Wright Flyer
Wright Brothers · United States · first flew 1903 · light aircraft
The 1903 machine that made the first sustained, controlled, powered flight by a heavier-than-air aircraft.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.4 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Biplane with no tail behind — a forward canard elevator instead (drawn as single wing pair)
- Two pusher propellers driven by chains from one central engine
- Pilot lies prone on the lower wing between the propellers
A boxy canard biplane with the elevator out front and twin pusher propellers behind the wings — quite unlike any later aircraft. The absence of a rear tail and the prone pilot position are unmistakable.
Specifications
- The Wright Flyer has a length of 6.4 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.3 m (40 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 48 km/h (30 mph).
- Typical crew: 1 pilot (prone).
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Wilbur and Orville Wright flew it at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on 17 December 1903, Orville covering 36 m in 12 seconds on the first hop and Wilbur reaching 255 m later that day. Its breakthrough was three-axis control, using wing-warping for roll, paired with a forward canard elevator and a single petrol engine driving twin pusher propellers by bicycle chains.
Variants
A unique experimental aircraft; the brothers went on to build the improved Flyer II of 1904 and the practical Flyer III of 1905. No production version of the original 1903 machine existed.
Where you'll see it
Never a service aircraft. The original 1903 Flyer is preserved in the United States at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington; British enthusiasts can see flying reproductions of early Wright machines at events such as Shuttleworth.
Related aircraft
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