The Wright Brothers Game Trivia Online

This page features The Wright Brothers Game Trivia Online. It is a great exercise for students in 3rd to 9th grades. The aviation industry has revolutionized travel around the world. But did you know that aviations' humble beginnings were not as sophisticated as we know it today ? The Wright brothers were the inventors of an aircraft that actually flew. Prior to them, several attempts had often failed. If you are interested in learning about them and their invention, we have made it easy through an interactive fun game that contains 15 questions related to them. Hit the start button and begin practicing.

 

Famous Facts About the Wright Brothers

Did you know that Orville and Wilbur Wright were famous for making the first airplane? Learn about their interests in gliding, first flight, and problems with takeoffs. You can even watch their first flight online.

Orville & Wilbur Wright: How it all started

Orville and Wilbur Wright understood that the solution to human flight was an equal mix of art and science. While mechanical skill and mathematical acumen were needed to design and build an aircraft, the art of flying involved reading wind conditions, maintaining speed, and tracing graceful lines with the controls. During the early stages of the Wright Brothers' research and development, their experiments were hampered by nosey reporters and other outside influences.

Wilbur and Orville became world leaders in the aviation industry after the brothers' success. They persuaded the United States government of the importance of flying machines. Wilbur Wright died at age 45, but Orville lived until supersonic age, where he became the first to fly a passenger plane. The Wright Brothers' first flight occurred on 26 July 1909, and Wilbur and Orville were the only two men to fly over the Atlantic Ocean.

Their interest in gliding

After their interest in flying and gliding, the Wright brothers opened a bicycle shop in 1893. They produced the Wright Flyer and Van Cleve bicycles. During 1896, they began studying gliding. By this time, they had collected the latest aeronautical data and had begun experimenting with kites. In 1900, they corresponded with reputable engineer Octave Chanute. Chanute told them about other experimenters and their kites.

After World War I, the meteorological conditions in the Rhine valley were ideal for soaring flight. But the Versailles Treaty prohibited the construction of large airplanes. Large centers of population could not easily access meteorologically suitable locations. Consequently, the gliding movement spread to many countries, including the United States. In the past decade, gliding clubs have sprung up all over the world. As a result, they became competitive with each other.

Their first flight

The Wright Brothers and Dosher had a great relationship with each other, which made it possible for the two of them to continue developing their flying machine. Dosher was instrumental in maintaining good relations between the brothers during testing. In fact, the weather bureau in Kitty Hawk sent a telegraph to alert the world that the Wright Brothers had successfully flown a plane. It was then that Orville Wright walked to the weather office in Kitty Hawk and wrote a message to his father confirming the successful flight. 

In addition to Samuel Langley, other experimenters, including the Smithsonian, failed to achieve powered flight. Other early experimenters relied on brute force to propel their machines and threw hapless passengers from them. 

Their struggles with takeoffs

While normal takeoff conditions are always ideal, not all pilots have such fortunate circumstances. But there are some things pilots can do to improve their takeoff performance. Proper preparation and a little extra legwork can go a long way. Flight safety experts say that a pilot's knowledge of the runway plays a key role in a safe takeoff. During takeoff, pilots should be aware of any prominent landmarks along the runway that might serve as visual abort points. They should be able to reach 70 percent of their rotation speed at that point. This level of knowledge did not exist at the time the Wright brothers started their experiments. Hence mastering these maneuvers still remained a challenge.