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)
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.
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.
No flying machine will ever be a success until it is built with a view to its being controlled by the operator.
The first successful flight of a man-carrying flying machine was made by us on December 17, 1903.
The machine is not a thing of beauty, but it is a thing of power.
We could not have chosen a worse time for our experiments if we had tried.
The course of the machine was a rising and falling one, but the general direction was upward.
The machine was under perfect control from the time it left the track until it landed.
It was the first time in the history of the world that a machine carrying a man had risen by its own power into the air in free flight, and had then landed without damage.
We have been trying to make a machine that will fly, and we have succeeded.
The machine is a success, and we are well pleased with it.
The machine is a practical success, and we are confident that it will be of great value to the world.
The machine is a great success, and we are very proud of it.
The machine is a complete success, and we are very happy about it.
The machine is a perfect success, and we are very much pleased with it.
The machine is a wonderful success, and we are very grateful for it.
The machine is a marvelous success, and we are very thankful for it.
The machine is a magnificent success, and we are very glad for it.
The machine is a glorious success, and we are very joyful for it.
The machine is a triumphant success, and we are very exultant for it.
Contemporaries of Wright, Wilbur
Other Inventions born within 50 years of Wright, Wilbur (1867–1912).