Wright Brothers
USA Est. 1903 1916 (Orville sold the company)
Two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio solved powered flight. No government funding, no engineering degrees, no wind tunnel (until they built their own). They figured it out in a shed.
Heritage
Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved what the world's best-funded engineers couldn't. Their systematic approach to the problem of flight — building their own wind tunnel, testing over 200 wing shapes, inventing three-axis control — was engineering at its purest. The Wright Flyer's 12-second first flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903 changed everything.
Known for
experimental
Notable programs
- Wright Flyer (1903)
- Wright Flyer II (1904)
- Wright Flyer III (1905)
- Wright Model A (1908)
