Their Story:
As young men, the brothers started a
bicycle manufacturing and repair company in their
hometown of Dayton, Ohio, and used the proceeds from this
company to finance their interest in aviation. At first,
their efforts produced dismal results. They soon realized
that the widely accepted theories of air control were
unreliable, and that the standard air pressure tables
that had been produced by the German aviator Otto
Lilienthal were inaccurate.
In the winter of 1901, Orville and Wilbur built a wind
tunnel to study how to control an aircraft. They
corrected the air pressure tables and realized the
importance of the aspect ratio -- the ratio of wing
length to wing width.
In 1902, the experiments at Kitty Hawk succeeded in all
respects but one. The glider flew successfully in 1,000
trials. Turning, however, caused the plane to spin
uncontrollably or drop into the sand. Orville suggested a
moveable rudder, and Wilbur decided that the rudder
movement should interconnect with the wing warping
controls.
Now, all they needed was an engine and a propeller. No
automobile company could produce the engine to Orville's
specifications, so with the help of Charles Taylor he
built one himself. Wilbur was busy with the propellers,
carving them out of spruce with a hatchet and drawknife
and covering them with aluminum paint.
On December 16, 1903, Wilbur won the coin toss for the
first flight attempt. He climbed too steeply on lift-off
and three seconds later buried the nose of Flyer No. 1 in
the sand. The following morning, Orville flew for 12
seconds. By noon, Wilbur had retaken the record by flying
59 seconds. Man was truly flying at last.