This is Frank B. Wood, who witnessed the very first attempt that the Wright Brothers made at powered air flight. It happened on December 14, 1903. According to the official record, "The airplane (called the 'Wright Flyer' at the time) left the rail, but Wilbur pulled up too sharply, stalled, and came down after covering 105 ft (32 m) in 3 1/2 seconds, sustaining little damage."
Three days later (December 17), after making some adjustments and repairs, the Wright Brothers made four more flying attempts, with the last one achieving 852 feet in 59 seconds. Thus the era of powered air flight began.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 Introduction
- 2:02 Frank Wood Speaking