Using a small home-built wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design more efficient wings and propellers. This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines. : 183 From the beginning of their aeronautical work, Wilbur and Orville focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving 'the flying problem'. This method remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. The brothers' breakthrough was their creation of a three-axis control system, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. In 1904–1905, the Wright brothers developed their flying machine to make longer-running and more aerodynamic flights with the Wright Flyer II, followed by the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the Wright Flyer III. The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, 4 mi (6 km) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills.

The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (Aug– January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (Ap– May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane. Printer / publisher, bicycle retailer / manufacturer, airplane inventor / manufacturer, pilot trainerĮditor, bicycle retailer / manufacturer, airplane inventor / manufacturer, pilot trainer

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