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Wright Brothers first powered airplane

Wright Brothers first powered airplane.jpg Diagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental gliderDiagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental gliderDiagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental gliderDiagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental gliderDiagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental gliderDiagram of Curtiss Aeroplane, side viewThumbnailsThe Wright Brothers experimental glider

By 1903 the Wright Brothers were ready to build a powered man-carrying flying machine. Their experiments had shown them just how much moving air was necessary to create lift in such a machine. To create the needed thrust, an engine having eight horsepower and weighing not over 200 pounds had to be fitted into the machine. Such an engine was not available, so the Wrights built one in their shop at Dayton, Ohio. They were ready to ship their airplane to Kitty Hawk, N. C., in the fall of 1903.