The Birth of Flight - Page 5

	Wright Brothers Aeroplane – Patented Plans, 1908

In 1906, the Wright brothers received a patent for the airplane that they had tested in North Carolina. Submitted in 1903, the application included detailed descriptions of the many innovations they had developed as part of their invention. With this patent, the Wrights were granted control over their designs, giving them the power to grant or deny permission to others who might wish to utilize their ideas. Throughout the years to follow, they continued developing, perfecting, and patenting their innovations.

The Wright brothers did not publicly demonstrate their airplanes until 1908, when they began showing the public what the planes were capable of. On September 9, Orville kept the plane aloft for more than an hour. Unfortunately, these flights could be very dangerous; in one incident, during a routine exhibition flight, Orville’s plane lost a propeller and he plummeted to the ground, breaking his leg and killing his passenger. In 1909, the Army Signal Corps purchased a Wright Flyer, making it the first military airplane. Later that same year, due to the demand for the new machines, the brothers formed the Wright Company in order to manufacture their airplanes.