The First Powered Flight

On a cold December morning, Orville Wright flew 37 metres in twelve seconds — the first sustained, controlled flight of a powered aircraft carrying a person. Three more flights followed that day; the last, flown by Wilbur, covered 260 metres in 59 seconds.

Five people watched. A gust flipped the machine after the fourth flight and it never flew again. Stones now mark the take-off point and where each flight came down.