On December 17,1903, the Wright brothers changed the world when Orville went up in this aircraft for the first successful controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight. Although fragile, the Wright Flyer, which is composed of wood and fabric, and braced with steel wire, achieves a balance between lightness and strength. The Wright brothers constructed the air- craft at their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, and sent it by rail to the coastal dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for its flight trials.

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