This Day in History: The First Airplane Flies (Sunday, Dec. 17)

This Day in History:, The First Airplane Flies.

December 17, 1903.

Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful flight of a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft.

The event took place near Kitty Hawk, NC, an area with steady winds and sand dunes from which to glide and land softly.

In front of five witnesses, Orville piloted the gasoline- powered, propeller-driven biplane.

On its inaugural flight, it stayed aloft for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.

The flight was powered by a 12-horsepower internal combustion engine and gave birth to modern aviation.

The Wright brothers’ aircraft is on permanent display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C