Orville Wright in front of a motion picture camera, Fort Myer, 1908
Image credit: Wright State University

Showing the world

The era in which Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the airplane was one of the most technologically innovative periods of history. The use of film to document the unveiling of the airplane marks a dramatic confluence of two remarkable inventions at the service of each other.

Although the Wrights had succeeded in making the first powered flights in 1903, and had developed the first practical airplane by 1905, by 1908 they still had not formally flown in public to demonstrate their achievement. The Wrights waited until they had contracts for the sales of their machines in hand, both in the United States and in Europe.

Wilbur flew first, in Le Mans, France, in May of 1908. By that time, many in the aviation community and the general public believed that the Wrights were bluffeurs, that it was the French who had flown first and still flew the best. When Wilbur took to the air, his complete control of the machine, his sweeping bank turns, his altitude records, and the ease with which he flew passengers were nothing short of astounding. Although there were no cameras present on his first flight there, the event was such a sensation to the French that very soon afterward film crews were on hand to document his flights.

Orville's demonstrations at Fort Myer in 1908 had a similar effect on the doubting United States military and general public alike. Although the trial flights began as a great success, a crash brought them to an abrupt end, and resulted in the death of Lt. Thomas Selfridge, Orville's passenger. The Wrights returned to Fort Myer in 1909 to complete the trials with a new machine. Two film cameramen were on hand to record the event, and the result is an almost complete set of sequences showing the launching and flying of the machine, with Orville setting many world records.

The Wrights gave their cameramen what they were looking for most: exciting and dramatic subjects. In turn, the films not only provided ample proof of the Wrights' claims, but also served to spread the news of the arrival of aviation to the modern world.