LYCOS RETRIEVER 
1903: 1903 Flyer
built 192 days ago
The design of the 1903 Flyer was a confident extension of the 1902 glider. Its assembly in Kitty Hawk was a frustrating trial. Its success in December 1903 was both monumental and momentary.
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On December 17, 1903, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio realized one of humanity’s wildest dreams: For 12 seconds they were possessed of true flight. Before the day ended, Orville and Wilbur Wright would keep their wood-wire-and-cloth Flyer aloft for 59 seconds. Sober citizens knew that only birds used wings to take to the air, so without being at the site, near Kitty Hawk, N.C., or seeing this photo, few would have believed the Wrights’ story. Although it had taken ages for humans to fly, once the brothers made their breakthrough, the learning curve reached the heavens. Within 15 years of this critical moment, nearly all the elements of the modern airplane had been imagined, if not yet developed.
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This shattered fragment is almost all that remains of the original 1903 Flyer propellers. The propellers were the most advanced propellers ever made - the first to be based on sound aerodynamic theory, and designed to meet a specific requirement. They are arguably the Wrights most significant contribution to aviation. They were certainly the most complex single element in the 1903 Flyer.
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1903 Flyer