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Wright Brothers First Flight

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Wright Brothers First Flight

Read the story, study the flight path, and use evidence to solve the questions. Dates are in the year 1903.

A windy day at Kitty Hawk

On the 351st day of 1903, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright tested a powered aeroplane at Kitty Hawk, in the United States. They had spent years studying flight and testing kites and gliders. A glider can fly without an engine, but it needs moving air to keep it aloft. Their aeroplane, the Flyer, had a petrol engine that turned two propellers. The propellers pushed air backwards, helping the aircraft move forwards. Its wings were shaped to help moving air produce lift, an upward force. The pilot lay face down and moved a control to steer. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and travelled about 36 metres. Four flights were made that day; the longest travelled about 260 metres. A strong headwind helped the Flyer move slowly over the ground while air flowed over its wings. The Wright brothers’ careful experiments with balance and steering helped make controlled flight possible.

Follow the flight

The scale shows how far the Flyer travelled on the first flight. Each interval represents 6 metres.

Investigate the first flight

Use the story and flight path to answer each question.

1.Who were the two brothers who built and flew the Flyer?

2.On what date and in what year did their first powered flight take place?

3.Which vehicle had no engine: a glider or the Flyer?

A glider
The Flyer
Both had engines

4.The first flight lasted 12 seconds. The longest flight that day lasted 59 seconds. How many seconds longer was the longest flight?

5.The first flight travelled about 36 metres. Use the number line to find how many 6-metre intervals that distance covers.

6.What force from the wings helped the Flyer rise upwards?

Lift
Friction
Gravity

7.How did the propellers help the Flyer move forwards?

8.True or false: The Wright brothers made four flights on the day of their first powered flight.

TrueFalse

9.The story says a headwind helped air flow over the wings. Explain one way this could help the aeroplane fly.

10.Give one example from the story of how the Wright brothers used testing or careful design to make flight more controlled.

11.Imagine you are improving the Flyer. Suggest one test you could carry out to investigate how changing a wing might affect flight. Say what you would change and what you would measure.

Draw a simple aeroplane and add arrows to show air being pushed backwards by a propeller and lift acting upwards on a wing.