Wilbur and Orville Wright were brothers. They were from Dayton, Ohio. They owned a bicycle shop. They sold and fixed bicycles.

The brothers wanted to fly gliders. In 1901 they hired Charlie Taylor. He was a mechanic. He looked after the shop. They flew.

Their plane was the Wright Flyer. Its wingspan was 40 feet. Its engine made about 12 horsepower.

The brothers tossed a coin. It would decide who tried to fly first.

The big day was December 17, 1903. The place was Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville was the pilot. Wilbur ran alongside.

The first flight lasted 12 seconds. It went 120 feet. It was the first powered, controlled airplane flight in the world.

The brothers made four flights that day. They took turns as pilot.

The longest flight went 852 feet. It lasted 59 seconds. Wilbur was at the controls.

After the last flight, a gust of wind tipped over the Flyer. The Flyer never flew again.

As of November 2026, you can see the 1903 Flyer. It is in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Words to know

• pilot: plane driver
• wingspan: wing to wing
• horsepower: engine strength
• gliders: planes without engines