Wright Brothers

 

                                Orville Wright                                                Wilbur Wright

Born: 

        Orville: August 19, 1871, Dayton, Ohio 

        Wilbur: April 16, 1867, Millville, Indiana

Died: 

        Orville: January 30, 1948 (aged 76), Dayton

        Wilbur: May 30, 1912 (aged 45), Dayton

Ethnicity:

                    German, Dutch, English, Swiss

Education:

                  Orville 3 Years high school; Wilbur 4 Years

Occupation:

                 Orville:  Printer/Publisher, bicycle retailer/manufacturer,  the airplane inventor/manufacturer, airplane

                                Wilbur: Editor, bicycle retailer/manufacturer,  the airplane inventor/manufacturer, pilot trainer.

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 - January 30,1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 - May 30, 1912), were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who are credited with inventing and building the world's the first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. From 1905 to 1907, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made the fixed-wing powered flight possible

The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem." This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before. Their first U.S. patent, 821, 393, did not claim the invention of the flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated the flying machine's surfaces.