What was the Wright brothers’ first airplane patent number in the United States?

The Wright brothers’ first airplane patent in the United States was US Patent 821,393.

The patent, titled “Flying-Machine,” was granted on May 22, 1906. It covered their system for controlling an aircraft, especially the method of warping or flexing the wings to control lateral balance and turning.

The patent did not simply claim the idea of an airplane in the abstract. Its important protection concerned a practical control system that coordinated the aircraft’s wings and rudder. The Wrights believed this innovation distinguished their machine from earlier gliders and powered-aircraft attempts.

The patent later became central to legal disputes with other aircraft manufacturers, particularly Glenn Curtiss. The number is sometimes confused with the Wrights’ British patent, which was granted earlier, or with later American patents connected to improvements and litigation.