was a heavier-than-air aircraft that achieved the first sustained powered flight by humans on December 17, 1903, marking the beginning of the pioneering era of aviation . The aircraft was designed and flown by the Wright brothers .

The aircraft was a single-seat, biplane design with slightly drooped wings, twin elevators ( cane wings ) at the front and two bi-directional rudders at the rear. It used a 12 hp (9 kW) gasoline engine to drive two pusher propellers. It used a " wing warping " technique, which made it relatively unstable and difficult to control. The Wright brothers made four flights about 4 miles south of Kitty Hawk , North Carolina (now Killer Hill ). On the fourth and final flight, the aircraft flew 852 feet (260 m) but was damaged on landing and was overturned and destroyed a few minutes later by strong winds.

The plane never flew again, but was brought home and restored by Orville. Initially, the plane was displayed in a place of honor at the Science Museum in London until 1948, when it was put on display at the Smithsonian Institution after settling a bitter dispute over priority . It is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.