Humankind should always be grateful for the invention of airplanes; they allow us to travel halfway across the world in a matter of hours. But have you ever wondered about the person(s) behind this miracle? Let us tell you all about who first invented the plane.

Who Was The First Inventor Of The Airplane?

The Wright brothers (Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright) are usually the first names people think of when asked who invented the airplane. These two made the first powered flight ever on December 17th, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Everything started when Wilbur turned eleven and Orville was seven, after their father (Milton Wright) bought them a small toy helicopter that could actually fly. This special gift sparked their dream of soaring to the skies.

Fortunately, both parents encouraged their passion – especially their mother, who had mechanical expertise and used to attend university in Indiana (quite an uncommon achievement for women then). She excelled in science and math and taught her sons much of what she knew.

People thought the brothers would lose interest in flying machines as they aged. Yet, years later, Wilbur and Orville still remained passionate and read everything they could discover on the subject. They studied others’ work on flight and ventured into printing, even publishing a 4-page newspaper.

By 1900, both brothers were finally ready to put their very first glider to the test. They chose the sandy shores in North Carolina for their experiments, traveling to and from Dayton for two years.

Finally, in 1903, history was made. Orville’s first flight in the Wright Flyer lasted about 12 seconds and covered 120 ft. Their follow-up flights significantly improved, with Wilbur’s fourth and final flight covering 859 feet in about 59 seconds!

The brothers continued to study and test new designs to improve their Wright Flyer. Soon, they began teaching other people to fly and even started their own flight school.

To honor the Wright brothers’ contribution to the aviation industry, our founder, Ken Hyde, decided to commemorate their legacy by creating authentic full-scale replicas of their airplanes. Through meticulous research, analysis, and testing, we aim to step into their shoes and understand their thought process, bringing their ideas to life once more. Visit our website to delve deeper into the Wright brothers’ stories and discover our work.

There Are Quite A Few Controversies About The First Inventor Of Airplane

The Case Of Santos-Dumont

Some argue against the Wright brothers’ achievement since their early flights weren’t public. Quite the contrary, Santos-Dumont’s flight became the first-ever public flight throughout history, which earned him recognition in some parts of Europe as the first airplane inventor.

The definition of the airplane is also under debate. The Brazilian expert and physicist Henrique Lins de Barros claimed that the Wright brothers didn’t meet the two key criteria of a legitimate flight – taking off unassisted and flying under experts’ supervision (meanwhile, Santos-Dumont met all these conditions).

Some even took things further and suggested the strong winds in North Carolina contributed to the Flyer’s success, implying the plane couldn’t lift off by itself.

The Case Of Gustave Whitehead

Another controversial case is Gustave Whitehead’s claims of achieving powered flight before Wilbur and Orville Wright. His claims gained serious attention around 1935 when some journalists wrote about him in the Popular Aviation paper.

In 1963, USAF major William O’Dwyer studied Whitehead’s case and claimed Whitehead had flown his plane before the Wright brothers. Many books supporting Whitehead continued circulating in the next few decades until October 2013, as almost 40 air journalists and historians issued a joint statement rejecting Whitehead’s claims.

Other Cases

Even more astonishing is that Santos-Dumont and Gustave Whitehead weren’t the only ones who tried to get credit for the first-ever powered flight. The early twentieth century has witnessed many aviators vying for the achievement. Some well-known cases include:

1897: Clement Ader (the Avion III)
1903 to 1904: Richard Pearse (monoplane)
1903: Samuel Pierpont Langley (the Aerodrome A)
1903: Karl Jatho (the Jatho biplane)

Still, Ader’s case was debunked in 1910, and Langley’s Aerodrome did not succeed in both flying attempts. Some Germans credit Karl Jatho with the first flight, but there is a widespread disagreement on whether his plane was controlled.

6 Other Key Milestones In Aviation History

First Female Licensed Pilot (1910)

Trained by an aviation pioneer, Baroness Raymonde de la Roche was the first lady in history to receive her pilot license on March 8th, 1910. She then won the Femina Cup for completing her non-stop 4-hour flight and set an altitude record (for women) of 15,700 ft in 1919.

First American-African Combat Pilot (1917)

Eugene Jacques Bullard left Georgia and moved to Europe at 17 on a small German freighter. He resided in Paris and joined the Aéronautique Militaire flying service in 1916, eventually becoming a licensed combat pilot around 1917.

Despite his accomplishments, the United States Air Force still rejected his application before World World I due to his race.

First Non-stop Transatlantic Flight (1919)

Arthur Whitten-Brown and John Alcock made the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic, landing in Ireland on June 15th, 1919. They took off a day earlier from Canada and completed the crossing in about 16.5 hours.

First Around-the-globe Flight (1924)

The first trip around the world by air took about 175 days (completed on September 28th, 1924) by 8 U.S. Army mechanics and Air Services pilots.

The team flew four manned aircraft models whose names were inspired by American cities — New Orleans, Seattle, Boston, and Chicago — and departed from Washington on April 6th, 1924. They covered 27,550 miles and stopped 74 times. However, only the New Orleans and Chicago planes completed the journey.

First Plane Flight To The Stratosphere (1931)

Auguste Piccard (plus Charles Kipfer, his assistant) rode a balloon inside the stratosphere on May 27th, 1931. Their 17-hour trip took them to an altitude of about 51,775 ft (15,781 meters) from Germany to Austria.

First-ever Helicopter Flight (1936)

The first “real” helicopters – with horizontally spinning rotors for lift and propulsion – appeared around the 1930s. Heinrich Focke, a German engineer, designed a prototype that took off successfully for the first time on June 26th, 1936.

FAQs

How Much Did It Cost To Build The First Airplane?

It cost about $1,000 in 1903 (built by the Wrights), translating to roughly $30,000 today.

Does The First Plane Still Exist?

Yes. The Wright Flyer is currently stored in the National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C).

Who Was The First Death In Flight History?

Thomas Etholen Selfridge (1882 – 1908), an American Army lieutenant, died in a plane crash.

Conclusion

There have been some controversies over the question, but overall, most people agree that the Wright brothers deserve the credit. If you want to learn more about some interesting debates regarding the topic, just let us know!