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Built - General
Aviation -- Observation/Reconnaissance
The 1903 Flyer's brief hops into the sky were
the product of more than four years of study and careful calculations
by Ohio bicycle mechanics Orville and Wilbur Wright. The brothers
constructed a wind tunnel, and designed and flew many full-size
gliders. Their methodical minds analyzed every problem and questioned
theories of flight accepted for years. On December 17, 1903, Orville
and Wilbur Wright flew the first successful heavier-than-air craft.
The twelve second flight of 120 feet, into a 27-mile per hour
headwind, went down in history as the world's first powered, controlled
and sustained airplane flight. Century Aviation of Wenatchee, Washington
built the Museum's 1903 Wright Flyer replica from plans created
by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where the original
aircraft is on display.
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