2 The first planes

Chapter 2 The first planes Wilbur and Orville Wright were brothers who lived in America. They built bikes, but what they really wanted to build were planes.

Their first machine was a glider like Sir George's. In a strong wind, it could lift off the ground on its own. Orville and Wilbur flew... and crashed... and flew... and crashed. But all the time, they were learning about flying.

Then they built planes with engines. These had spinning blades called propellers. The blades will push the air back and that will pull the plane forward. Finally, they had a plane they were sure would fly. They were so excited they tossed a coin to see who would fly first. Wilbur won.

He crashed! It took two days to fix the plane. Then, on December 17, 1903, it was Orville's turn. Gently, he climbed into the cockpit and started the engine. The plane took off... and it flew!

But taking off wasn't as easy as it sounds. The Wright brothers had to build a track and pulley system to help. Weights were fixed to a rope which was tied to the plane. Hey, you! Get off the track!

Mechanics started the engine, the weights dropped and the plane shot along the launching track. This helped build up speed to lift the plane into the air. I could use a rope to pull me along!