Orville and Wilbur Wright were born right after the Civil War: Wilbur in 1867 and Orville in 1871. As youngsters, the boys were encouraged by their parents to be mechanical and to think outside the box.  Their father Milton was a Church bishop who often traveled between parishes and would bring the boys various souvenirs and trinkets he found during his travels. As the story goes, one day he brought home a toy ‘helicopter.’ The device was made of paper, bamboo and cork with a rubber band to twirl its rotor. The boys were so excited they played with it until it broke, so they built their own. In later years, they pointed to their experience with the toy as the initial spark, that ignited their interest in flying.

In 1889, Orville got the idea to start a printing business and, with Wilbur’s help, he designed and built a printing press out of spare parts they acquired. They printed odd jobs as well as their own newspaper.  By 1892, the brothers began repairing bicycles for friends and started their own repair business. They opened a bicycle shop in 1893, and three years later, began making their own bicycles.

Around 1899, Wilbur read about a famous German glider pilot, Otto Lilienthal, who died while flying one of his own gliders, and this rekindled his early thoughts of flying. He requested information about flight experiments from the Smithsonian Institution and within a few months, had read all he could about flying. Wilbur also spent a lot of time observing birds in flight and noticed that they changed the shape of their wings to turn and maneuver. He thought that he could mimic this technique to obtain roll control by warping, or changing the shape, of a portion of the wing.

Based on these observations and studies, the Wrights determined that three things were needed to create a flying machine: wings to provide lift, a power source for propulsion, and a system of control, which they defined in three axes of motion: pitch, roll, and yaw. They brain-stormed how to achieve the same effect that birds used with man-made wings and eventually invented a way to arch the wingtips slightly to control the aircraft’s rolling motion and balance. As they later recounted, Wilbur came up with an ingenious system of slightly warping the surface of each wing to change its position in relation to oncoming wind by twisting an empty bicycle inner-tube box. The brothers tested their theory using a small kite and it worked.

Over the next three years, they designed a series of gliders which would be flown in both unmanned and piloted flights. In 1900, they moved to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina because of its wind, sand, hilly terrain and remote location.  After a major failure, they built a wind tunnel to test a variety of wing shapes and their effect on lift. Based upon these tests, they had a greater understanding of how a wing works and could calculate with greater accuracy how well a particular wing design would fly.

During 1902, the brothers designed and flew a glider with a 32-foot wingspan and a tail for stabilization.  With successful glides to validate their wind tunnel tests, the Wright Brothers designed a motor and a new aircraft sturdy enough to accommodate the motor’s weight and vibrations. The craft weighed 700 pounds and came to be known as the Flyer.  After two attempts to fly this machine, Orville Wright took the Flyer for a 12-second, sustained flight on December 17, 1903 and history was made.

Photos:
http://www.myhero.com/images/guest/g242901/hero75123/g242901_u88055_The-Wright-Brothers_pic_2.jpg
http://aarongraham.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/wright_flyer.jpg

Sources:
http://inventors.about.com/od/wstartinventors/a/TheWrightBrother.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
http://wrightbrothers.info/

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You can celebrate one of humanity’s greatest accomplishments at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in beautiful North Carolina. According to the park’s website, visitors are treated to a full-scale reproduction of the 1902 glider, a full-scale reproduction of the 1903 flying machine, an engine block from the original 1903 Flyer, and a reproduction of the Wright’s first wind tunnel. Additional exhibits, movies and educational programs are available in the Centennial Pavilion.Visitors can also climb Big Kill Devil Hill for a breathtaking view of the area from sound to sea. Atop the Hill, stands the 60 ft. Pylon — the site where Wilbur and Orville conducted their glider experiments. A large granite boulder marks the spot where the first plane left the ground.

Much like the current state of American flight, you probably left the memorial hungry and unfed. Lucky for you, Wilbur and Orville picked not only a scenic location for their first flight but a region teaming with delicious seafood options. Nestled in the Outer Banks, I Got Your Crabs Seafood Market & Steam Bar offers a full eat-in menu packed with appetizers, sides and beverages, along with crabs to go from one peck to an entire bushel.

After seriously contemplating the skill and craft that it took to build the first working aircraft, you’re going to need some levity. Check out The Comedy Club — the longest running seasonal comedy club in the nation. “Our history includes having hosted such internationally renowned artist as Ray Romano, Drew Carey, and Sinbad when they were simply plying their trade on the comedy circuit. Make some vacation memories with us. This is your chance to see nationally touring comedians who have appeared on shows such as Comedy Central, Last Comic Standing, and HBO. Many of our comedians are headliners in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and on the cruise lines! Shows are approximately ninety minutes long and include an emcee, a feature comedian, and a headline comedian.”

Before you retire for the night, you’re going to need dessert. Check out The Belgian Chocolate Company, which specializes in handmade bon-bons and truffles that are visual and mouth-watering delights. Truffles are generously filled with an assortment of flavored chocolate ganache ranging from Latte Macchiato to Viennese Amaretto to Grand Marnier.

The beauty of the North Carolina coast is enough to keep you entranced with Kitty Hawk, and by adding any of the surrounding area’s sun-soaked entertainment spots like those mentioned above, your trip is sure to take flight.

Sources:
http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm
http://igotyourcrabs.com/
http://comedyclubobx.com/
http://thebelgianchocolateco.com/

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