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On 17 December 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the Wright Flyer for 12 seconds and 120 feet (37 metres): the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aeroplane. The brothers made three more flights that day; the longest, by Wilbur, lasted 59 seconds and covered 852 feet (260 metres).

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The brothers had tried three days earlier. On 14 December they tossed a coin, Wilbur won, and he stalled the Flyer after three and a half seconds. On the 17th, after repairs, they laid their launching rail on level ground facing a wind of more than 30 km/h (20 mph), which gave the aircraft enough airspeed to lift off. Five local people watched, and one of them, John Daniels of the nearby lifesaving station, took the famous photograph of Orville's flight. All four flights were straight and no more than about 3 metres high. The 12-horsepower engine had been built by the brothers' mechanic, Charlie Taylor. Minutes after the last flight a gust tumbled the Flyer over and wrecked it. The brothers telegraphed their father and asked him to tell the press, but the Dayton Journal decided the flights were too short to be news.

Türkçe oku
Orville Wright, 17 Aralık 1903'te Kuzey Karolina'da Kitty Hawk yakınlarında Wright Flyer'la 12 saniye havada kaldı ve 37 metre yol aldı. Bu, motorlu bir uçağın pilotun denetiminde havada tutunabildiği ilk uçuştu. Kardeşler o gün üç kez daha uçtu; en uzun uçuşu Wilbur yaptı: 59 saniyede 260 metre.

Kardeşler üç gün önce de denemişti. 14 Aralık'ta yazı tura attılar; kazanan Wilbur oldu, ama uçak üç buçuk saniye sonra havada tutunamayıp yere indi. Onarımdan sonra, 17 Aralık'ta kalkış rayını düz bir zemine, saatte 30 kilometreyi aşan rüzgâra karşı döşediler; havalanmak için gereken hızı rüzgâr sağladı. Uçuşları çevreden beş kişi izledi. Bunlardan biri, yakındaki can kurtarma istasyonunda çalışan John Daniels, Orville'in uçuşunun ünlü fotoğrafını çekti. Dört uçuş da dümdüz bir hatta ve yerden en fazla 3 metre kadar yükseklikte yapıldı. Uçağın 12 beygir gücündeki motorunu kardeşlerin teknisyeni Charlie Taylor yapmıştı. Son uçuştan birkaç dakika sonra sert bir rüzgâr Flyer'ı devirip parçaladı. Kardeşler babalarına telgraf çekip haberi basına vermesini istedi; ama Dayton Journal gazetesi uçuşları haber olamayacak kadar kısa buldu.

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