Did the Wrights Really Fly in 1903? An Expert Opinion by Tom Crouch, Curator of NASM, Smithsonian Institution
..."Was the first Wright flight of December 17, 1903 (120 feet) sustained? Probably not...." -- Tom Crouch Were the Wright brothers the first to fly as we've been taught in our public schools? Orville Wright claimed that they made four actual flights on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On December 14 Wilbur failed in the first attempt to fly He had won the coin toss for the first trial but he quickly lost control of the plane and it crashed. After repairing the plane, they decided to try again on the cold, windy day of December 17. Since Wilbur got the first shot on the 14th, it was Orville's turn to try first. These are the flights he claimed they made: 1. Orville-- estimated 120 feet (100 feet beyond the track)--12 seconds 2. Wilbur--estimated 175 feet--13 seconds 3. Orville--estimated 200 feet--15 seconds 4. Wilbur --measured 852 feet--59 seconds But did they really fly? Below is the opinion of Tom Crouch, Senior Curator o