The Wright Brothers’ First Flight

Hello there! My name is Orville Wright, and I want to tell you about a very special day I shared with my brother, Wilbur. We were best friends and we loved to invent things together. Our biggest dream started with a tiny toy helicopter our father gave us. It was made of cork and bamboo, and when you twisted it, it would whiz up into the air! We were amazed. We spent hours and hours watching birds, too. We studied how they tilted their wings to glide and turn in the wind. Wilbur and I owned a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, where we fixed and built bicycles. Working with chains, gears, and frames taught us so much about how to make things strong but light. We also learned all about balance. We realized that if we could balance a bicycle on two wheels, maybe, just maybe, we could figure out how to balance a machine in the sky. That little toy and those graceful birds sparked our great big idea: we were going to build a flying machine!

To test our big idea, we needed the perfect spot. We needed lots of wind and a soft place to land if we crashed. We found just the place: a sandy, breezy beach town called Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. We packed up our invention, which we called the 'Wright Flyer,' and traveled all the way there. The Flyer wasn't like a plane you see today. We built it ourselves in our shop using wood for the frame and cloth for the wings. It even had a small engine we designed! After many tries and fixing things that broke, the big day finally arrived. It was December 17, 1903. The air was cold and a strong wind was blowing across the sand. Wilbur and I were so excited and a little nervous. We tossed a coin to see who would get to try first that morning, and I won! I climbed onto the lower wing and lay flat on my stomach, my hands on the controls. A few men from a nearby lifesaving station were there to help us and watch. My heart was pounding like a drum. I said to Wilbur, “I think we’re ready!” Was this it? Would our dream finally take flight?

Wilbur helped steady the wing as I moved the Flyer down our wooden track. Then, I felt it! A little lift, then a bigger one. The ground just… disappeared from underneath me! For twelve whole seconds, I was flying! I wasn’t riding a bicycle or running on the ground; I was soaring through the air just like the birds we used to watch. The wind rushed past my face, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. I looked down and saw Wilbur running alongside the plane, his mouth wide open, cheering for me! He was so happy! The flight wasn't very long or very high, but it was long enough. We had done it! We had proved that people could fly in a machine that was heavier than air. That very short trip was the beginning of something magical. It showed us that if you have a big dream and you work hard with someone you trust, like my brother Wilbur, anything is possible. We opened up the skies for everyone.