Q 01/05

On what date did the Wright brothers make the first controlled, sustained powered flight?

A) December 14, 1903

B) October 5, 1905

C) August 8, 1908

D) December 17, 1903

Answer · why

D) December 17, 1903

Wilbur had won a coin toss for a first attempt three days earlier, but stalled after takeoff.

Q 02/05

Near which Outer Banks town did the first flights take place?

A) Wilmington

B) Cape Hatteras

C) Nags Head

D) Kitty Hawk

Answer · why

D) Kitty Hawk

The actual spot, four miles south, is now known as Kill Devil Hills.

Q 03/05

What business did the Wright brothers run in Dayton to fund their flight experiments?

A) A watch repair shop

B) A carriage works

C) A hardware store

D) A bicycle shop

Answer · why

D) A bicycle shop

They opened the Wright Cycle Exchange in December 1892 and began making their own bicycles in 1896.

Q 04/05

What was the Wright brothers' breakthrough invention, still standard on all airplanes?

A) The propeller

B) A three-axis control system

C) The lightweight gasoline engine

D) The cambered wing

Answer · why

B) A three-axis control system

Their 1903 patent claimed a system of aerodynamic control, not a flying machine as such.

Q 05/05

What was the profession of the Wrights' father, Milton?

A) Bicycle maker

B) Schoolteacher

C) Newspaper editor

D) Clergyman and bishop

Answer · why

D) Clergyman and bishop

Neighbours called Wilbur and Orville 'the bishop's boys'; the family moved twelve times before settling for good.