The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved humanity's first controlled, heavier-than-air flight over the beaches of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. Their achievement was the result of several years of systematic effort to understand the technical aspects of flight, including engine and propeller performance, stability, and control.

Their development program of wind tunnel models, glider experiments, and glider test flying laid the foundation for the 1903 Flyer design, their first powered aircraft. The Wrights carefully and thoroughly documented these efforts and continued to refine airplane designs in the following years.

The original 1903 Flyer resides in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The Museum of Flight's aircraft is the third of a set of three meticulously detailed and authentic 1903 Flyers built by The Wright Experience of Warrenton, Virginia to commemorate the Centennial of Flight in 2003. It is powered by a four-cylinder, water-cooled 12-horsepower engine.

Wingspan:
40.34ft
Length:
21ft
Height:
9ft
Wing Area:
510.00ft²
Empty Weight:
605lbs
Gross Weight:
750lbs
Power Plant:
One 4-cylinder, water-cooled, 12 h.p. engine

The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved humanity's first controlled, heavier-than-air flight over the beaches of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. Their achievement was the result of several years of systematic effort to understand the technical aspects of flight, including engine and propeller performance, stability, and control.

Their development program of wind tunnel models, glider experiments, and glider test flying laid the foundation for the 1903 Flyer design, their first powered aircraft. The Wrights carefully and thoroughly documented these efforts and continued to refine airplane designs in the following years.

The original 1903 Flyer resides in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The Museum of Flight's aircraft is the third of a set of three meticulously detailed and authentic 1903 Flyers built by The Wright Experience of Warrenton, Virginia to commemorate the Centennial of Flight in 2003. It is powered by a four-cylinder, water-cooled 12-horsepower engine.

Wingspan:
40.34ft
Length:
21ft
Height:
9ft
Wing Area:
510.00ft²
Empty Weight:
605lbs
Gross Weight:
750lbs
Power Plant:
One 4-cylinder, water-cooled, 12 h.p. engine