Wilbur and Orville were repairing the damage to their Flyer from the failed attempt the afternoon before.
On Dec. 14, they hoisted a prearranged signal flag and men from the Kill Devil Life Saving Station came to help move the massive machine. Five men, two boys and a dog were on hand to witness the flight.
Together they rolled the 700 pound machine down the Junction Railway for more than a half an hour, to the base of the hill.
Wilbur won the coin toss, so he went first. When the engine rumbled loudly to life, the boys and dog literally turned tail, ran over the dune and disappeared into the distance.
Orville held on to the right wing as his brother climbed aboard. A line held the machine in place as it built up power, but Wilbur couldn't release it because of the force of the propellers. Orville and a couple of the men pushed the Flyer back to slack the line, but before Orville could get back into position Wilbur accelerated.
"I grabbed the upright the best I could and off we went," Orville said. He ran along, balancing the machine as it gained speed. "By the time we had reached the last quarter of the third rail (about 35 to 40 feet) the speed was so great I could stay with it no longer."
Wilbur worked the control, and the machine lifted up about 15 feet off the ground. The Flyer traveled a little more than 100 feet in the air, much of it down hill. But the angle was too sharp and the machine stalled. Wood splintered as the Flyer plowed into the sand and slid to a halt. Because the brief hop was downhill, they didnít consider it a real flight.
The first flight would have to wait a few days while they made repairs.
Soar to Success the Wright Way © 2003-2004 by Jim Meisner, Jr.
