Flying in the sky like a bird has been a dream of mankind since ancient times. For its realization, people have spent many years of unremitting efforts and even the lives of many pioneers. Finally, on December 17, 1903, the world's first manned powered aircraft took to the skies in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. This aircraft is called "Aviator-1", and its inventors are the American brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright. The Wright brothers' first powered sustained flight realized mankind's long-awaited dream, and the era of human flight began.
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, and his brother Orville Wright was born on August 19, 1871. They had a strong interest in mechanical assembly and flight since childhood. , engaged in the bicycle repair and manufacturing industry. The Wright brothers originally made a living by repairing bicycles. The brothers were smart and studious. Since 1896, they have been enthusiastic about flight research. Through many studies and experiments, they quickly came to a conclusion: To solve the key unresolved problem of aircraft control, some kind of mechanical device that can make aerodynamics work must be installed. They followed this idea and after several hot and cold tests of a manned glider over the Kitty Hawk Sand Dunes, their dream finally became a reality.
The news of Otto Lilienthal's successful glider test made them determined to fly. The crash of Lilienthal's test flight in 1896 prompted them to focus on the balance control of the aircraft. They studied the flight of birds in particular and delved into almost every book on aeronautical theory written at the time. During this period, the aviation industry suffered successive setbacks. Pilot Peel's plane crashed and killed, Maxim, the inventor of the heavy machine gun, failed in his test flight, and aeronautical scientist Langley fell into the water with his plane and people, etc. This made most people think that the aircraft relied on itself. Powered flight was completely impossible.
The Wright brothers did not give up their efforts. From 1900 to 1902, in addition to conducting more than 1,000 gliding test flights, they also made more than 200 different wings and conducted thousands of wind tunnel experiments, correcting some of Lilienthal's erroneous flight data. , designed a wing cross-section shape with greater lift. After all, the glider's airtime is limited, but if the aircraft is powered and carries enough fuel, it can fly, take off and land freely. As a result, the brothers began the development of powered aircraft. The Wright brothers worked day and night, and soon they designed an engine with excellent performance and an efficient propeller, and then successfully assembled the various components into the world's first powered airplane. In 1903, they built the first aircraft to fly manned under its own power, "Aviator" No. 1. The aircraft had a wingspan of 13.2 meters, an elevator in front, a rudder in the rear, and two pairs of two-blade propellers. Driven by a chain, the landing gear is skid-type and is equipped with a 70kg, 8.8kW four-cylinder engine. This famous aircraft in aviation history is now on display at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, USA.
The "Aviator" is an ordinary biplane. Its two pusher propellers are installed on both sides of the driver's position and are chain-driven by a single engine. In 1904, the Wright brothers built the second "Flyer" equipped with a new engine and conducted a test flight at Hoffman Prairie near Dayton. The longest sustained flight time was more than 5 minutes and the flight distance was 4.4,000 miles. meters; in 1905, the third "Aviator" was tested, piloted by Wilbur, and it lasted 38 minutes and flew 38.6 kilometers. On the day of the first test flight, the weather was cold and windy. First, his brother Orville Wright piloted the "Aviator" aircraft, staying empty for 12 seconds and flying 36.5 meters. On the same day, the plane made three more flights, with the best result being his brother Wilbur Wright. He flew the plane continuously for 260 meters in the air.
From December 14th to 17th, 1903, "Aviator" 1 conducted its fourth test flight on a sand dune in Kitty Hawk, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. The first test flight, piloted by Orville Wright, flew 36 meters and remained empty for 12 seconds. The fourth time was by Wilbur. Piloted by Wright, the aircraft flew 260 meters and remained airborne for 59 seconds. In 1906, their aircraft was patented in the United States.
The success of the Wright Brothers' flight was not initially valued and recognized by the U.S. government and the public, and was still doubted by people until 1907. Instead, it was France that first gave their achievements a correct evaluation in 1908. , which set off an aviation craze that swept the world. For this reason, they finally received the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor in 1909. In the same year, they founded the "Wright Aircraft Company". Wilbur. Wright died on May 29, 1912, at the age of 45. After that, Orville Wright worked hard for 30 years to make Wright Aircraft Company a world-famous aircraft manufacturer with a capital of tens of billions of dollars. Orville. Wright died on January 3, 1948.