Pilot Proficiency

Wright Brothers: Little Known Secrets to their Success

Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 12:31 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The Wright brothers achieved the first sustained, controllable powered flight through a unique, often unstable canard design that prioritized pilot control over inherent stability, despite their aircraft's poor engine.
Paradoxically, the "conventional" aircraft configuration, featuring aft-mounted stabilizing surfaces, predated the Wright Flyer and was conceived by pioneers like Cayley and Pénaud, whose designs the Wrights largely diverged from.
The article dismisses the "who flew first" debate as inconsequential, arguing that the Wrights' enduring achievement was demonstrating genuinely controllable flight, and acknowledges the collective contributions of all aviation pioneers.

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The following article, Wrightophilia, is from the December 2003 print issue.

Peter Garrison taught himself to use a slide rule and tin snips, built an airplane in his backyard, and flew it to Japan. He began contributing to FLYING in 1968, and he continues to share his columns, ""Technicalities"" and ""Aftermath,"" with FLYING readers.