The Wright brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft in 1903.
Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted the historic flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Their Wright Flyer used a gasoline engine and propellers, and its pilot controlled the aircraft with a system based on wing warping, a major innovation developed through their experiments with gliders.
Orville piloted the first flight, which lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. Three additional flights followed that day, with Wilbur's final flight traveling 852 feet in 59 seconds. The brothers did not simply attach an engine to an existing glider; they developed a coordinated control system, tested wind-tunnel data, and built their own engine and propellers.