The Wright brothers’ first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903 lasted 12 seconds.
Orville Wright piloted the first flight of the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The aircraft traveled 120 feet at about 6.8 miles per hour over the ground.
The brothers completed four flights that day, with Orville and Wilbur taking turns. Their longest flight covered 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds, but the first flight is the one traditionally recognized as the beginning of controlled, sustained, engine-powered heavier-than-air flight.
The Wrights’ key breakthrough was not only their gasoline engine and aircraft design but also their three-axis control system. That system allowed a pilot to steer and maintain balance, solving a problem that had defeated many earlier aviation experimenters.