<P> In camp at Kill Devil Hills , they endured weeks of delays caused by broken propeller shafts during engine tests . After the shafts were replaced ( requiring two trips back to Dayton ) , Wilbur won a coin toss and made a three - second flight attempt on December 14 , 1903 , stalling after takeoff and causing minor damage to the Flyer . ( Because December 13 , 1903 , was a Sunday , the brothers did not make any attempts that day , even though the weather was good , so their first powered test flight happened on the 121st anniversary of the first test flight that the Montgolfier brothers had done , on December 14 , 1782 . ) In a message to their family , Wilbur referred to the trial as having `` only partial success '' , stating `` the power is ample , and but for a trifling error due to lack of experience with this machine and this method of starting , the machine would undoubtedly have flown beautifully . '' Following repairs , the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17 , 1903 , making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour ( 43 km / h ) . The first flight , by Orville at 10 : 35 am , of 120 feet ( 37 m ) in 12 seconds , at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour ( 10.9 km / h ) over the ground , was recorded in a famous photograph . The next two flights covered approximately 175 and 200 feet ( 53 and 61 m ) , by Wilbur and Orville respectively . Their altitude was about 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) above the ground . The following is Orville Wright 's account of the final flight of the day : </P>
<P> In camp at Kill Devil Hills , they endured weeks of delays caused by broken propeller shafts during engine tests . After the shafts were replaced ( requiring two trips back to Dayton ) , Wilbur won a coin toss and made a three - second flight attempt on December 14 , 1903 , stalling after takeoff and causing minor damage to the Flyer . ( Because December 13 , 1903 , was a Sunday , the brothers did not make any attempts that day , even though the weather was good , so their first powered test flight happened on the 121st anniversary of the first test flight that the Montgolfier brothers had done , on December 14 , 1782 . ) In a message to their family , Wilbur referred to the trial as having `` only partial success '' , stating `` the power is ample , and but for a trifling error due to lack of experience with this machine and this method of starting , the machine would undoubtedly have flown beautifully . '' Following repairs , the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17 , 1903 , making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour ( 43 km / h ) . The first flight , by Orville at 10 : 35 am , of 120 feet ( 37 m ) in 12 seconds , at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour ( 10.9 km / h ) over the ground , was recorded in a famous photograph . The next two flights covered approximately 175 and 200 feet ( 53 and 61 m ) , by Wilbur and Orville respectively . Their altitude was about 10 feet ( 3.0 m ) above the ground . The following is Orville Wright 's account of the final flight of the day : </P>
who made the first airplane trip in 1903
who made the first airplane trip in 1903
Orville Wright
Orville Wright