On this day, 77 years ago, on January 30, 1948 (December 20, 1947 in the lunar calendar), American Orville Wright, one of the inventors of the aircraft, passed away. Orville Wright Orville Wright was born in Dayton, Ohio, USA in 1871. Went to middle school but did not actually receive a diploma. He and Wilbur Wright are brothers. They began experimenting with kites and gliders in 1899 and applied for a patent in 1903. The Wright brothers became the best and most experienced gliding pilots in the world before they began building powered aircraft. On December 7, 1903, the brothers made their first flight on Mount Annihilation near Owl Village in North Carolina. The first was made by Orville Wright, flying 12 seconds and 120 feet; the second was made by Wilbur Wright, flying 5l seconds and 852 feet. The plane cost less than $1,000 and was named by the brothers as the Flyer I (today commonly known as the Owl). The wings are about 40 feet long and weigh about 750 pounds. The engine has 12 horsepower and weighs only 170 pounds. Attachment: This original aircraft is currently on display at the National Space Museum in the Colombia area of Washington. In 1905, the Flyer III was built, a prototype that was modified and very practical. The 1909 federal budget included a sum of $30,000 for the development of military aviation. For a time, there were many lawsuits over patent rights between the Wright brothers and some of their filing opponents. In 1914, the court awarded the patent rights to the two brothers. But at this time Wilbur Wright contracted typhoid fever and died of illness in 1921 at the age of 45. Orwell Wright died on January 30, 1948. Neither brother was married.