Two American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, are credited as being the inventors of the airplane, although many people had been experimenting with what were then called flying machines, and the Wright brothers certainly learned from the experiences of others. Nonetheless, the Wright brothers first flight in an engine powered flying machine was the first recorded flight of an airplane. The Wright brothers’ flight came after many years of experimentation, trial and error, and disappointment.

When was the Wright brothers first flight? The first successful Wright brother’s flight took place on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

How long and far was the Wright brother’s first flight? On that cold, windy day, Orville made the first flight. He flew 39 meters (120 feet) in 12 seconds. Then Wilbur flew 53 meters (175 feet), followed by Orville who flew 61 meters (200 feet). On the fourth and last flight of the day, Wilbur flew 279 meters (852 feet) in 59 seconds. All four flights were about ten feet off the ground. The Wright flight plane was called the Flyer. It had two propellers driven by a 12 horsepower engine.

How many people saw the Wright brothers’ first flight? Only five people saw Wilbur and Orville Wright in flight that day. Only two newspapermen reported on the Wright brothers’ first flight. Many people who heard about the Wright flight believed it was a hoax. Pictures of the Wright brothers’ first flight did not convince them. Not until they actually saw an airplane fly did they believe it could be done.

After the Wilbur and Orville Wright first flight, progress with flying machines advanced rapidly. There were several Wright amendment flights. On September 20, 1904, Wilbur flew a plane in a circle for the first time. On November 9 he made the first flight of over five minutes. In October 1905, Orville made the first flight to exceed half an hour in duration.

Other pioneers, like Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, were working on flying machines. Even without the Wright brothers, the birth of flight was inevitable. But no one can deny the importance of the Wright brothers’ invention. Of the flight that day in Kitty Hawk, Orville would recall, “Wilbur started the fourth and last flight at just about twelve o’clock. The first few hundred feet were up and down as before, but by the time three hundred feet had been covered, the machine was under much better control.” The Wright brothers’ first flight had started a new age.