On December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Brothers flew the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, flight with a pilot aboard. On Kill Devil Hill there on Dec. 17, Orville Wright became the first man ever to fly in an airplane, initially using as a frame a biplane of 40-foot 4-inch wingspan and equipped with the 12-horsepower engine.  He lifted off the ground in a 20-27-mile/hr wind and flew a distance of 120 feet in 12 seconds. Having a strong wind certainly aided in that accomplishment, but the brothers soon demonstrated that such a wind was not absolutely essential.  The airplane was flown three more times that day, with Orville and his brother Wilbur alternating as pilot. The longest flight, was with Wilbur at the controls.  He flew 260 meters (852 feet) and stayed up for 59 seconds.   The Flyer, designed and built by the Wright brothers, was one step in a broad experimental program that began in 1899 with their first kite and concluded in 1905, when they built the first truly practical airplane.  During the summer of 1904 the Wrights made 105 takeoffs and managed to fly on a circular course up to 2.75 miles for a sustained flight that lasted 5 minutes 4 seconds.  After further trials in 1905 they stopped their experiments, using the time to obtain patents on their contribution. Only in 1908 did they break their secrecy when Wilbur Wright went to France to promote their latest plane.

Design Features:
The 1903 Wright Flyer was constructed of spruce and ash covered with muslin.  The aircraft was light, strong, and flexible. The 1903 Flyer was powered by a simple four-cylinder engine of the Wrights' own design.
To fly the airplane, the pilot lay prone with his head forward, his left hand operating the elevator control. Lateral control was achieved by warping the wing tips in opposite directions via wires attached to a hip cradle mounted on the lower wing. The pilot shifted his hips from side to side to operate the mechanism, which also moved the rudder.
 
 

Specs:    Wingspan: 12.3 m (40 ft 4 in)
              Length: 6.4 m (21 ft)
              Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 3 in)
              Weight, empty: 274 kg (605 lb)
              Engine: Gasoline, 12 hp
              Manufacturer: Wilbur and Orville Wright, Dayton, Ohio, 1903

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