In December 1892, the Wright Brothers opened a bike shop, the Wright Cycle Company. They remained in the bicycle manufacturing and repair business until 1907. Their business funded their passion for aviation . While running the bicycle shop, they began to study problems of mechanical and human flight. After reading intensively, and studying bird flight and Otto Lilienthal’s work, the Wright Brothers were convinced that human flight was possible and began to conduct experiments of their own. Wilbur left for Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Orville came later. They stayed at William J. Tate’s house until their camp was ready.
On October 1, 1900, Orville and Wilbur tested their first flyer. They executed about a dozen more experiments on their gliders. Orville and Wilbur kept going back to test their new and improved versions. The Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk because they needed somewhere windy but not in the public. Chicago by far was the windiest but too populated. An added bonus for choosing Kitty Hawk was that the sand dunes created gentle landing platforms.
On October 1, 1900, Orville and Wilbur tested their first flyer. They executed about a dozen more experiments on their gliders. Orville and Wilbur kept going back to test their new and improved versions. The Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk because they needed somewhere windy but not in the public. Chicago by far was the windiest but too populated. An added bonus for choosing Kitty Hawk was that the sand dunes created gentle landing platforms.
“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 on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.” - Orville Wright