Scott Beale, aviation aficionado and professional and expert in the field of aviation is also a first class business man and entrepreneur. Scott Beale, who is very interested in ADI aviation, here discusses the first flight near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. The first flight was made by the Wright brothers Orville and Wilbur. The first successful craft to take to the skies was their creation. Powered by gasoline it was a propeller driven biplane. It managed to stay in the air for 12 seconds and covered a distance of 120 feet.
The wright brothers grew up in Dayton Ohio. They were inspired by the flights of the German engineer Otto Lilienthal in the 1890s. They did not attend college but they both had extremely good technical and mechanical abilities. They built their own building presses and opened a bicycle repair shop. They began to build their own bicycles and then moved onto planes! Scott Beale is impressed by their ability and the advancements in aeronautics today.
Orville and Wilbur knew they needed to build a heavier than air, controlled aircraft and they needed an open expanse to try it out; they choose an isolated village in North Caroline called Kitty Hawk. It was chosen for its remote location and as it had steady winds and sand dunes where the aircraft could glide and land, hopefully without causing too much damage to the crew or aircraft it. In 1901 they also built a wind tunnel so that they could test over 200 different shapes and designs of wings and airframes. This systematic technological breakthrough was what led to their success in 1902. Their biplane included a glider featured a steering system that was built on a movable rudder and the brothers were now ready for their first flight.
Scott Beale has always been fascinated by their story and their resilience. In the Autumn of 1903 they transported their current craft to Kitty Hawk and on 14 December Orville Wright made the first attempt at flight but the engines stalled during take-off. Unfortunately this damaged the plane and they spent the next three days repairing it. Then on December 17, at a little after half past ten they had another try. This was a success and this was the beginning of modern aviation, So many people are grateful for what they did including Scott Beale Aviation expert. They carried out three more short flights that day and the craft covered 852 feet in 59 seconds.
Over the next couple of years Wilbur and Orville went onto develop more planes and by 1905 they were able to perform complex manoeuvres and were able to stay up well over half an hour at a time. In 1909 they made their first public flights and they then founded the Wright Company. They built planes for the US Army, unfortunately Wilbur’s time was cut short when he died of Typhoid in 1912, his brother Orville lived for another 36 years. If you wish to see their 1903 aircraft it is held at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.