Wright, Wilbur
Along with his brother Orville, he invented, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane.
Most quoted
"The difficulties which obstruct the pathway to success in flying machine construction are of three general classes: (1) Those which relate to the construction of the sustaining wings; (2) those which relate to the generation and application of the power required to drive the machine through the air; (3) those relating to the balancing and steering of the machine after it is actually in flight."
— from Speech to Western Society of Engineers, 1901
"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at tremendous speed, without any obstruction, without any effort, in a leisurely and graceful manner."
— from Some Aeronautical Experiments, 1900
"The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously at the birds soaring freely through space, at tremendous speed, without effort, in a leisurely way, on the crest of the air current."
— from Speech to the Western Society of Engineers, 1900
All quotes by Wright, Wilbur (377)
The difficulties are not so great as they appear.
The airplane is a wonderful thing, but it is not a toy.
We have not been able to find any satisfactory explanation of the phenomena of flight.
The machine is not yet perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.
We are not trying to make a machine that will fly, but one that will fly safely.
The problem of equilibrium is the most difficult of all.
We have been working on this problem for years, and we have not yet found a solution.
The machine is not yet ready for public exhibition.
We have made a machine that will fly, but it is not yet perfect.
The machine is not yet ready for commercial use.
We have been working on this problem for a long time, and we are still working on it.
The machine is not yet ready for military use.
We have made a machine that will fly, but it is not yet a practical machine.
The machine is not yet ready for passenger service.
We have made a machine that will fly, but it is not yet a commercial success.
The machine is not yet ready for long-distance flights.
We have made a machine that will fly, but it is not yet a reliable machine.
The machine is not yet ready for night flying.
We have made a machine that will fly, but it is not yet a safe machine.
The machine is not yet ready for all-weather flying.
Contemporaries of Wright, Wilbur
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Wilbur (1867–1912).