Today marks 117 years since the Wright Flyer left the ground and performed the first successful heavier-than-air powered flight. The Wright brothers flew the model four times on December 17th, 1903, just south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The achievements of this pair marked the start of an exciting journey for aviation for over a century.
In the beginning
After these successful flights, the Wright brothers took the plane apart to prevent rivals from copying it. Then, in 1908, they secured contracts in the US and France, which allowed the aircraft to take off again. It was converted to carry a passenger, and in May of that year, Charles Furnas became the first aircraft passenger ever.
In the decades that followed the Wright Flyer’s triumph, aircraft would play a crucial role in two world wars. However, the brothers didn’t have the this impact of aviation in mind when launching their legendary plane.
“That day at Kitty Hawk, we thought only of getting off the ground. Later we hoped that the airplane would be an instrument of peace, perhaps the instrument that would enforce peace,” Orville Wright said in 1941, as reported by the Washington Post.
“We never thought that people would stand for such punishment as they have been taking in Britain today.”
However, the pioneer went on to state that he didn’t have any regrets. He envisioned that after the war, there would be a new era of civilian aviation, all for the greater good.
The next level
Nonetheless, like how flight would end up enabling new opportunities in the realm of war, war would in turn revolutionize flight throughout the 20th century.
The rise of several technological breakthroughs in commercial aviation came about after World War II. For instance, radar and cabin pressurization have become mainstays in the industry.
However, one particular innovation that became mainstream following the conflict would completely change the way people fly going forward. This feature is the jet engine.
Just four years after the war was over, the British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC) flew the first-ever commercial jet-powered airliner on July 27th, 1949. Subsequently, the carrier began the first-ever commercial jet service on May 2nd, 1952, with its de Havilland DH 106. Comet flying from London to Johannesburg.
In just half a decade, the world went from the humble Wright Flyer all the way to commercial jetliners, which allowed for travel across continents at quick speeds with great comfort.
A whole new industry
The jet age would eventually allow for the Boeing 747 to be entered into service in the 1970s. The Queen of the Skies would become the epitome of global aviation. It became the largest jet by passenger capacity at the time of its launch and offered plenty of room for movement in the cabin.
With jumbos becoming all the rage towards the end of the century, Airbus began launching the A380. This plane surpassed the 747 in size and capacity, and its introduction 103 years after the Wright Flyer took off from the ground indeed marked how far aviation came.
At the time of its first successful flight, the Wright Flyer could fit in one person and had a length of 21 feet 1 in, a wingspan of 40 ft 4 in, and a height of 9 ft. Its empty weight was 605 lb, while its maximum takeoff weight was 745 lb. A straight-4 water-cooled piston engine helped to power the plane, giving it a speed of 30 mph. Notably, the first unit flew 120 meters and stayed in the air for just 12 seconds during the first successful flight.
In comparison, the A380 is certified for up to 853 passengers, has a length 239 ft 6 in, a height of 79 ft, and a wingspan of 261 ft 10 in. Four turbofan jet engines help the superjumbo reach a maximum operating speed of 0.89 Mach and reach a range of up to 8,000 NM.
Learning from the past
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner David McCullough wrote a biography about the Wright Brothers, which was a New York Times Best Seller. In an interview with the National Air and Space Museum, the author touched on what modern innovators could learn from the siblings when tackling some of today’s technological challenges.
“One is to know what you’re doing and pursue a background reading that isn’t limited in focus. Pay great attention to details. Don’t give up. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from your failures. And remember that insoluble problems have proven again and again to be soluble. I think we can all learn from them. I think they’re a great lesson in how to approach life,” McCullough told National Air and Space Museum.
“They had a joyous time, and their love of architecture, their love of art, their love of music, their love of literature—these are fully educated people. They are home-schooled as it were, but their home-schooling was right up to and almost equal to any great liberal arts training in any great university.”
From supersonic flight to long-range triumph, there have been several groundbreaking feats over the last 117 years. There will undoubtedly be many more great adventures in aviation’s future.
What are your thoughts about how far aviation has come over the last 117 years? What do you expect from the industry in the future? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comment section.