The Wright Brothers Invention Of Flight

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air” (Burton). With the absence of advanced mechanics in the 1800s, the idea of aviation was merely an unrealistic fantasy. Among the numerous attempts to fulfill this dream, only one achieved triumph. Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright's persistence and dedication towards flight was rewarded with the successful launch of the first flying machine. As eminent American inventors and pioneers in technology, the Wright brothers' invention of flight allowed a prodigious advancement in science, created an upspring in America's economy during the 20th century and served as a foundation for America's victory in major wars. The Wright brothers' first glimpse of interest towards aviation came from their father, Milton Wright, who was a

The Wrights, by this time, not only had mastered the existing body of aeronautical science but also had added to it. Incorporating their own notion and hypothesis, they demonstrated over one thousand gliding flights and were able to confirm their previous data and prove their ability to control motions of the glider. Having learned to build and to control an adequate air frame, they now determined to apply power to their machine. On January 5,1904, the Wright brothers made a statement to the Associated Press regarding their Kitty Hawk flights. They gave an account of the events, and then in closing affirmed that they had achieved their initial goal: "We packed our goods and returned home, knowing that the age of the flying machine had come at last"