CCSS
R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.8, W.2, W.3, SL.1, L.5, L.6
Conquer the Sky
The incredible story of the Wright brothers and the first airplane
Illustration by Gary Hanna; Granger, NYC/The Granger Collection (Wright Brothers)
PROLOGUE
N1: In the year 1900, no one had ever flown in an airplane before.
N2: People had taken rides in hot-air balloons.
N3: Others had flown in gliders—aircraft that sailed on the wind.
N1: But no one had built a plane that could carry a person and fly on its own power.
N2: In fact, everyone who tried failed—
N3: —until two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, changed the world forever.
SCENE 1
N1: Orville and Wilbur Wright are in their bicycle shop.
N2: In a back room, they are building a large wooden glider.
N3: It has two sets of 18-foot wings covered in shiny white fabric.
Orville: Help me with this rope, Will.
Wilbur: Sure thing, Orv.
N1: Their sister comes in. She points to a space between the lower wings.
Katharine: Is that where the pilot goes?
Orville: Yes, you lie on your stomach and hold on to these controls.
Katharine: Why do you have to go all the way to North Carolina to test it?
Wilbur: We need strong winds and a lot of sand for soft landings.
Katharine: Flying seems treacherous.
Orville: It is. Some people have died in crashes.
Wilbur: But don’t worry. We promise we’ll be careful.
SCENE 2
Jim McMahon/Mapman ®
The Middle of Nowhere
The Wright brothers needed a place to test their planes. It had to have high winds and plenty of sand for soft landings. They chose Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks—a strip of islands off the coast of North Carolina.
N2: Orville and Wilbur travel to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
N3: They pitch a tent on a hill overlooking the ocean.
N1: A fierce wind whips sand into their faces.
Orville: We wanted wind and sand, and we sure got it!
N2: Orville and Wilbur unpack their crates and put the glider together.
N3: The Tate family and other locals gather to watch the two strange men on the beach.
Bill: They’re building some kind of flying machine.
Bea (dreamily): How I’d love to soar high in the sky.
Addie: You’ll stay right here on the ground, young lady.
Local 1: If you ask me, anyone who thinks people can fly is a nut.
Local 2: I agree. We should leave flying to the birds.
N1: Orville and Wilbur struggle to hold on to the glider in the wind.
Bill: Hey there. Do you fellas need some help?
Wilbur: Yes, sir!
N2: Bill trots over.
Orville: You take the rope at this wing. I’ll take the other rope.
Bill: All right.
Wilbur: When I give you the signal, you two run forward and I’ll hop in.
Orville (to Bill ): Hold tight so Will doesn’t go too high.
Wilbur: Ready? Go!
N3: Bill and Orville start running. Wilbur gets in and lies flat.
N1: The wind lifts the glider.
N2: It soars for a moment, then dives nose-first into the ground.
N3: Wilbur climbs out and brushes the sand off his suit.
Wilbur: Let’s try again.
N1: Addie grabs Bea’s hand and leads her away.
Addie: Those boys are going to get themselves killed.
Bea: But Mama, it’s so exciting!
Addie: You don’t need to fill your head with silly things like flying.
Bettmann/Getty Images (Children Workers); Education Images/UIG via Getty Images (Phone); Elena Schweitzer/Shutterstock.com (Eggs)
SCENE 3
N2: Bill invites the Wrights for dinner.
Bea: Tell us about your flying machine!
Wilbur: Right now we’re trying to figure out balance and control.
Orville: Every time we fly, we learn something new.
Wilbur: Whether it’s the shape of the wings—
Orville: —or how to steer better.
Bea: How long will you stay in Kitty Hawk?
Orville: Until it gets too cold. Then we’ll go back to Ohio and build a better glider.
Bill: But does a flying machine have a real use?
Wilbur: I think someday we will travel through the air as easily as we sail across the ocean.
Bill (chuckling): That seems far-fetched.
Orville: Does it? The world is changing every day. People are using automobiles instead of horses.
Wilbur: You can use a telephone to call someone miles away.
Addie: I’ve never seen an automobile or a telephone, and that’s fine by me.
Bea: I’d sure like to see how they work.
Addie: We’re just simple folk with no time for fantasies.
N3: Bea pokes at the food on her plate.
SCENE 4
N1: For the next three years, the Wright brothers dedicate themselves to flying.
N2: They return to Kitty Hawk with bigger and better fliers.
N3: They live in a small shed on the beach—
N1: —and spend hundreds of hours failing and trying again.
N2: One evening, Bea and her mother bring the Wright brothers some blankets.
Wilbur: Thank you! We’ve been sleeping in our coats.
N3: Bea looks around at all the scraps of wood and wire.
Bea: May I ask you something?
Orville: Of course.
Bea: Why do you keep trying to fly when it seems so impossible?
Addie: Bea! That’s rude.
Wilbur: No, it’s a fair question. What makes us think we can succeed when so many people could not?
N1: Bea nods.
Wilbur: It’s true we are a couple of nobodies who never got high school diplomas.
Orville: But we have curious minds, and we work very hard.
Wilbur: And we have a true passion for flying.
Bea: What about the people who say humans aren’t meant to fly? What if they’re right?
N2: Orville raises an eyebrow at Bea.
Orville: What if they’re not?
Library of Congress/Getty Images (Flight); Topical Press Agency/Getty Images (Crash)
Try, Try Again
The Wright brothers started experimenting with flight in 1900. They often failed but never gave up. (The small photo shows Orville stuck in a plane after a bad landing!)
SCENE 5
N3: In the fall of 1903, the Wright brothers come to Kitty Hawk. They bring their biggest flier yet.
N1: On December 17, they are ready to test it.
N2: A small crowd watches.
Bea: Look! They’re putting the flier on the launching track.
Addie: Those wings must be 40 feet long.
Local 1: Those fellas are nice, but screwy in the head.
Bea: I think history will be made today.
Local 2: What makes today special? Those fools have been trying to fly for years.
Bea: This flier has a motor. We may see the first motor-powered flight in the world.
N3: Orville and Wilbur flip a coin to see who will get to fly the plane.
N1: They talk quietly and shake hands.
Bea: I wonder what they’re saying.
Local 1: Probably “Nice knowing ya.”
N2: The plane’s motor roars. Orville climbs into position.
N3: The plane slides down the track.
Bea: Here we go!
N1: Bea squeezes her mother’s hand.
N2: Slowly, the plane begins to rise off the ground.
N3: It lifts into the air.
Crowd: Gasp!
N1: It rises and dips—
Crowd: Gasp!
N2: Rises and dips—
Bea: It’s flying! He’s flying!
N3: A few seconds later, Orville brings the plane safely down.
Local 2: Wow! Those crazy boys did it. They really did it!
Local 1: I always knew they would!
Addie: I see it now, Bea.
N1: Bea turns and sees tears in her mother’s eyes.
Bea: See what, Mama?
Addie: It’s all right to dream big. There really is no limit to what people can do.
EPILOGUE
N2: The Wright brothers kept building planes that flew longer, higher, and faster.
N3: Most people did not believe the Wright brothers could fly until they saw it with their own eyes.
N1: Human flight would shape our world.
N2: Within 21 years, people would fly around the world.
N3: In 66 years, humans would fly to the moon.
N1: And it all began with two brothers and a dream.
Apic/Getty Images
Sweet Success
The first flight took place on December 17, 1903. Orville Wright flew this plane for 12 seconds, going a distance of 120 feet.
ACTIVITY:
Making an Inference
You’ve just read “Conquer the Sky” Now it’s time to try this activity.
Tip: An inference is something that isn’t stated but can be figured out from clues in the text.
What to do: Imagine that you are Bea Tate. You’re telling a friend what it was like to see the Wright brothers’ first flight. Your friend has questions. Make inferences to answer each question with at least one complete sentence.
When you first met the Wright brothers, how were your feelings about human flight different from your mother’s?
Do you think the Wright brothers got along well? How could you tell?
What qualities do you think the brothers shared that helped them reach their goal?
How did your mother’s feelings about human flight change after she saw the flight on December 17, 1903?
After the brothers succeeded, a local who had doubted the brothers before said, “I always knew they would!” Why do you think this person’s attitude changed so quickly?
