December 17, 1903, is a day to be remembered for all who fly. That was the day 121 years ago that two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio made history with the first powered, controlled flight of an airplane. The controlled part is most important. Others had leaped off hills in early versions of hang gliders, their bodies thrashing about in various ways to try to maintain control. The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, managed the trick with a combination of wing warping for banking, elevators for altitude control, and rudders to trim the turning motion of the airplane. Their aerodynamic contributions came from careful study and clever adaptation of their cycling craft. Their powerplant, a 12-horsepower, 120-pound four cylinder engine, was the product of Charles E. Taylor, a machinist and mechanic in their shop. Taylor was limited in the equipment at hand, and drilled holes around the outline of the crankshaft o for the engine on a steel slab. He …
