The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers are Deserving Heroes

Everyone knows that the plane is an importThe Wright's family portrait.nydailynews.comant part of our community. It transports people everywhere around the word, it flies mail across the world to be received by relatives, it fights for us when we are at war. The plane has been around for generations, but not everyone knows who created the miraculous machine named the plane. The origins of the plane stretch back as far as 140 years ago. Two brothers named the Wright Brothers played a big role in the creation of the plane. The Wright Brothers names were Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright. Wilbur was born April 16th 1867 and Orville 4 years later on August 19th 1871. The Wright family consisted of their father Milton Wright, their mother née Susan Catherine Koerner, and their younger sister Katherine. The Wright Brothers were the people responsible for creating, building, and flying the first motorized plane. On December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on the Kill Devil Hills, the Wright Brothers flew their first prototype of a plane they called The Wright Flyer. The Wright Flyer flew for 12 seconds until the brothers landed it. They became very well known for their success and continued to innovate with new designs and ideas. They eventually managed to sell their plane designs to the army and have them fight in combat. Therefore the Wright Brothers are heroes because through determination, courage, and the will to make a change to the world, they created motorized human flight when everyone doubted and thought it was impossible.

A 1903 newspaper clipping announcing the Wright Brothers flight.paperlessarchives.comThe Wright Brothers First Flight.en.wikipedia.orgThe Wright Brothers had a large amount of courage which showed greatly in their work and how their work was tested. This courage the Wright Brothers possessed is shown when they first launched their plane from their lanch strip and, “kept the plane in the air for twelve seconds before it came to rest in the sand. It had flown a distance of 120 feet (37 meters)” and in those 12 seconds, “History had been made: a human had maintained flight for a significant amount of time that did not land in a crash” (“Wright Brothers”). This evidence proves the Wright Brothers courage was affecting their work because it shows how they were courageous enough and willing to test the dangerous machine they had invented. They made a sacrifice of possible injuries for the greater good of science and discovery. They tested the plane so that the human race could fly not just for a mere couple seconds, but for a vast period of time. Because they tested the plane, they were able to create upgrades or improvements to the plane. This started to shape the planes future and design in how it operated and flew. This evidence proves how the Wright Brothers were heroic because the Wright Brothers did these tests by themselves and flew the farthest anyone has ever traveled in an aircraft or glider. They were also generally the first people to fly in a fully motorized glider concept. And because of the Brothers, this concept later grew into the idea that flying was more efficient than a car when traveling farther distances. The courage that the Wright Brothers maintain is also shown when at, “the end of the day Wilbur had achieved a flight of 852 feet. Only five other people, all local citizens, witnessed the epic event” (“Wilbur and Orville Wright”). This evidence proves that the Wright Brothers courage drove them on because it shows how the brothers continued to test and improve their plane even though not many people cared to witness the historical event. Even then when the brothers had no support but their own they still continued to do what they loved. They tested the plane on their own account to find the problems and eliminate them so when they showed the plane to the larger public and gained more support, the plane would be mostly flawless, less dangerous, and hopefully life changing. This evidence proves that the Wright Brothers were heroic because they continued to test the risky plane throughout the day. Armed with this new data the brothers achieved over the course of that day, they set off to build better more efficient planes that could travel longer, farther, and higher than anytime before. In conclusion, the Wright Brothers courage created the plane. If they hadn't been courageous enough, they could have never tested the plane. Because they would have never tested the plane, they could have scrapped the idea and started over with a different idea and design. Then plane could have never been in existence which would create an entirely different reality than the one we know today. A reality where traveling long distances would take days and maybe even weeks.

Orville and Wilbur Wright readying The Military Flyer.wright-brothers.orgWhen the Brothers had the planes kinks worked out they were determined to try to sell it to the army so they could see their creations potential and to see if it could make an impact on how the army functioned. At first the army showed no interest. But in 1908 the Wright Brother’s plane trialed in tests for the army corps. With these corps, “The tests met the corps's specifications and resulted in the War Department's purchase of the U.S. Army's first airplane for $30,000. Additional orders would follow in the 1910s, as the military began to realize some of the potential uses in warfare of the Wrights' invention” (“Wright, Wilbur 1867-1912 and Wright, Orville 1871-1948.”). This evidence proves the criteria because it shows how determined the Wright Brothers were to make an impact with their new creation. So to test their plane to the max, they decided to try to get the army to invest in the contraption. The Wright Planes the army bought became spotting planes. Because the plane was so new and the technology was so advanced and new, the U.S. Army's rivals had no defense mechanism against the plane. This gave an advantage to the army because they could easily see what the rivals were doing and find a way to counter them. The army soon realized that the simple airplane could become much more than just an observation plane, but a combat plane. They fitted the planes with machine guns of multiple calibers and tested the planes in handling and fire power. Then in 1914, when World War 1 began, the planes were put into combat to fight for the U.S. This evidence shows how the Wright Brothers are heroic because it shows how they wanted to do good with their plane. They wanted their plane to change the way the army worked. The Brothers wanted to make the army's strategies better and more advanced. Because the brothers wanted to make an impact on much of the world, “Orville sold the first of many Wright-built observation planes to the United States Army in 1908, and Wilbur went to Europe to drum up military interest their” (“Wright Brothers”). This evidence proves the fact that the Wright Brothers were determined because it shows how determined the Wright Brothers were to make their plane known and as they hoped, well used. They wanted their plane to fight for more than just the U.S. So they couldn't think of a better way than to go to the European market. Orville Wright went to Berlin, Germany and flew for over two hundred thousand people, while Wilbur Wright stayed the U.S. to teach the army how to fly the plane. The evidence proves that the Wright Brothers were heroic because they brought the power of flight to other parts of the world. They opened the eyes of many people to show what the human race is really capable of. Most of these people later on took up some form of aviation engineering. In conclusion, the Wright Brothers determination brought their invention of the plane to the rest of the world. If they had not been determined to make their plane well known and used, the U.S. would have been the only country to know that a human could fly in a powered flight.

The Military Flyer in mid-flight.wrightexperience.comThe Wright Brothers were full of innovation. This innovation is especially shown when, “On October 5 Wilbur flew their latest plane for thirty-nine minutes. He circled a field thirty times and flew a distance of 24.5 miles (39.4 kilometers).” (“Wright Brothers”). This evidence proves the criteria because it shows how the Wright Brothers made a change to the thought of flight. Now instead of flying for only a couple seconds they could now fly for much longer. They were perfecting the power of flight. They are making it possible to fly now long distances in shorter amounts of time than if driven by car. This evidence shows how the Wright Brothers were heroic because throughout their innovation they managed to make it possible to fly for much longer than their original design. They applied upgrades to their first plane model to make this long flight duration possible. This innovation is also shown when Orville, “On 18 September he broke his own endurance record for a two-man flight by flying for an hour and thirty-five minutes. On the same day he set an unofficial altitude record of 500 meters, more than twice the existing record of 155 meters” (Wright, Wilbur 1867-1912 and Wright, Orville 1871-1948”). This evidence proves that the Wright Brothers are full of innovation because it shows how they used their creativity and innovation to fly even longer than they had originally ever flown. This lead to the idea that planes could fly for very long periods of time. This also lead to the idea that planes could actually be used an a method of quick transportation. This evidence shows how the Wright Brothers are heroic because it shows that dedication and innovation can help you achieve your goals. With that method the Wright Brothers reached greatness and reinvented the plane that they invented. Eventually people began to realize that the plane could fly for much longer than the intended flight duration. People started to experiment with fuel tanks and more aerodynamic designs to make the plane fly for longer distances while at the same time using less fuel. The fact that the Wright Brothers had also successfully flown and hour and thirty minute with two people on board a plane dazzled the public. Later on, people realized that with bigger, more powerful planes they could fly more people around at one time. This is what created the planes we call today passenger planes. In conclusion, the Wright Brothers innovation is what created the very thing that the human race uses as transportation today. The Brothers made it possible for someone who lives in Florida to visit their grandparents in Japan. They made it possible to fly across the world in a short span of days, they allowed races to mix and blend, and they are what helped create the world we know today.

Orville (Left) and Wilbur Wright (Right) sitting inside of their Wright Flyer.newsela.comTherefore the Wright Brothers are heroes because through determination, courage, and the will to make a change to the world, they created motorized human flight when everyone doubted and thought it was thought to be impossible. The Wright Brothers are an an inspiration because they showed how courage could lead to greatness and success. Their courage, “kept the plane in the air for twelve seconds before it came to rest in the sand. It had flown a distance of 120 feet (37 meters).” And with those 12 seconds, “History had been made: a human had maintained flight for a significant amount of time that did not land in a crash” (“Wright Brothers”). They were so courageous they were willing to climb inside of an untested contraption and the proceed to fly it. Another reason the Wright Brothers are found inspiring is because of their determination to do what they always wanted to do. They had always been interested in the art of flight. So when they successfully built and flew their plane, they were determined that their plane could make a change so they entered it to be tested by the army. Soon once entered, “The tests met the corps's specifications and resulted in the War Department's purchase of the U.S. Army's first airplane for $30,000. Additional orders would follow in the 1910s, as the military began to realize some of the potential uses in warfare of the Wrights' invention” (“Wright, Wilbur 1867-1912 and Wright, Orville 1871-1948”). The plane that the Wright Brothers had built then went on to fight in World War 1 in many forms. One last reason the Wright Brothers are inspiring is because of the fact that they their full of innovation. Each time they flew the plane they made upgrades and improvements. These improvements helped the plane fly longer and higher. They eventually made so many improvements that, “On October 5 Wilbur flew their latest plane for thirty-nine minutes. He circled a field thirty times and flew a distance of 24.5 miles (39.4 kilometers)” (“Wright Brothers”). This shows how if you work hard enough and stay on task in what you love to do with you lives you will achieve it. The reason I saw the Wright Brothers as heroes is because they were the first people to fly a motorized plane and successfully land it without anyone being killed or hurt. They began the era of human flight. They allowed cultures to mix, family to visit each other without traveling for weeks, and allowed for the army to battle from the air. America wouldn't be the same without aviation.

The reason I saw the Wright Brothers as heroes is because they sold their plane to the army to be used as a greater cause towards the United States. With the Wright plane now in the army's possession they began to use it as an observation plane. Over the years of its use they army soon realized that they could use it as aerial protection and in 1910 they followed up with orders for new planes. In 1914, when World War 1 began, the army used these planes as what is now known as the Airforce. These planes consisted of fighter planes, bomber planes, and observation planes. These planes greatly increased the army's attack force and strategies. Planes were very widely used in World War 2 by multiple continents. These planes allowed us to win World War 2 by allowing us to bombing Nagasaki and Hiroshima on August 6 and 9, 1945 with B-29 American bombers Enola Gay and Bockscar. The reason I saw the Wright Brothers as heroes is because they made it possible to fly long distances in a shorter amount of time. This allowed people to visit families across the U.S., and allowed cultures to mix and learn about each other by allowing people to fly to places people never believed they would be able to travel to in a short amount of time. This also allowed people to fly across the ocean instead of taking a boat that would be very much slower and time consuming. The last reason I saw the Wright Brothers as heroes is because of where they started. They started a small beginnings running a newspaper business. After a couple of years they sold it and started a bike shop. Soon after that they began to materialize the idea of a flying machine. In 1903, a few years later, they had a fully functioning plane. In 1908, another couple years later, they sold their plane to the army for $30,000 dollars. Two years later in 1910, when the army realized how useful the planes could be, they ordered more. Then in 1914 the planes the Wright Brothers created went into war to fight for the greater cause. In the beginning they started as normal boys with big dreams but, with a little work and determination, the brothers made their dreams become a reality. They showed how anyone who is willing to do something incredible with their lives can do anything and achieve greatness. By dedicating themselves to their inventions, they created motorized human flight when everyone doubted and thought it was impossible. They were able to make a species that was never meant to be in the air, fly for hours. The Wright Brothers changed the world.

Works Cited:

Benson, Sonia, et al. "Wright Brothers." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, vol. 8, UXL, 2009, pp. 1729-1733. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900686/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=e3d9ca5d. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.

Benson, Sonia, et al. "Wright Brothers." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, vol. 8, UXL, 2009, pp. 1729-1733. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900686/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=e3d9ca5d. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.

“Wilbur and Orville Wright." DISCovering U.S. History, Gale, 2003. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2104100874/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=1b7b1a85. Accessed 12 Feb. 2018.

"Wright Brothers." Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 6, Gale, 2000. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2643413035/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=d6985746. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.

“Wright, Wilbur 1867-1912 and Wright, Orville 1871-1948." American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, et al., vol. 1: 1900-1909, Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3468300290/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=61173ad2. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.

"Wright, Wilbur 1867-1912 and Wright, Orville 1871-1948." American Decades, edited by Judith S. Baughman, et al., vol. 1: 1900-1909, Gale, 2001. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3468300290/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=61173ad2. Accessed 3 Feb. 2018.