Early Flight
The first decades of aviation, marked by the Wright brothers’ first powered flight in 1903
The 1903 Wright Flyer
Find out why the world's first controllable airplane was a bear to control.
March 2003 |
By Phaedra Hise
I Have Today Seen Wilbur Wright and his Great White Bird
The airplane debuted to rave reviews.
March 2003 |
By Mary Collins
Aviation's Birth Certificate
When a private collection of Wright Company papers went public, we discovered that many of our notions about the Wrights' business practices were wrong.
March 2003 |
By Douglas Gantenbein
In Search of the Real Wright Flyer
Building a replica of the first airplane requires a certain resourcefulness. Anybody got any horsehide glue?
January 2003 |
By Phaedra Hise
Seafarers
Bathing beauties from the time when aircraft first crossed oceans.
January 2003 |
By Illustrations by Ian Marshall
Restoration: Unearthing a Diamond
The Diamond is the only one of its kind ever built.
November 2001 |
By Becki Bell
What Were They Thinking?
The wonderful, unworkable world of airplane design in the years before the Wright brothers.
March 2001 |
By Phil Scott
The Thrill of Invention
A dedicated craftsman explores the invention of the airplane by recreating its predecessors.
May 1998 |
By Tom Crouch
