12. The Wright Flyer was constructed in 1903, using rudimentary materials, mostly wood, and enjoyed a top speed of 30 miles per hour
After extensive testing of gliders near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, from 1900-1902, the Wright Brothers finalized the design for their Flyer I: “the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard”. Only allowing for a crew of one, the pilot of the Wright Flyer was required to lie on their stomach atop the lower wing to reduce drag. From this exposed position, the pilot could steer the aircraft using wires attached from his hips to the rudder.
Constructed from giant spruce wood as the primary material, the Wright Flyer had a wingspan of 40 feet and 4 inches, a height of 9 feet, and was 21 feet and 1 inch in length. With a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour, the historic aircraft was launched from a runway known as the “Junction Railroad”: a rudimentary track of 2x4s. Unable to find a suitable engine from an automobile for their prototype, the Wright Brothers hired their nephew to construct a gasoline engine of their own design; the chain drive powering the propellers was, also, made entirely by hand.