Orville Wright: The Art and Science of Aviation, 1914
ProgressIn 1896, aviation progress was going on independently in locations far from Ohio: Penaud's models and Giffard's dirigibles in France; Lilienthal's glider experiments in Germany; Langley's powered flight efforts in Washington, D.C.; and Chanute's technical data collection in Indiana. In Dayton, Orville and Wilbur combined their bicycle work with inquiry and experimentation on flying machines. When the bicycle business slowed at each summer's end, they took their inventions to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for testing in the open, windy terrain. From 1899 through 1903, and experiments with kites, gliders, and pilot practice, the brothers finally achieved their goal of controlled, continuous flight in December, 1903. |
1903 Flyer. From The Wright Brothers Aeronautical Engineering Collection, The Franklin Institute Science Museum. |