The Winds of Kitty Hawk (1978) - full transcript
After many years of trying, Orville and Wilbur Wright succeed in making their heavier-than-air aircraft fly, south of Kitty Hawk, on December 17, 1903. They later try to sell their invention to the US government.
♪
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
ORVILLE:
♪ If you refuse me
Then you will lose me
♪ Then you'll be all alone
♪ Oh, baby, call up
-♪ And Tell Me I'm Your Own
-AGNES: I'm Your Own
BOTH:
♪ Hello, hello, hello, there
♪ Hello, my baby
Hello, my honey
♪ Hello, my ragtime gal
♪ Send me a kiss by wire...
Where's Wilbur?
He's still back at the shop.
He's always
at the bicycle shop.
I... I'll go find him.
Hmm. Thank you, Katherine.
-You know Casey?
-Yeah.
Okay.
♪ Casey would walk with
♪ A strawberry blonde
♪ And the band played on
♪ He'd walk 'cross the...
[ALL CHEERING AND WHISTLING]
ORVILLE: "For some years,
my brother Will
"has been afflicted
with the belief that
"flight is possible to man.
"His obsession has
increased in severity
"and I feel that
it may cost him his life.
"In 1895,
"we read of the experiments
of Otto Lilienthal
"who was making glider flights
in Germany.
"In 1896, he was killed
in a gliding accident
"while risking his life
to learn by doing."
KATE: Wilbur?
Wilbur?
Wilbur Wright.
What are you doing here?
Why?
Well, I suppose
you've forgotten
all about the picnic.
Oh, yes, I did.
And about Elizabeth Mayfield.
You promised
you'd spend the day with her.
Wilbur, you are being rude.
Did Elizabeth say that?
Never mind who said it.
Come on.
♪
[CHEERING]
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
Oh, that's all right, Will.
Everybody knows
how busy you are.
I appreciate your patience.
Will, I've been thinking.
If there were some way
that I could help you
in your work...
Until you succeed.
The only thing that worries me
is that you'll get hurt.
Don't worry about that.
Do you really think
you can do it?
Fly?
See that skyrocket?
Someday
we'll be riding on them.
♪
HARLAN: I just don't know.
Well, it looks impressive.
Where the hell is Kitty Hawk?
The coast of North Carolina,
Mr. Mumford.
How far is that?
About 500 miles.
Good Lord,
that's 1,000 miles round trip.
Why go that far?
When I wrote
to the weather bureau
and told them my requirements,
they recommended Kitty Hawk.
Requirements?
Yeah.
Wind.
Reasonably steady
and consistent.
And miles and miles
of sand dunes.
Sand?
What do you need sand for?
Well, it's not the sand,
it's the open spaces,
the lack of trees.
Well, if it isn't the sand...
Well, there's plenty
of open pasture land
around here.
I don't see why you have to
go all the way to Kitty Hawk.
Mr. Mumford,
I'm going to Kitty Hawk.
That's all there is to it.
No, that is not
all there is to it.
You know
bank regulations prohibit
the early withdrawal of funds
without good cause.
Will you release the funds
or won't you?
Well, what does Orville
say about this?
Does he also want
to withdraw this money?
Yes, sir.
What's bothering you,
Mr. Mumford?
[SIGHING] Will,
a man could get killed
flying around
on a thing like this.
But if I get this into the air
with me on it,
I'll be making history.
That's worth a few risks,
isn't it?
[LAUGHING]
All right, Will,
I'll make the withdrawal.
-How much did you say?
-$600.
$500. Took a long time
to save that money, Will.
[HARLAN CHUCKLING]
Well, I think
Wilbur should do as he likes.
He's earned this opportunity.
Earned, you say?
That's exactly my point.
He's using
the savings and loan money.
All over the world,
men are building gliders
trying to fly.
And getting killed.
But they are doing it now.
What about now? And here?
You boys are just beginning
to make the bicycle shop
pay a dividend.
Father,
I am now 33 years of age.
In those years,
I have managed to do
one thing of significance
and that is graduate
from high school.
Now, I am not an engineer
like Chanute up in Chicago,
nor do I have
government backing
like Langley in Washington,
but I am convinced
that with Orville's help,
I can be
the first into the air.
Or Orville can.
The fact is
I don't give a hoot about
the bicycle business.
It's a living.
But flying,
conquering the air...
I think that's a reason
for living.
Well, it just doesn't
seem right to me in the...
In the natural scheme
of things.
Will?
Do it.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
ORVILLE: Will went on
to Kitty Hawk first.
Rather than
take the glider with him,
he decided to build one there.
Its wingspan will be
determined by the length
of the lumber he can obtain.
Our sister, Kate,
has reminded him
not to take
any dangerous chances.
WILLIAM: Well,
we're fishing folk, mainly,
even though there ain't
too much money in it.
Still,
we're comfortable enough.
We don't need too much
in the way of luxuries.
I tell you what.
When you want
something special,
you just come to me
or my brother.
We'll see
what we can fix up for you.
Halt. Halt. Halt.
This is my wife and children.
This is, uh,
Mr. Wilbur Wright of Ohio.
Pa, is he staying with us?
WILLIAM: I think he is, Tom.
WILBUR: Two pounds of bacon...
Two dozen eggs
and a dozen tomatoes.
I especially like tomatoes.
TOM: The store don't
carry that much
for the whole island.
WILBUR: Well,
see what you can manage.
Pa says
you've come to fly kites.
Oh? Well, one big kite.
How big?
Big enough to carry me
up to the sky.
Like a bird?
Those are the wings.
You're really gonna make
something out of all that?
I'm gonna fly in it.
-Fly in it?
-Or on it.
Can I watch?
You can help, Tom.
You and your father.
I'm gonna need
all the help I can get.
Oh, boy! I gotta tell Pa.
Well,
what do you think of her?
She's the most
beautiful creature
I've ever seen, Will.
I thought you'd be pleased.
I'd like you to meet
a friend of mine.
Tom Tate.
Tom, this is my brother
Orville Wright.
Glad to meet you, Tom.
And that, I presume,
is your moderately priced
resort hotel.
It'll grow on you.
[LAUGHING]
[SIGHING] Well,
what are we waiting for?
We have some work to do
if we're going to
get her into the air.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
WILBUR:
She'll fly a lot better
with one of us aboard!
Good Lord, Will, I don't know.
Isn't she a beauty?
Are you serious, Will?
Oh, I think she'll do, Orv.
Absolutely!
She'll kill both of us.
Oh, no,
she's got a lot of lift, Orv.
Do you see the way
she pulled herself back up?
I ain't normally one to butt
into other people's business,
but you boys got me worried.
WILLIAM: If you got a mind
to jump on that thing,
all I can say is
there's cheaper ways
to kill yourself.
Thank you for your concern,
Mr. Tate. We know the risks.
Ain't no risk to it.
It's a sure and certain thing.
We're not rushing into
anything, Mr. Tate.
We've been studying the winds.
WILLIAM: Orville,
you can study them winds
from now
until hell ices over
and you won't learn
nothing useful.
You may well be right,
Mr. Tate,
but we still have to try it.
Eagles, hawks and buzzards,
the only wings around
can stand up to them winds.
From those same winds,
we'll learn velocity
and mean direction.
WILLIAM: Yeah,
"mean" is right.
They'll blow you
and your glider
clean into Georgia,
they'll be picking you up
in small baskets.
Pa, we promised to help.
I gave my word, boy,
and I'll stand by her.
But I don't hold with
people killing themselves,
and I want them to know it.
I think it's secure now.
[WIND WHOOSHING LOUDLY]
WILBUR: Thanks, Tom.
Right here.
That'll be just fine.
She looks awful pretty, Orv.
You set?
Easy, Will.
All right?
-WILBUR: Ready, Orv?
-Mmm-hmm.
TOM: Fly it, Mr. Wilbur!
Fly it!
There you go, Will!
Easy! Easy!
Will! Will!
Will!
Will! Will!
Will! You all right, Will?
You hurt?
I thought
you were gonna get killed.
WILBUR: So did I, Tom.
So did I.
ORVILLE: Will!
Will!
WILBUR:
Look at that buzzard, Orv.
You see his wings?
They're almost
at the same angle as
the wings on our glider, Orv.
Look!
Look how hard it is
for the buzzard
to maintain equilibrium.
Professor Langley's
about to fly
his motorized glider.
Hawks and eagles
don't have that trouble, Orv,
because they have
the agility to respond
to changes in the wind.
Didn't you hear what I said?
It's control!
It's control, Orv.
Just because
Langley has the motor
doesn't put him ahead of us.
Fine. Fine.
Then we won't worry about him.
Langley's about to fly?
♪
Model's all proved
my theories, Dr. Bell.
Now nothing can stop us
from flying.
BELL: How long will it take
you to have
a full-sized aerodrome
built and operating?
Would you say five years?
We will fly in three years,
Dr. Bell!
Three years?
It's all very exciting.
Your invention will be for you
what the telephone was for me.
True, but in your case
you were lucky.
You managed to beat
your nearest competitor
to the patent office
by a matter of hours.
Now, I have no competition
since Tom Edison gave up
the chase.
[MEN LAUGHING]
[WIND WHOOSHING]
It's a full gale!
WILBUR: Did we tie it down
securely enough?
-The tent?
-The glider!
ORVILLE: It would take
at least a week to fix it...
if we had the material.
TOM: Mr. Orville! Mr. Wilbur!
Mail for ya!
Thank you, Tom.
Ah! Darn wind.
"The lord giveth
and the lord taketh away."
Nice if he'd make up his mind.
Note from Kate.
Ha!
WILBUR: That fabric
is French sateen, Tom.
Do you think
your mother would like
to have what's left?
Might make a dress.
It's yours.
TOM: Are you gonna try again?
I don't know, Tom.
She says Professor Langley's
being given
more government funds.
Fine!
I'm sick of hearing
about Langley.
He's the competition.
No, Orv,
he isn't the competition,
he's merely the gadfly.
ORVILLE: Will decided,
and I agreed,
it's best to keep
our experiments and work
secret.
We need time alone
to either succeed or fail.
We need the opportunity
to test the full possibilities
of our ideas.
Oh!
ORVILLE: You're not holding
that spar straight.
WILBUR: It's hard when
you're in this position, Orv.
Do you expect me
to hold this forever?
ORVILLE:
Let me do this my way.
WILBUR: Then start hammering.
[LIGHT HAMMERING]
Good Lord.
WILBUR: What?
ORVILLE: I didn't
say anything.
WILBUR: Well, somebody said
"good lord."
BISHOP: I said good Lord.
Father!
I thought you were in Indiana.
I got home this morning.
We adjourned the senate.
Oh! My, my, my.
What in the world is this?
Our new glider.
This looks more like
Mrs. Barton's laundry.
It'll be bigger
than last year's.
-Well, will this model
have a cabin?
-No.
You're going to lie out there
on the wing again
holding on by
the skin of your teeth?
That's right.
Couldn't there be
some kind of safety device?
-Something that would...
-It would restrict
your movements.
Well, that's exactly my point.
It will restrict you
from falling 60 feet
from the air onto your heads.
There's not much danger
of falling out, Father.
I'll be the judge of that,
Wilbur.
[GROANS]
Well, Katherine
sent me over here
to find out when
you'll be leaving
for Kitty Hawk.
In about a week.
ACE: What the heck you
got in there, Wilbur,
the mad river bridge?
Well, Mr. Hutchin,
we'd rather not say
what it is.
Oh! Just a minute, Orville,
you gotta declare
what's in it.
I mean, you can't ship on
the B&O unless you say
what's in that box.
Ace, you put me
in a terrible position.
Well, I don't care, Orville.
-Orv?
-Well, all right, Ace.
If you say.
Well, I do.
It's my wont and duty.
All right, Ace.
You see, Ace,
our great-aunt Hepsiba
got run over
by a traction engine...
Squashed her flat.
The only thing we could do
is pack her up
for shipment back east.
Oh, no.
No, you ain't gonna ship
no dead body on this line.
-Ace, it's the glider.
-It's the what?
It's the glider I've been
building over in my shop.
Oh! You, Orville!
Always making jokes.
How much it gonna cost, Ace?
-Um, $206.81.
-One way?
That's right, and that's
only if I can figure out
where to put it.
I mean, we ain't got no room
left in the baggage car.
You mean this glider
might not go on the train?
That's what I mean for a fact.
Ace, that glider's going
or that train isn't going.
I don't care how...
If the engineer has to
carry it on his back,
that glider's going.
All right, Will,
if you say so.
Would you mind telling me,
what are you gonna do
with the glider?
I'm gonna fly in it.
Does he mean...in the air?
'Fraid so, Ace.
You see, Will's never been
quite right in the head.
Oh, I understand.
You have to humor him.
Don't you worry.
I'll get the box on the train.
Appreciate it, Ace.
[CHUCKLING]
Thanks, Orv.
Appreciated it.
WILBUR:
We built our new glider
according to Lilienthal's
known calculations.
By shifting our weight
in the hip cradle
like a bicycle rider,
we can engage the wires
and pulleys
which warp the wings
and, we hope,
balance the glider in flight.
-That's it!
- We believe we can overcome
the danger of crashing
by adding a moveable
front elevator,
and at the same time
control our lift,
glide and landings
in the crosswinds
at Kill Devil Hill.
WILBUR: Orv, remember,
this is your first time!
Nothing fancy, you hear?
I hear.
Okay, take it easy, Orv.
Here we go.
Up she goes.
Orv? Orv!
WILBUR: Keep the wings level!
Straighten 'em out!
Turn it back.
Warp the wings, Orv!
Straighten 'em out!
Turn it back!
Get the nose up!
[GROANING]
You all right, Orv?
I told you
not to take any risks.
Risks?
Lord, Will, I didn't
even take a deep breath.
It was like shaking hands
with the wind.
The wind started to turn me,
Will.
There was nothing
I could do about it.
When I came down,
I realized I don't even know
how to land.
[WILLIAM SIGHS]
WILBUR: That's right, Orv!
Keep the wind level!
Keep the nose up!
Great job. That's it.
Raise it up.
ORVILLE: It's too strong!
It'll give us
the necessary speed.
It'll break your neck!
Orv,
I never figured
to live forever.
Come on!
ORVILLE: Easy, Will!
You're pulling the nose up
too far, Will!
Will, bring the nose down!
Bring it down!
Bring the nose down!
Bring it down!
You're gonna stall!
Will!
My Lord! Will!
Will?
Will? Oh! Will.
Oh! [GROANING]
Exactly how Lilienthal died.
We need more lifting power.
Oh! Yeah.
Yeah, lifting power.
What you need is
your head examined.
WILBUR: How's the glider?
ORVILLE: I figure
it'll take about
three days to unbend.
WILBUR: Well,
we need a new one,
a new design.
We have to run our own tests.
We can't trust
Lilienthal's tables.
You're gonna try to fly it
again after that crash?
Next year.
Maybe I'll let Orv do it.
Are we packing it in?
Uh, you go on back home
and set up shop.
I'll stay back here awhile
and... And pack up.
Be back next year for sure?
Well, I might not be.
I'm too young to die.
WILBUR: It's about time
somebody told the world
Lilienthal was wrong.
If I get anything
out of this backache,
that's it.
ORVILLE: Will, we need proof.
♪
MAN: This isn't McKinley
you're dealing with,
Professor.
Roosevelt wants results
and he wants them soon.
He's not interested in models.
The weights will drop here,
releasing the wire
attached to the machine,
thus catapulting
the aerodrome clear
of the deck
and skyward across
the Potomac.
The October winds
should be light...
It's not the wind or the motor
that worries us,
it's the Wright brothers...
Never mind
the Wright brothers.
They're a pair
of bicycle salesmen.
I personally saw
Professor Langley's
invention fly.
No less an authority
than Octave Chanute
gave a speech on
the Wright Brothers' work
at the Chicago meeting.
Never mind Chanute!
But Chanute made
quite a case for the Wrights.
I was very impressed.
You should read
the Chanute speech.
Chanute is getting old,
gentlemen.
Please, Professor Langley's
proven experiences
and downright genius
make comparison
with these Ohio brothers
ridiculous.
To continue,
my pilot will strap a compass
to his leg to find the boat.
Dr. Bell, we have studied
and restudied
what Chanute had to say.
Now, apparently you don't
think that's very important.
Should the flight be
of such duration and distance
that he might be lost...
Professor, the army
would feel a great deal
more comfortable
if the test could be
arranged privately,
to be certain.
Certainty is my business,
gentlemen.
A public flight in four weeks
seems an unnecessary risk
of Congress's money
and our reputation.
There is no need to remind you
of his reputation, of course.
Congress will not put
one more cent into
these flying experiments.
Which is precisely
why the age of flight
will proceed as
I have scheduled it.
And you can tell that
to the Wright Brothers.
[MACHINERY WHIRRING]
Built it myself.
Even the motor.
You did this by yourself?
Without me?
You said we have to
run our own tests.
If we can't trust
Lilienthal's tables,
then we have to be
able to trust our own.
It's positively brilliant,
Orv.
Just brilliant.
ORVILLE: October 6th.
We will test the effects
of wind velocity
on camber and wing curvature
using 150 sheet metal wings
cut to scale.
Two years ago,
Will and I agreed
our experiments
should not infringe on
the time and money needed
for our bicycle business.
I know now Will's obsession
for our tests
will never allow him
to keep his own agreement.
October 13th.
Langley's values
on wind velocity
are based on still air.
Any increase
in the average pressure
due to fluctuations
of the natural wind
would cause his anemometer
to over record.
Discussions of logic
often now end
in bad-tempered
arguments between us.
Yet a good scrap takes
the edge off our tension.
We discover arguing to be
the one pleasure we have.
November 10th.
48 differing surfaces
have been measured,
each tested at
14 varying angles.
We have lost
all notion of time.
Will pays little attention
to eating
and he's becoming increasingly
fatigued and irritated
with me and his work.
December 11th.
With an eight degree descent,
Lilienthal's lift is double
anything we find reasonable.
Clearly, Lilienthal
was in greater error than
we thought.
There are the specifications
for flight.
Now all we have to do
is design and build it.
July and August...
That'll give Kate enough time
to teach us how to sew.
Sew?
300 square feet of fabric,
every inch of it
double stitched.
ORVILLE: We are certain
our wind tunnel experiments
have solved
the problem of lift.
We've decided to
add a tail to the new glider
to help stabilize the craft.
Kate has sensed
the tension and furor
of excitement
that has begun to occupy
all our waking hours.
ORVILLE: Gently...
Steer down gently.
Shift your weight!
A little more warp!
Try turning it, Will!
That's it!
Ease her in!
Will!
18.5 and 48 feet further!
Fine, but it's all
straight ahead.
If you can't turn,
you're not much better
than a cannonball.
Next time, we try turning.
Sure...
As long as it's my turn.
WILBUR: Turn it, Orv!
Turn it!
More!
Turn it, Orv, turn it!
Orv?
Couldn't you turn it anymore?
[GROANS]
You all right, Orv?
Just call me cannonball.
ORVILLE: Three years
and we feel we're right back
where we started.
The wires from the hip cradle
control the wing warping
perfectly.
We have a stabilizing tail.
The front elevator
is maintaining our
angle of incidence.
We don't stall anymore.
But the wind
is still controlling us.
The wind turns us
when it wants to.
Even if I had an idea,
Will is certain to say
he has a better one.
I thought it all out
before I went to sleep.
So did I.
You're thinking of
replacing the fixed tail
with a moveable tail.
Right?
Running a set of wires
from either side
of the new tail to the wings?
That's right.
The rear rudder
will be linked with
the wing warping control,
which will counteract
warp drag
and give us a single unit
of lateral control.
Couldn't have said it better
myself.
This is the key, Orv.
One control
over all three axes.
ORVILLE: Take it slowly, Will.
Take your time!
Easy.
Turn it, Will. Turn it!
Turn it, Will! Turn it!
-[ALL CHEERING]
-You did it, boy!
We were right!
We were right, Will.
We did it!
-He did it, I tell you!
He did it!
-We did it, Will!
Ahhh! We did it!
♪
WILBUR:
Thus the movement with wires
between wings and tail rudder
provide the flying machine
with balanced equilibrium
while in flight,
which is the basis for
the invention of improvements
in flying machines.
We're ready to file
for our patent immediately.
Mr. Toumlin,
how long will it take?
The patent.
Mmm...
A year.
Maybe more.
That's the least
of your worries.
[CLEARS THROAT] Worries?
Mr. Wright,
In patent law, unfortunately,
there is a fine line
between an invention
and a discovery.
You haven't designed
a new mousetrap here
or a can opener.
You've come up with an idea,
a concept...
A historical one to be sure,
one that asks
for a pioneer patent.
But ideas are very difficult
to patent.
And they're even more
difficult to protect.
That's what
we're hiring you for.
I shall do my best.
Who knows?
The world may even
treat you fairly,
hail your genius,
pay you the license fees
you want.
More than likely,
the world is going to try
and steal you blind.
Is there any place else
in the world they're doing
experimental work
with gliders?
In France and Germany.
Well, we'll file abroad, too,
Germany and France.
Of course,
none of this means much
unless you manage to fly
before Langley does.
We're working on
a four-cylinder motor.
And designs for a propeller.
Good.
Good.
Filing fee for patents is $15.
ORVILLE: I have asked
automobile manufacturers
to build us
a 12 to 16 horsepower engine.
They lacked the knowledge
and the interest, or both.
So we will design
our own engine.
Once more, we must rely
on our own instincts.
I believe we are now
in a race against ourselves
as well as Langley,
for our bicycle business
now suffers greatly
from our neglect.
While the government
supports Langley,
there is no-one to help
Will and I except Will and I.
The strain of this
is affecting Will
more than he'll admit.
I find our arguments
are no longer a pleasure.
Will seems pursued
by a blind fate
from which he is
unable to escape.
Will, I've got to have
eight more revolutions!
And I've got to have
90 pounds of thrust!
-I gave you 90.
-You gave me 87!
Well, whatever I give you,
you always want more!
And I always will!
Are you two arguing again?
Whatever Orville gives you,
you're always going to
want more.
And like your older brother,
you'll never settle for less.
What is happening
between you two?
I will not allow this machine
to tear apart the bonds
of this family.
No propeller, motor,
wings, struts, spars...
No, not even flying can become
so God Almighty important
that it reduces you
to the level of quarreling
and dissent.
Is that clear?
Yes, Father.
-Is it?
-Yes, Father.
Let that be an end to it.
I gave you 90.
ORVILLE: Our flying machine
is to be a biplane
with skids like sled runners
for the undercarriage
and flattened wings with
a wingspan of 40'4".
It will employ entirely new
principles of control.
We have named it after
one of our bicycles.
The Wright Flyer.
Easy, Will.
Go!
How was it?
10 seconds.
It's got to be faster.
Let's try it again.
If we're gonna do
much more of this, Will,
we could use some help.
WILLIAM: I can get you
the coast guard boys
from the lifesaving station.
WILBUR: Fine!
But they mustn't tell anyone
what we're up to!
[MOTOR GRINDING]
[RUMBLING]
The propeller shafts...
They're not holding!
Blast it, Orv!
The alignment of those shafts
was your responsibility.
How come everything
that breaks suddenly becomes
my responsibility?
I guess
you'd have to chalk it up
to cause and effect.
Why don't you try turning
the new shafts yourself?
That way you'll know
they'll be perfect.
Like you are!
WILBUR: Come back here, Orv!
[RUMBLING]
-Kate!
-[HORSE WHINNIES]
[EXCLAIMING]
Oh, my, Orville.
What was all that
shouting about in there?
There wasn't any shouting.
What are you doing here?
Well, I have come to tell you
that you are both in trouble
with your lady friends.
Lady friends?
Agnes Osborne is about
to get engaged
to Blaine Massey.
And Elizabeth Mayfield
is seriously thinking
of joining an order
of Episcopal nuns.
You came 400 miles
to tell us that?
Well, yes, that
and about Professor Langley.
-What about him?
-He failed.
Rode his fool airplane
right into the Potomac.
Whoo-hoo!
Will! Will!
Will!
Kate's here!
She says Langley failed!
Kate, tell him!
What about Langley?
Oh! Well,
he launched his
aerodrome off the top
of a great houseboat.
Well, it went rumbling
down to the end
and plunged
right into the river.
Poor Langley.
Well, I guess
that does it for him.
No, he says he's going to
try it again in three weeks.
Three weeks?
It'll take at least that long
to make new shafts.
I can have those new shafts
turned in two weeks.
Then we've got
an honest shot at it.
Well, you two have been
pushing yourselves
much too hard.
Now help me.
We are going to rearrange
this moderately priced
resort hotel
and have dinner,
an outrageously priced
standing roast of beef.
There's no roast beef
in all the outer bank islands.
Wilbur, I brought it
from the mainland.
Well, you two are certainly
a proper pair of hermits
down here, aren't you?
We don't mind it.
Of course,
we miss you and the family.
But you get used
to Kitty Hawk.
Best clams in the world.
Well,
I have been thinking...
Oh! There's going to be
a big fair in St. Louis
next summer,
and I was sort of hoping
that we could all go together.
Oh!
We'd have a wonderful time.
And...
you could take your flyer
and show the whole world
what you've accomplished.
I don't think so, Kate.
We've still got
a long way to go,
a lot of work.
Kitty Hawk's
the best place for that.
[SIGHING]
Well, you can't just
bury yourselves down here
every summer
for the rest of your lives.
We haven't got a patent yet.
Secrecy
is our only protection.
I'm not talking
about your airplane.
I'm talking about
your personal lives.
About Agnes Osborne
and about Elizabeth Mayfield.
Wilbur, do you know
what Elizabeth Mayfield
is thinking of doing?
Elizabeth Mayfield
is thinking of becoming
an Episcopal nun!
Well, surely
you remember her.
Oh, yes,
Elizabeth Mayfield...
I think
she'd make an excellent nun.
Oh... [GRUMBLING]
Degenerate, impervious oafs.
What did I say?
I don't know.
I think Elizabeth would
make an excellent nun.
What good do you think
it's gonna be to run us
into the wind?
TOM: Mr. Wilbur? Mr. Wilbur?
What the heck is that?
WILBUR: A flying machine.
Is that fella gonna fly it?
WILBUR: That's what
he keeps telling me.
Well, he must be as crazy
as that nitwit in Washington.
Which one?
That fella name of Langley.
Two days back,
he flied a machine
right into the Potomac river.
[LAUGHING]
Second time he done it.
Yeah! Ha!
Orv!
Langley, Orv,
he did it again,
smack into the Potomac.
He should be building boats.
Gentlemen,
any news
of what happens here today
should only come
from my brother or me.
Is that understood?
Yes, sir!
You ready, Orv?
Sure you wouldn't want to flip
again?
No, it's your turn today,
fair and square.
Two...
Mr. Daniels?
Now here's the ball.
You stand behind here.
And when Orville gets
to the end of the track,
you squeeze it.
TOM: It don't look like
he pointed right, Will.
Looks like it's set too high.
No, it isn't, Tom. By the time
Orville gets there,
it'll be two feet
off the ground.
Ready?
Is he really going to
fly this time, Will?
Yes, Tom.
All right, let's go.
WILBUR: Easy!
Hey!
[ALL CLAMORING]
REPORTER 1: Miss Wright,
are your brothers trying
to keep this machine of theirs
a secret?
Have they figured out how much
to charge the government
now that Langley has failed?
[MURMURING CONTINUES]
REPORTER 2:
All we want is confirmation.
Only the Bishop
can confirm you.
REPORTER 3: He means
confirmation of the flight.
What proof do you have
that they flew?
Well, of course they flew!
Miss Wright,
if you don't mind,
we'd like to speak to them.
You haven't been listening
to what I've been saying.
You can't talk to them,
they have guests.
Oh! Uh, you may
step out of the rain.
Thank you!
The reporters will want
to see you fly your machine.
They'll demand
to take pictures of it.
Demand? They do any
demanding around this house,
I'll take a bed slat to them.
Thank you, Bishop.
With all due respect,
may I continue?
And then the photographs
will be studied
by everybody.
Everybody from
the war department
to every kid
who ever built a kite.
They'll all draw
their imitations.
Thousands of them
will send their plans
to the patent office.
I don't see how that
affects us, as long as
we get there first.
You never know
who has friends in Washington.
Things get confused,
papers get shuffled.
ORVILLE: It seems that
that's exactly
what we're paying you for,
to see that the papers
don't get shuffled
and our rights are protected.
Yes, well, I'll do my best
but you two have got to help.
No photographs, no interviews,
sequester yourself,
give up flying
until after the...
That's out of the question!
Just when we're on the...
All right, all right.
But at least stay away
from Kitty Hawk.
But Kitty Hawk
is the best place
in the country...
Then find
the second-best place!
Look, Orville, Wilbur,
I'm not much
but I'm the best in
the country at what I do
and that's filing patents
and making them stick.
Please do as I say.
You insist on flying?
All right.
But either find yourself
a new sand dune
or find yourself a new lawyer.
ORVILLE: You can't beat it
for convenience, Will.
Only a trolley ride
from the shop.
Mr. Huffman says we can have
it all for next to nothing.
WILBUR: I'm not concerned
about the price.
ORVILLE: What are you
concerned about?
The wind. I don't think
there's enough wind, Orv.
-ORVILLE: There will be.
-And the trees are perfect
for crashing into.
ORVILLE:
They do give us privacy.
WILBUR: They baffle the wind
and we don't know
how to fly without wind, Orv.
ORVILLE: Well, I guess
we'll just have to learn how.
We could put the shed
over there.
ORVILLE:
While awaiting our patent,
we intend to remain
at Mr. Huffman's pasture
in secrecy,
learning to build better
engines and propellers,
to fly circles, figure-8s,
to fly higher
and still higher.
Will has only one wish
for our flying machine,
once our patent
has been granted,
we will sell it to
the United States Government
so that our country
will be the first in the world
to own such
a valuable invention.
We will have done
for the United States
what Langley could not do.
WILBUR: I think
it's time we both said
how we feel, Elizabeth.
The only thing
close to me these days
is our machine.
Flying is going to be
one of the next great
human adventures, Elizabeth.
And I believe Orville and I
will have a great deal
to do with it.
I know how you feel about me.
The truth is,
I've been thinking
of going away for some time.
I lack the necessary courage
for the religious life.
But there are many openings
for secretarial positions,
even book keepers,
in Cleveland.
Well, I know
what it is to go away
and try something new.
I did once offer to help you.
I still could.
I appreciate it.
My life is my invention.
I best be getting back.
Happy New Year, Will.
Happy New Year, Elizabeth.
Gid up!
That's all the thrust
we can...
That's all the thrust I can
give you, 185 pounds.
You were right, Orv.
I want more than you can give.
16 horsepower tops.
That's not enough.
Langley had 50 horses.
Look where it got him.
Curtiss, Glenn Curtiss,
out of Hammondsport, New York.
Perhaps you've heard of me.
Your man at the shop told me
I'd find you out here.
I told him we're all
in the same business.
-We are?
-We should be.
I'm the best motor man
in the world.
May I?
I read about you
in December.
I waited to read
that you'd flown again.
Never did.
What's your reputation
got to do with us?
From what I can see here,
everything.
I'm on my way
to the big fair in St. Louis.
I tried to call you
from Columbus.
Uh, seems like you fellows
don't have your name
in the Dayton Bell
directory anymore.
Obviously you didn't
need the telephone.
[CHUCKLES]
You probably don't know,
I am world speed champ
in motorcycles.
Now I build my own engines.
Last year in Florida,
I turned 10 miles
in eight minutes,
54 and 2/10 seconds.
That is a world record.
-Congratulations.
-Well, thank you.
Now I can't build one of these
and you can't design motors,
not like you need.
You give me one month,
I'll design you
a vertical eight
that'll supply
all the horsepower you'd want.
Now what do you say?
I say there's a faster way
to St. Louis
from New York than coming
by way of Dayton.
Gentlemen.
WILBUR: The competition
is closing in.
-I'll fly next week.
-The wind?
What do you know
about building catapults?
Catapults?
After all, it was the only
good idea Langley had.
ORVILLE:
After three years of waiting,
our patent has
at last been granted.
We believe it best to
say nothing to anyone
and allow no-one
outside our family
to see the machine
on the ground or in the air.
Until the flyer can be sold
to our government,
we must guard against those
who may seek to duplicate
the simplicity
of our invention.
GLENN: Everyone knows
you and Langley
have been friends for years.
Langley lies dying,
being laughed to death
by the world.
It's up to me
to see his work through.
I didn't come here
to be turned down.
I build motors
for flying machines,
not kites.
Uh, Mr. Curtiss,
do you know how much money
a government contract
to build airplanes
could be worth?
I'm flattered
you've come to me,
especially considering
who you are, Dr. Bell,
but the answer is still no.
Well, then why did you
tell everyone in St. Louis
that you were going to fly?
I am, but not on
one of those contraptions.
I am going to build myself
a Wright Brothers machine.
Wright Brothers?
What do you know about them
or their machine?
I've seen it.
You've actually seen it,
close up?
They invited me over
to their house,
we had quite a pleasant
dinner together.
Could you really build one
just like it?
I work for money, Dr. Bell.
Exactly so.
Mr. Duke!
Bring the contract.
Come, come, come, come.
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
ORVILLE: I hope
it's enough weight this time.
WILBUR: Orv,
all we're trying to do
is get off the ground
a little faster.
Besides, I calculated it.
I've never been wrong yet.
Whose turn to fly is it?
ORVILLE: Yours, Will.
It's all yours.
♪
WILBUR: Higher. Higher.
It can do 125 miles an hour.
I am still the fastest
man on earth.
And I'm shooting for 130.
The airplane, Mr. Curtiss,
where is it?
I want it fast, Mr. Bell,
powerful.
In order to fly,
I need the correct engine.
You were supposed to
build it for me by now.
Well, I had to
go and close out
the St. Louis fair
and get paid for my work.
I see.
Well, if you need more money,
discuss it with Mr. Newell.
I'm moving into
your house, Mr. Curtiss.
We're gonna work
side by side
to build that airplane.
I want a machine
better than the Wrights'.
Well, that should be easy.
You should still
study their plans.
Nobody ever got anywhere
in this country
without improving on
somebody else's idea.
It's what makes
Henry Ford first.
[CHUCKLING]
I'll be moving in on Monday.
Your contract provided
that you will build
an airplane that flies
within six months.
WILBUR: There can only be one
reason Curtiss has been hired.
To steal our idea.
The only thing worse would
be if Henry Ford set out
to build flying machines.
He's done enough
to the bicycle trade.
You've never cared
about the race.
This time, we're in a race
against our own invention.
Well, then it's time we move.
Without lawyers, on our own.
WILBUR: "To the Honorable
William Howard Taft,
"Secretary of War,
Washington, D.C.
"Dear sir,
"the series
of aeronautical experiments
"which my brother and I
have been engaged in
for the past five years
"has ended in the production
of a flying machine
"fitted for practical use
by our government."
TAFT: "Our flights prove
flying has at last
and conclusively
"been brought to a point
of great practical use,
"one of which
is that of scouting
"and carrying messages
in time of war.
"Early interest on your part
"will greatly assist us
in making future plans.
"Sincerely,
"the Wright Brothers."
Just remember, gentlemen,
Langley is your boast...
not mine.
Oh! I wish he'd go
a bit higher above the trees.
Now do you have time
to open your mail?
ORVILLE: Okay.
[CHUCKLING]
[INDISTINCT]
What does it say, Orville?
It's from the Secretary of War
William Howard Taft.
"Regarding your
application for funding,
"The board of ordinance
and fortification
of the United States army...
"declines to make
any financial allotments
"for the experimental
development of devices
"for mechanical flight
"and has further determined
"that your machine
has not yet been
brought to the stage
"of practical operation."
BISHOP: I've never seen
Wilbur so happy.
It's too bad
he can't just stay up there.
[ALL CHEERING]
[ENGINE SPUTTERING]
[SPUTTERING INCREASES]
Glenn!
You can be very proud, Glenn.
We've accomplished
in a little a year
what it took
the Wright Brothers
four years to do!
Not hardly.
Glenn, you're the first
American to fly a mile
in public.
Scientific American
gave you the trophy!
Well, you can give it
to the Wright Brothers
when you see 'em next.
They deserve it.
What did I do?
I'll tell you what, I flew.
Did you see me turn?
I nearly lost the airplane
and my life.
What difference does it make
if you fly a mile
or 100 miles?
If you can't turn
with confidence,
you can't even compete
with barn swallows.
[SIGHING]
How is it that the Wrights can
turn easily and you can't?
Because I don't know
everything they know.
♪
ORVILLE: Being rejected
by our own government
and our financial resources
nearly gone,
we are now forced to do
what we did not want to do.
In the company of an agent
who has sold the submarine
to Russia,
we will offer
to sell our invention
to all of Europe.
For all our years of work,
we have achieved some
fame and no money.
Curtiss, in far less time,
is taking both prizes.
I cannot be sure
which has hurt Will more,
being unwanted
in his own country
or Glenn Curtiss's success.
ORVILLE: Higher and higher
the magnificent glider rises
above your marvelous big top
of the Ringling Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey circuses,
borne aloft into
God's blue sky by
a powerful hot air balloon,
higher and higher,
astonishing the people
watching in the racetrack
grandstands below.
And now,
two men prepare to defy death.
As the balloon releases
the glider,
the daredevil Wright Brothers
are cast adrift
500 feet above the earth!
Will they survive?
Can they bring their craft
safely to earth?
It does not seem possible,
for if God had meant
men to fly,
he would have
given them wings.
-They're falling.
They're falling...
-Orville? Orville!
-Here they come!
-Drop everything,
we've got to talk.
MAN: Wait, wait,
he's right in the middle!
-It can't wait!
-What about
the Wright Brothers?
I'm looking after
the Wright Brothers
if you don't mind.
-What happens?
-They land safely in
the middle of the racetrack.
Don't worry.
We won't talk to Buffalo Bill
until we have your answer.
Buffalo Bill?
Have you lost your mind?
No, just a bit of pride.
What is all this about?
President Roosevelt has
called William Howard Taft
and his generals
on the carpet.
He wants to know why
Wilbur Wright was forced
to go to Europe
to sell his airplanes.
Tell him
the Honorable Mr. Taft
doesn't believe we can fly.
Cable Wilbur.
The President
wants him back here.
You're to fly for the army
as soon as you can get ready.
Good heavens.
How long have we been
waiting to hear that?
What does the army
want us to do?
Fly for an hour
at 40 miles an hour,
and build a machine
that can carry two men.
-Can you do it?
-We've already done it.
♪
REPORTER 1: Five years ago
this Christmas
you wouldn't talk to me.
Are you talking to me now?
I was there
at your first public flight.
Four years is a long time
to hide, Mr. Wright.
How does it feel
to be a part of history
on two continents?
REPORTER 1: How come
you're not answering
our questions, Mr. Wright?
REPORTER 2: How come
you been hiding so long?
I'm not interested in
making history, gentlemen.
I'm not interested
even in talking.
REPORTER 3:
What are you interested
in then, Mr. Wright?
ORVILLE: Just speed,
gentlemen, just speed.
Clear the way.
She's really good, isn't she?
[ALL CHEERING]
[PLANE STALLING]
What?
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[ALL MURMURING]
Compound fracture
of the tibia...
Four fractured ribs.
Barring any internal injury,
you're a very lucky man.
Lieutenant Selfridge is dead.
That does not make me lucky.
Sergeant, Orville Wright
is a friend of mine.
I'm here to discover
what caused this crash.
I've got orders, sir,
to let nobody in here.
I am
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell,
the President himself
has authorized me to conduct
aerial investigation.
I don't care who you are.
I'm Glenn Curtiss.
You know me?
Oh! Yes, sir.
I do.
You can understand why
we have to get in here.
Sir... Sir, I...
How in the world
did he ever survive this?
Now the patent says
the vertical tail
is operated by wires
controlling the wing tips.
I'm not interested
in that patent.
I want to know
why they crashed.
Look, you can see it.
It's just like their patent.
It's a coordinated action
of wing-tips and rudder.
BELL: Forget the patent,
Glenn.
I want to find out
why he crashed.
That's a set of wires
so uncomplicated
that the best scientists
in the world couldn't see it.
You'll be using their idea
without permission.
Come on, Dr. Bell,
I'm about to get rich
and famous...
without so much
as a telephone call.
[CHUCKLING]
♪
ORVILLE:
The crash at Fort Myer
did not deter acceptance
of our flying machine.
The army gave us a contract.
Almost immediately,
the navy gave their contract
to Curtiss.
We share Europe with him, too.
Wherever Will, Kate and I go,
Curtiss has already been there
or is on his way.
Mr. Toumlin always did say
Will and I
were frank as schoolboys,
but will put it right in print
in theScientific American
for all the world
and Curtiss to read,
charging him with
using our patent
to make profits for himself.
We have no objection
to anyone using our invention
for pleasure,
but not for profit.
We have decided to file
a patent suit against Curtiss.
To Will, Glenn Curtiss
had stolen his dream...
the only dream will ever had.
♪
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration.
$15,000 plus expenses.
All you have to do
is fly 10 miles
up the Hudson river
and return.
They've never seen
an airplane fly in New York.
You couldn't ask
for a better showcase
for Wall Street and
all those big money boys.
It's all yours.
It's not enough.
Now, Glenn, I can't go
asking them for more money.
I want to fly
against Wilbur Wright.
-You don't need him.
-Ha! I do.
Oh, don't be a fool.
Why ask him to share
in your glory?
Because I want the skies
all to myself.
I want the world to know
that Glenn Curtiss is
not only a better inventor,
he is a better aviator
as well.
Wilbur Wright's tired.
He's worn out from Europe.
All he wants to do
is to build his airplanes
and retire.
I'll retire him, Mr. Newell.
You get Wilbur Wright
to New York.
ORVILLE:
I agree with you, Will.
Our patent suit
against Curtiss
is going to take years.
I would feel better about this
if you had more time to rest
and regain your strength.
No, Kate, I have to
go along with Will.
He's never flown publicly
in his own country.
It's his decision
to make and he made it.
Pride has nothing to do
with Will's health.
You are 42 years old, Wilbur,
giving away eight years
of reactions to Curtiss.
If I've made a mistake,
it was keeping our invention
from the public for too long.
We'll all be there.
It's not just Will
who's accepted Curtiss's
challenge, it's all of us.
Look, Will,
the last rose of summer.
It's not the competition,
is it?
Or the money or the glory?
It's more than that,
isn't it, Will?
Recognition, Kate.
Recognition
of our first flight.
Not all the roses,
just one.
♪
[WIND WHOOSHING]
What did
the Wright Brothers say?
The Wrights
are stubborn people.
They don't talk to no-one.
But I've sent word to them
same as I'm telling you
-as Mayor of New York.
-Wind can't last forever.
What's the wind got to do
with flying an airplane?
People are laughing
at me already
for bringing you two here.
Millions of people
are waiting for you to fly.
Either do so or forfeit
the $15,000 we're paying you.
Driver.
I've got a good show
in St. Louis booked
for next week.
You don't need this!
They're not gonna
risk this wind
any more than you are.
WILBUR:
Depending on the wind,
I should make it to
the first checkpoint
in 10 or 15 minutes.
KATE: Watch out
where you're going, Will.
WILBUR: And once
over grant's tomb,
I'll circle back
-to the Statue of Liberty.
-Oh! I am sorry.
Charlie has the weights ready?
Yes, he said he'd have it
all set by midnight.
-Good.
-I'm awfully sorry.
-We probably
don't even need them.
-Will.
-[WIND WHOOSHING]
-[TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
KATE: ...safer than you
and your canoe.
I beg your pardon.
[WILBUR GRUNTS]
-You all right?
-Yeah, I'm fine.
You just make sure
I don't hit anybody.
I'm awfully sorry.
[WIND CONTINUES WHOOSHING]
I remember sitting up
with Langley
the night
before his last flight.
It was a windy.
Long cold night.
We had no choice
but to risk the winds
over the water, Glenn.
You do!
If a man's not first,
he's nothing.
I've worked to be a winner
all my life.
Think I'm stopping here?
Not if you live long enough.
The winds will be calmest
just before dawn.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
WILBUR:
It's not quite the sea plane
Curtiss is building
for the navy.
[LAUGHING] $50 buys a lot
at Abercrombie.
You know, Kate?
I'd like to build us a house.
A house?
Father will have
his own library.
You'll have your own
music room all to yourself.
And Orv and I
will have our own workrooms.
That sounds wonderful.
And it won't be
just any house.
It must be on a hill
with the grandest view
in all Ohio.
And I'll design it
and we'll all live there
together.
Well, there he is,
right on time.
I always figured him
to be crazy.
He wouldn't take it
if he weren't worried
about failing.
WILBUR: Windy morning.
GLENN: We'll talk about that
when I get back.
Assuming you do get back.
I see you're planning
a canoe ride.
Maybe.
But you don't have to worry
because your plane
isn't fast enough
or strong enough
-to get off the ground
in these winds.
-You think so?
You're a summertime flier,
Mr. Curtiss,
when the weather's hot
and the winds are calm.
You don't know me
or my airplane.
I know you have the courage
of a thief.
Now show me what you know
about the winds.
[ENGINE STARTING]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
[ENGINE WHIRRING]
♪
ORVILLE: Three years after
that historic flight
over New York City
and around
the Statue of Liberty,
Will became ill
with typhoid fever
during the bitter patent fight
with Glenn Curtiss.
He never lived to see
the house he wanted to build.
He died on May 30th, 1912,
just two years
before the courts confirmed
our patent.
Will saw the future
as sure as if he had lived it.
The flyer was a result
of known technology
of the day,
our own skills,
and the one thing
that sets man apart,
the ability to create
what did not exist before.
The invention was his life.
[INDISTINCT TALKING]
ORVILLE:
♪ If you refuse me
Then you will lose me
♪ Then you'll be all alone
♪ Oh, baby, call up
-♪ And Tell Me I'm Your Own
-AGNES: I'm Your Own
BOTH:
♪ Hello, hello, hello, there
♪ Hello, my baby
Hello, my honey
♪ Hello, my ragtime gal
♪ Send me a kiss by wire...
Where's Wilbur?
He's still back at the shop.
He's always
at the bicycle shop.
I... I'll go find him.
Hmm. Thank you, Katherine.
-You know Casey?
-Yeah.
Okay.
♪ Casey would walk with
♪ A strawberry blonde
♪ And the band played on
♪ He'd walk 'cross the...
[ALL CHEERING AND WHISTLING]
ORVILLE: "For some years,
my brother Will
"has been afflicted
with the belief that
"flight is possible to man.
"His obsession has
increased in severity
"and I feel that
it may cost him his life.
"In 1895,
"we read of the experiments
of Otto Lilienthal
"who was making glider flights
in Germany.
"In 1896, he was killed
in a gliding accident
"while risking his life
to learn by doing."
KATE: Wilbur?
Wilbur?
Wilbur Wright.
What are you doing here?
Why?
Well, I suppose
you've forgotten
all about the picnic.
Oh, yes, I did.
And about Elizabeth Mayfield.
You promised
you'd spend the day with her.
Wilbur, you are being rude.
Did Elizabeth say that?
Never mind who said it.
Come on.
♪
[CHEERING]
I'm sorry to keep you waiting.
Oh, that's all right, Will.
Everybody knows
how busy you are.
I appreciate your patience.
Will, I've been thinking.
If there were some way
that I could help you
in your work...
Until you succeed.
The only thing that worries me
is that you'll get hurt.
Don't worry about that.
Do you really think
you can do it?
Fly?
See that skyrocket?
Someday
we'll be riding on them.
♪
HARLAN: I just don't know.
Well, it looks impressive.
Where the hell is Kitty Hawk?
The coast of North Carolina,
Mr. Mumford.
How far is that?
About 500 miles.
Good Lord,
that's 1,000 miles round trip.
Why go that far?
When I wrote
to the weather bureau
and told them my requirements,
they recommended Kitty Hawk.
Requirements?
Yeah.
Wind.
Reasonably steady
and consistent.
And miles and miles
of sand dunes.
Sand?
What do you need sand for?
Well, it's not the sand,
it's the open spaces,
the lack of trees.
Well, if it isn't the sand...
Well, there's plenty
of open pasture land
around here.
I don't see why you have to
go all the way to Kitty Hawk.
Mr. Mumford,
I'm going to Kitty Hawk.
That's all there is to it.
No, that is not
all there is to it.
You know
bank regulations prohibit
the early withdrawal of funds
without good cause.
Will you release the funds
or won't you?
Well, what does Orville
say about this?
Does he also want
to withdraw this money?
Yes, sir.
What's bothering you,
Mr. Mumford?
[SIGHING] Will,
a man could get killed
flying around
on a thing like this.
But if I get this into the air
with me on it,
I'll be making history.
That's worth a few risks,
isn't it?
[LAUGHING]
All right, Will,
I'll make the withdrawal.
-How much did you say?
-$600.
$500. Took a long time
to save that money, Will.
[HARLAN CHUCKLING]
Well, I think
Wilbur should do as he likes.
He's earned this opportunity.
Earned, you say?
That's exactly my point.
He's using
the savings and loan money.
All over the world,
men are building gliders
trying to fly.
And getting killed.
But they are doing it now.
What about now? And here?
You boys are just beginning
to make the bicycle shop
pay a dividend.
Father,
I am now 33 years of age.
In those years,
I have managed to do
one thing of significance
and that is graduate
from high school.
Now, I am not an engineer
like Chanute up in Chicago,
nor do I have
government backing
like Langley in Washington,
but I am convinced
that with Orville's help,
I can be
the first into the air.
Or Orville can.
The fact is
I don't give a hoot about
the bicycle business.
It's a living.
But flying,
conquering the air...
I think that's a reason
for living.
Well, it just doesn't
seem right to me in the...
In the natural scheme
of things.
Will?
Do it.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
ORVILLE: Will went on
to Kitty Hawk first.
Rather than
take the glider with him,
he decided to build one there.
Its wingspan will be
determined by the length
of the lumber he can obtain.
Our sister, Kate,
has reminded him
not to take
any dangerous chances.
WILLIAM: Well,
we're fishing folk, mainly,
even though there ain't
too much money in it.
Still,
we're comfortable enough.
We don't need too much
in the way of luxuries.
I tell you what.
When you want
something special,
you just come to me
or my brother.
We'll see
what we can fix up for you.
Halt. Halt. Halt.
This is my wife and children.
This is, uh,
Mr. Wilbur Wright of Ohio.
Pa, is he staying with us?
WILLIAM: I think he is, Tom.
WILBUR: Two pounds of bacon...
Two dozen eggs
and a dozen tomatoes.
I especially like tomatoes.
TOM: The store don't
carry that much
for the whole island.
WILBUR: Well,
see what you can manage.
Pa says
you've come to fly kites.
Oh? Well, one big kite.
How big?
Big enough to carry me
up to the sky.
Like a bird?
Those are the wings.
You're really gonna make
something out of all that?
I'm gonna fly in it.
-Fly in it?
-Or on it.
Can I watch?
You can help, Tom.
You and your father.
I'm gonna need
all the help I can get.
Oh, boy! I gotta tell Pa.
Well,
what do you think of her?
She's the most
beautiful creature
I've ever seen, Will.
I thought you'd be pleased.
I'd like you to meet
a friend of mine.
Tom Tate.
Tom, this is my brother
Orville Wright.
Glad to meet you, Tom.
And that, I presume,
is your moderately priced
resort hotel.
It'll grow on you.
[LAUGHING]
[SIGHING] Well,
what are we waiting for?
We have some work to do
if we're going to
get her into the air.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
WILBUR:
She'll fly a lot better
with one of us aboard!
Good Lord, Will, I don't know.
Isn't she a beauty?
Are you serious, Will?
Oh, I think she'll do, Orv.
Absolutely!
She'll kill both of us.
Oh, no,
she's got a lot of lift, Orv.
Do you see the way
she pulled herself back up?
I ain't normally one to butt
into other people's business,
but you boys got me worried.
WILLIAM: If you got a mind
to jump on that thing,
all I can say is
there's cheaper ways
to kill yourself.
Thank you for your concern,
Mr. Tate. We know the risks.
Ain't no risk to it.
It's a sure and certain thing.
We're not rushing into
anything, Mr. Tate.
We've been studying the winds.
WILLIAM: Orville,
you can study them winds
from now
until hell ices over
and you won't learn
nothing useful.
You may well be right,
Mr. Tate,
but we still have to try it.
Eagles, hawks and buzzards,
the only wings around
can stand up to them winds.
From those same winds,
we'll learn velocity
and mean direction.
WILLIAM: Yeah,
"mean" is right.
They'll blow you
and your glider
clean into Georgia,
they'll be picking you up
in small baskets.
Pa, we promised to help.
I gave my word, boy,
and I'll stand by her.
But I don't hold with
people killing themselves,
and I want them to know it.
I think it's secure now.
[WIND WHOOSHING LOUDLY]
WILBUR: Thanks, Tom.
Right here.
That'll be just fine.
She looks awful pretty, Orv.
You set?
Easy, Will.
All right?
-WILBUR: Ready, Orv?
-Mmm-hmm.
TOM: Fly it, Mr. Wilbur!
Fly it!
There you go, Will!
Easy! Easy!
Will! Will!
Will!
Will! Will!
Will! You all right, Will?
You hurt?
I thought
you were gonna get killed.
WILBUR: So did I, Tom.
So did I.
ORVILLE: Will!
Will!
WILBUR:
Look at that buzzard, Orv.
You see his wings?
They're almost
at the same angle as
the wings on our glider, Orv.
Look!
Look how hard it is
for the buzzard
to maintain equilibrium.
Professor Langley's
about to fly
his motorized glider.
Hawks and eagles
don't have that trouble, Orv,
because they have
the agility to respond
to changes in the wind.
Didn't you hear what I said?
It's control!
It's control, Orv.
Just because
Langley has the motor
doesn't put him ahead of us.
Fine. Fine.
Then we won't worry about him.
Langley's about to fly?
♪
Model's all proved
my theories, Dr. Bell.
Now nothing can stop us
from flying.
BELL: How long will it take
you to have
a full-sized aerodrome
built and operating?
Would you say five years?
We will fly in three years,
Dr. Bell!
Three years?
It's all very exciting.
Your invention will be for you
what the telephone was for me.
True, but in your case
you were lucky.
You managed to beat
your nearest competitor
to the patent office
by a matter of hours.
Now, I have no competition
since Tom Edison gave up
the chase.
[MEN LAUGHING]
[WIND WHOOSHING]
It's a full gale!
WILBUR: Did we tie it down
securely enough?
-The tent?
-The glider!
ORVILLE: It would take
at least a week to fix it...
if we had the material.
TOM: Mr. Orville! Mr. Wilbur!
Mail for ya!
Thank you, Tom.
Ah! Darn wind.
"The lord giveth
and the lord taketh away."
Nice if he'd make up his mind.
Note from Kate.
Ha!
WILBUR: That fabric
is French sateen, Tom.
Do you think
your mother would like
to have what's left?
Might make a dress.
It's yours.
TOM: Are you gonna try again?
I don't know, Tom.
She says Professor Langley's
being given
more government funds.
Fine!
I'm sick of hearing
about Langley.
He's the competition.
No, Orv,
he isn't the competition,
he's merely the gadfly.
ORVILLE: Will decided,
and I agreed,
it's best to keep
our experiments and work
secret.
We need time alone
to either succeed or fail.
We need the opportunity
to test the full possibilities
of our ideas.
Oh!
ORVILLE: You're not holding
that spar straight.
WILBUR: It's hard when
you're in this position, Orv.
Do you expect me
to hold this forever?
ORVILLE:
Let me do this my way.
WILBUR: Then start hammering.
[LIGHT HAMMERING]
Good Lord.
WILBUR: What?
ORVILLE: I didn't
say anything.
WILBUR: Well, somebody said
"good lord."
BISHOP: I said good Lord.
Father!
I thought you were in Indiana.
I got home this morning.
We adjourned the senate.
Oh! My, my, my.
What in the world is this?
Our new glider.
This looks more like
Mrs. Barton's laundry.
It'll be bigger
than last year's.
-Well, will this model
have a cabin?
-No.
You're going to lie out there
on the wing again
holding on by
the skin of your teeth?
That's right.
Couldn't there be
some kind of safety device?
-Something that would...
-It would restrict
your movements.
Well, that's exactly my point.
It will restrict you
from falling 60 feet
from the air onto your heads.
There's not much danger
of falling out, Father.
I'll be the judge of that,
Wilbur.
[GROANS]
Well, Katherine
sent me over here
to find out when
you'll be leaving
for Kitty Hawk.
In about a week.
ACE: What the heck you
got in there, Wilbur,
the mad river bridge?
Well, Mr. Hutchin,
we'd rather not say
what it is.
Oh! Just a minute, Orville,
you gotta declare
what's in it.
I mean, you can't ship on
the B&O unless you say
what's in that box.
Ace, you put me
in a terrible position.
Well, I don't care, Orville.
-Orv?
-Well, all right, Ace.
If you say.
Well, I do.
It's my wont and duty.
All right, Ace.
You see, Ace,
our great-aunt Hepsiba
got run over
by a traction engine...
Squashed her flat.
The only thing we could do
is pack her up
for shipment back east.
Oh, no.
No, you ain't gonna ship
no dead body on this line.
-Ace, it's the glider.
-It's the what?
It's the glider I've been
building over in my shop.
Oh! You, Orville!
Always making jokes.
How much it gonna cost, Ace?
-Um, $206.81.
-One way?
That's right, and that's
only if I can figure out
where to put it.
I mean, we ain't got no room
left in the baggage car.
You mean this glider
might not go on the train?
That's what I mean for a fact.
Ace, that glider's going
or that train isn't going.
I don't care how...
If the engineer has to
carry it on his back,
that glider's going.
All right, Will,
if you say so.
Would you mind telling me,
what are you gonna do
with the glider?
I'm gonna fly in it.
Does he mean...in the air?
'Fraid so, Ace.
You see, Will's never been
quite right in the head.
Oh, I understand.
You have to humor him.
Don't you worry.
I'll get the box on the train.
Appreciate it, Ace.
[CHUCKLING]
Thanks, Orv.
Appreciated it.
WILBUR:
We built our new glider
according to Lilienthal's
known calculations.
By shifting our weight
in the hip cradle
like a bicycle rider,
we can engage the wires
and pulleys
which warp the wings
and, we hope,
balance the glider in flight.
-That's it!
- We believe we can overcome
the danger of crashing
by adding a moveable
front elevator,
and at the same time
control our lift,
glide and landings
in the crosswinds
at Kill Devil Hill.
WILBUR: Orv, remember,
this is your first time!
Nothing fancy, you hear?
I hear.
Okay, take it easy, Orv.
Here we go.
Up she goes.
Orv? Orv!
WILBUR: Keep the wings level!
Straighten 'em out!
Turn it back.
Warp the wings, Orv!
Straighten 'em out!
Turn it back!
Get the nose up!
[GROANING]
You all right, Orv?
I told you
not to take any risks.
Risks?
Lord, Will, I didn't
even take a deep breath.
It was like shaking hands
with the wind.
The wind started to turn me,
Will.
There was nothing
I could do about it.
When I came down,
I realized I don't even know
how to land.
[WILLIAM SIGHS]
WILBUR: That's right, Orv!
Keep the wind level!
Keep the nose up!
Great job. That's it.
Raise it up.
ORVILLE: It's too strong!
It'll give us
the necessary speed.
It'll break your neck!
Orv,
I never figured
to live forever.
Come on!
ORVILLE: Easy, Will!
You're pulling the nose up
too far, Will!
Will, bring the nose down!
Bring it down!
Bring the nose down!
Bring it down!
You're gonna stall!
Will!
My Lord! Will!
Will?
Will? Oh! Will.
Oh! [GROANING]
Exactly how Lilienthal died.
We need more lifting power.
Oh! Yeah.
Yeah, lifting power.
What you need is
your head examined.
WILBUR: How's the glider?
ORVILLE: I figure
it'll take about
three days to unbend.
WILBUR: Well,
we need a new one,
a new design.
We have to run our own tests.
We can't trust
Lilienthal's tables.
You're gonna try to fly it
again after that crash?
Next year.
Maybe I'll let Orv do it.
Are we packing it in?
Uh, you go on back home
and set up shop.
I'll stay back here awhile
and... And pack up.
Be back next year for sure?
Well, I might not be.
I'm too young to die.
WILBUR: It's about time
somebody told the world
Lilienthal was wrong.
If I get anything
out of this backache,
that's it.
ORVILLE: Will, we need proof.
♪
MAN: This isn't McKinley
you're dealing with,
Professor.
Roosevelt wants results
and he wants them soon.
He's not interested in models.
The weights will drop here,
releasing the wire
attached to the machine,
thus catapulting
the aerodrome clear
of the deck
and skyward across
the Potomac.
The October winds
should be light...
It's not the wind or the motor
that worries us,
it's the Wright brothers...
Never mind
the Wright brothers.
They're a pair
of bicycle salesmen.
I personally saw
Professor Langley's
invention fly.
No less an authority
than Octave Chanute
gave a speech on
the Wright Brothers' work
at the Chicago meeting.
Never mind Chanute!
But Chanute made
quite a case for the Wrights.
I was very impressed.
You should read
the Chanute speech.
Chanute is getting old,
gentlemen.
Please, Professor Langley's
proven experiences
and downright genius
make comparison
with these Ohio brothers
ridiculous.
To continue,
my pilot will strap a compass
to his leg to find the boat.
Dr. Bell, we have studied
and restudied
what Chanute had to say.
Now, apparently you don't
think that's very important.
Should the flight be
of such duration and distance
that he might be lost...
Professor, the army
would feel a great deal
more comfortable
if the test could be
arranged privately,
to be certain.
Certainty is my business,
gentlemen.
A public flight in four weeks
seems an unnecessary risk
of Congress's money
and our reputation.
There is no need to remind you
of his reputation, of course.
Congress will not put
one more cent into
these flying experiments.
Which is precisely
why the age of flight
will proceed as
I have scheduled it.
And you can tell that
to the Wright Brothers.
[MACHINERY WHIRRING]
Built it myself.
Even the motor.
You did this by yourself?
Without me?
You said we have to
run our own tests.
If we can't trust
Lilienthal's tables,
then we have to be
able to trust our own.
It's positively brilliant,
Orv.
Just brilliant.
ORVILLE: October 6th.
We will test the effects
of wind velocity
on camber and wing curvature
using 150 sheet metal wings
cut to scale.
Two years ago,
Will and I agreed
our experiments
should not infringe on
the time and money needed
for our bicycle business.
I know now Will's obsession
for our tests
will never allow him
to keep his own agreement.
October 13th.
Langley's values
on wind velocity
are based on still air.
Any increase
in the average pressure
due to fluctuations
of the natural wind
would cause his anemometer
to over record.
Discussions of logic
often now end
in bad-tempered
arguments between us.
Yet a good scrap takes
the edge off our tension.
We discover arguing to be
the one pleasure we have.
November 10th.
48 differing surfaces
have been measured,
each tested at
14 varying angles.
We have lost
all notion of time.
Will pays little attention
to eating
and he's becoming increasingly
fatigued and irritated
with me and his work.
December 11th.
With an eight degree descent,
Lilienthal's lift is double
anything we find reasonable.
Clearly, Lilienthal
was in greater error than
we thought.
There are the specifications
for flight.
Now all we have to do
is design and build it.
July and August...
That'll give Kate enough time
to teach us how to sew.
Sew?
300 square feet of fabric,
every inch of it
double stitched.
ORVILLE: We are certain
our wind tunnel experiments
have solved
the problem of lift.
We've decided to
add a tail to the new glider
to help stabilize the craft.
Kate has sensed
the tension and furor
of excitement
that has begun to occupy
all our waking hours.
ORVILLE: Gently...
Steer down gently.
Shift your weight!
A little more warp!
Try turning it, Will!
That's it!
Ease her in!
Will!
18.5 and 48 feet further!
Fine, but it's all
straight ahead.
If you can't turn,
you're not much better
than a cannonball.
Next time, we try turning.
Sure...
As long as it's my turn.
WILBUR: Turn it, Orv!
Turn it!
More!
Turn it, Orv, turn it!
Orv?
Couldn't you turn it anymore?
[GROANS]
You all right, Orv?
Just call me cannonball.
ORVILLE: Three years
and we feel we're right back
where we started.
The wires from the hip cradle
control the wing warping
perfectly.
We have a stabilizing tail.
The front elevator
is maintaining our
angle of incidence.
We don't stall anymore.
But the wind
is still controlling us.
The wind turns us
when it wants to.
Even if I had an idea,
Will is certain to say
he has a better one.
I thought it all out
before I went to sleep.
So did I.
You're thinking of
replacing the fixed tail
with a moveable tail.
Right?
Running a set of wires
from either side
of the new tail to the wings?
That's right.
The rear rudder
will be linked with
the wing warping control,
which will counteract
warp drag
and give us a single unit
of lateral control.
Couldn't have said it better
myself.
This is the key, Orv.
One control
over all three axes.
ORVILLE: Take it slowly, Will.
Take your time!
Easy.
Turn it, Will. Turn it!
Turn it, Will! Turn it!
-[ALL CHEERING]
-You did it, boy!
We were right!
We were right, Will.
We did it!
-He did it, I tell you!
He did it!
-We did it, Will!
Ahhh! We did it!
♪
WILBUR:
Thus the movement with wires
between wings and tail rudder
provide the flying machine
with balanced equilibrium
while in flight,
which is the basis for
the invention of improvements
in flying machines.
We're ready to file
for our patent immediately.
Mr. Toumlin,
how long will it take?
The patent.
Mmm...
A year.
Maybe more.
That's the least
of your worries.
[CLEARS THROAT] Worries?
Mr. Wright,
In patent law, unfortunately,
there is a fine line
between an invention
and a discovery.
You haven't designed
a new mousetrap here
or a can opener.
You've come up with an idea,
a concept...
A historical one to be sure,
one that asks
for a pioneer patent.
But ideas are very difficult
to patent.
And they're even more
difficult to protect.
That's what
we're hiring you for.
I shall do my best.
Who knows?
The world may even
treat you fairly,
hail your genius,
pay you the license fees
you want.
More than likely,
the world is going to try
and steal you blind.
Is there any place else
in the world they're doing
experimental work
with gliders?
In France and Germany.
Well, we'll file abroad, too,
Germany and France.
Of course,
none of this means much
unless you manage to fly
before Langley does.
We're working on
a four-cylinder motor.
And designs for a propeller.
Good.
Good.
Filing fee for patents is $15.
ORVILLE: I have asked
automobile manufacturers
to build us
a 12 to 16 horsepower engine.
They lacked the knowledge
and the interest, or both.
So we will design
our own engine.
Once more, we must rely
on our own instincts.
I believe we are now
in a race against ourselves
as well as Langley,
for our bicycle business
now suffers greatly
from our neglect.
While the government
supports Langley,
there is no-one to help
Will and I except Will and I.
The strain of this
is affecting Will
more than he'll admit.
I find our arguments
are no longer a pleasure.
Will seems pursued
by a blind fate
from which he is
unable to escape.
Will, I've got to have
eight more revolutions!
And I've got to have
90 pounds of thrust!
-I gave you 90.
-You gave me 87!
Well, whatever I give you,
you always want more!
And I always will!
Are you two arguing again?
Whatever Orville gives you,
you're always going to
want more.
And like your older brother,
you'll never settle for less.
What is happening
between you two?
I will not allow this machine
to tear apart the bonds
of this family.
No propeller, motor,
wings, struts, spars...
No, not even flying can become
so God Almighty important
that it reduces you
to the level of quarreling
and dissent.
Is that clear?
Yes, Father.
-Is it?
-Yes, Father.
Let that be an end to it.
I gave you 90.
ORVILLE: Our flying machine
is to be a biplane
with skids like sled runners
for the undercarriage
and flattened wings with
a wingspan of 40'4".
It will employ entirely new
principles of control.
We have named it after
one of our bicycles.
The Wright Flyer.
Easy, Will.
Go!
How was it?
10 seconds.
It's got to be faster.
Let's try it again.
If we're gonna do
much more of this, Will,
we could use some help.
WILLIAM: I can get you
the coast guard boys
from the lifesaving station.
WILBUR: Fine!
But they mustn't tell anyone
what we're up to!
[MOTOR GRINDING]
[RUMBLING]
The propeller shafts...
They're not holding!
Blast it, Orv!
The alignment of those shafts
was your responsibility.
How come everything
that breaks suddenly becomes
my responsibility?
I guess
you'd have to chalk it up
to cause and effect.
Why don't you try turning
the new shafts yourself?
That way you'll know
they'll be perfect.
Like you are!
WILBUR: Come back here, Orv!
[RUMBLING]
-Kate!
-[HORSE WHINNIES]
[EXCLAIMING]
Oh, my, Orville.
What was all that
shouting about in there?
There wasn't any shouting.
What are you doing here?
Well, I have come to tell you
that you are both in trouble
with your lady friends.
Lady friends?
Agnes Osborne is about
to get engaged
to Blaine Massey.
And Elizabeth Mayfield
is seriously thinking
of joining an order
of Episcopal nuns.
You came 400 miles
to tell us that?
Well, yes, that
and about Professor Langley.
-What about him?
-He failed.
Rode his fool airplane
right into the Potomac.
Whoo-hoo!
Will! Will!
Will!
Kate's here!
She says Langley failed!
Kate, tell him!
What about Langley?
Oh! Well,
he launched his
aerodrome off the top
of a great houseboat.
Well, it went rumbling
down to the end
and plunged
right into the river.
Poor Langley.
Well, I guess
that does it for him.
No, he says he's going to
try it again in three weeks.
Three weeks?
It'll take at least that long
to make new shafts.
I can have those new shafts
turned in two weeks.
Then we've got
an honest shot at it.
Well, you two have been
pushing yourselves
much too hard.
Now help me.
We are going to rearrange
this moderately priced
resort hotel
and have dinner,
an outrageously priced
standing roast of beef.
There's no roast beef
in all the outer bank islands.
Wilbur, I brought it
from the mainland.
Well, you two are certainly
a proper pair of hermits
down here, aren't you?
We don't mind it.
Of course,
we miss you and the family.
But you get used
to Kitty Hawk.
Best clams in the world.
Well,
I have been thinking...
Oh! There's going to be
a big fair in St. Louis
next summer,
and I was sort of hoping
that we could all go together.
Oh!
We'd have a wonderful time.
And...
you could take your flyer
and show the whole world
what you've accomplished.
I don't think so, Kate.
We've still got
a long way to go,
a lot of work.
Kitty Hawk's
the best place for that.
[SIGHING]
Well, you can't just
bury yourselves down here
every summer
for the rest of your lives.
We haven't got a patent yet.
Secrecy
is our only protection.
I'm not talking
about your airplane.
I'm talking about
your personal lives.
About Agnes Osborne
and about Elizabeth Mayfield.
Wilbur, do you know
what Elizabeth Mayfield
is thinking of doing?
Elizabeth Mayfield
is thinking of becoming
an Episcopal nun!
Well, surely
you remember her.
Oh, yes,
Elizabeth Mayfield...
I think
she'd make an excellent nun.
Oh... [GRUMBLING]
Degenerate, impervious oafs.
What did I say?
I don't know.
I think Elizabeth would
make an excellent nun.
What good do you think
it's gonna be to run us
into the wind?
TOM: Mr. Wilbur? Mr. Wilbur?
What the heck is that?
WILBUR: A flying machine.
Is that fella gonna fly it?
WILBUR: That's what
he keeps telling me.
Well, he must be as crazy
as that nitwit in Washington.
Which one?
That fella name of Langley.
Two days back,
he flied a machine
right into the Potomac river.
[LAUGHING]
Second time he done it.
Yeah! Ha!
Orv!
Langley, Orv,
he did it again,
smack into the Potomac.
He should be building boats.
Gentlemen,
any news
of what happens here today
should only come
from my brother or me.
Is that understood?
Yes, sir!
You ready, Orv?
Sure you wouldn't want to flip
again?
No, it's your turn today,
fair and square.
Two...
Mr. Daniels?
Now here's the ball.
You stand behind here.
And when Orville gets
to the end of the track,
you squeeze it.
TOM: It don't look like
he pointed right, Will.
Looks like it's set too high.
No, it isn't, Tom. By the time
Orville gets there,
it'll be two feet
off the ground.
Ready?
Is he really going to
fly this time, Will?
Yes, Tom.
All right, let's go.
WILBUR: Easy!
Hey!
[ALL CLAMORING]
REPORTER 1: Miss Wright,
are your brothers trying
to keep this machine of theirs
a secret?
Have they figured out how much
to charge the government
now that Langley has failed?
[MURMURING CONTINUES]
REPORTER 2:
All we want is confirmation.
Only the Bishop
can confirm you.
REPORTER 3: He means
confirmation of the flight.
What proof do you have
that they flew?
Well, of course they flew!
Miss Wright,
if you don't mind,
we'd like to speak to them.
You haven't been listening
to what I've been saying.
You can't talk to them,
they have guests.
Oh! Uh, you may
step out of the rain.
Thank you!
The reporters will want
to see you fly your machine.
They'll demand
to take pictures of it.
Demand? They do any
demanding around this house,
I'll take a bed slat to them.
Thank you, Bishop.
With all due respect,
may I continue?
And then the photographs
will be studied
by everybody.
Everybody from
the war department
to every kid
who ever built a kite.
They'll all draw
their imitations.
Thousands of them
will send their plans
to the patent office.
I don't see how that
affects us, as long as
we get there first.
You never know
who has friends in Washington.
Things get confused,
papers get shuffled.
ORVILLE: It seems that
that's exactly
what we're paying you for,
to see that the papers
don't get shuffled
and our rights are protected.
Yes, well, I'll do my best
but you two have got to help.
No photographs, no interviews,
sequester yourself,
give up flying
until after the...
That's out of the question!
Just when we're on the...
All right, all right.
But at least stay away
from Kitty Hawk.
But Kitty Hawk
is the best place
in the country...
Then find
the second-best place!
Look, Orville, Wilbur,
I'm not much
but I'm the best in
the country at what I do
and that's filing patents
and making them stick.
Please do as I say.
You insist on flying?
All right.
But either find yourself
a new sand dune
or find yourself a new lawyer.
ORVILLE: You can't beat it
for convenience, Will.
Only a trolley ride
from the shop.
Mr. Huffman says we can have
it all for next to nothing.
WILBUR: I'm not concerned
about the price.
ORVILLE: What are you
concerned about?
The wind. I don't think
there's enough wind, Orv.
-ORVILLE: There will be.
-And the trees are perfect
for crashing into.
ORVILLE:
They do give us privacy.
WILBUR: They baffle the wind
and we don't know
how to fly without wind, Orv.
ORVILLE: Well, I guess
we'll just have to learn how.
We could put the shed
over there.
ORVILLE:
While awaiting our patent,
we intend to remain
at Mr. Huffman's pasture
in secrecy,
learning to build better
engines and propellers,
to fly circles, figure-8s,
to fly higher
and still higher.
Will has only one wish
for our flying machine,
once our patent
has been granted,
we will sell it to
the United States Government
so that our country
will be the first in the world
to own such
a valuable invention.
We will have done
for the United States
what Langley could not do.
WILBUR: I think
it's time we both said
how we feel, Elizabeth.
The only thing
close to me these days
is our machine.
Flying is going to be
one of the next great
human adventures, Elizabeth.
And I believe Orville and I
will have a great deal
to do with it.
I know how you feel about me.
The truth is,
I've been thinking
of going away for some time.
I lack the necessary courage
for the religious life.
But there are many openings
for secretarial positions,
even book keepers,
in Cleveland.
Well, I know
what it is to go away
and try something new.
I did once offer to help you.
I still could.
I appreciate it.
My life is my invention.
I best be getting back.
Happy New Year, Will.
Happy New Year, Elizabeth.
Gid up!
That's all the thrust
we can...
That's all the thrust I can
give you, 185 pounds.
You were right, Orv.
I want more than you can give.
16 horsepower tops.
That's not enough.
Langley had 50 horses.
Look where it got him.
Curtiss, Glenn Curtiss,
out of Hammondsport, New York.
Perhaps you've heard of me.
Your man at the shop told me
I'd find you out here.
I told him we're all
in the same business.
-We are?
-We should be.
I'm the best motor man
in the world.
May I?
I read about you
in December.
I waited to read
that you'd flown again.
Never did.
What's your reputation
got to do with us?
From what I can see here,
everything.
I'm on my way
to the big fair in St. Louis.
I tried to call you
from Columbus.
Uh, seems like you fellows
don't have your name
in the Dayton Bell
directory anymore.
Obviously you didn't
need the telephone.
[CHUCKLES]
You probably don't know,
I am world speed champ
in motorcycles.
Now I build my own engines.
Last year in Florida,
I turned 10 miles
in eight minutes,
54 and 2/10 seconds.
That is a world record.
-Congratulations.
-Well, thank you.
Now I can't build one of these
and you can't design motors,
not like you need.
You give me one month,
I'll design you
a vertical eight
that'll supply
all the horsepower you'd want.
Now what do you say?
I say there's a faster way
to St. Louis
from New York than coming
by way of Dayton.
Gentlemen.
WILBUR: The competition
is closing in.
-I'll fly next week.
-The wind?
What do you know
about building catapults?
Catapults?
After all, it was the only
good idea Langley had.
ORVILLE:
After three years of waiting,
our patent has
at last been granted.
We believe it best to
say nothing to anyone
and allow no-one
outside our family
to see the machine
on the ground or in the air.
Until the flyer can be sold
to our government,
we must guard against those
who may seek to duplicate
the simplicity
of our invention.
GLENN: Everyone knows
you and Langley
have been friends for years.
Langley lies dying,
being laughed to death
by the world.
It's up to me
to see his work through.
I didn't come here
to be turned down.
I build motors
for flying machines,
not kites.
Uh, Mr. Curtiss,
do you know how much money
a government contract
to build airplanes
could be worth?
I'm flattered
you've come to me,
especially considering
who you are, Dr. Bell,
but the answer is still no.
Well, then why did you
tell everyone in St. Louis
that you were going to fly?
I am, but not on
one of those contraptions.
I am going to build myself
a Wright Brothers machine.
Wright Brothers?
What do you know about them
or their machine?
I've seen it.
You've actually seen it,
close up?
They invited me over
to their house,
we had quite a pleasant
dinner together.
Could you really build one
just like it?
I work for money, Dr. Bell.
Exactly so.
Mr. Duke!
Bring the contract.
Come, come, come, come.
[MOTOR WHIRRING]
ORVILLE: I hope
it's enough weight this time.
WILBUR: Orv,
all we're trying to do
is get off the ground
a little faster.
Besides, I calculated it.
I've never been wrong yet.
Whose turn to fly is it?
ORVILLE: Yours, Will.
It's all yours.
♪
WILBUR: Higher. Higher.
It can do 125 miles an hour.
I am still the fastest
man on earth.
And I'm shooting for 130.
The airplane, Mr. Curtiss,
where is it?
I want it fast, Mr. Bell,
powerful.
In order to fly,
I need the correct engine.
You were supposed to
build it for me by now.
Well, I had to
go and close out
the St. Louis fair
and get paid for my work.
I see.
Well, if you need more money,
discuss it with Mr. Newell.
I'm moving into
your house, Mr. Curtiss.
We're gonna work
side by side
to build that airplane.
I want a machine
better than the Wrights'.
Well, that should be easy.
You should still
study their plans.
Nobody ever got anywhere
in this country
without improving on
somebody else's idea.
It's what makes
Henry Ford first.
[CHUCKLING]
I'll be moving in on Monday.
Your contract provided
that you will build
an airplane that flies
within six months.
WILBUR: There can only be one
reason Curtiss has been hired.
To steal our idea.
The only thing worse would
be if Henry Ford set out
to build flying machines.
He's done enough
to the bicycle trade.
You've never cared
about the race.
This time, we're in a race
against our own invention.
Well, then it's time we move.
Without lawyers, on our own.
WILBUR: "To the Honorable
William Howard Taft,
"Secretary of War,
Washington, D.C.
"Dear sir,
"the series
of aeronautical experiments
"which my brother and I
have been engaged in
for the past five years
"has ended in the production
of a flying machine
"fitted for practical use
by our government."
TAFT: "Our flights prove
flying has at last
and conclusively
"been brought to a point
of great practical use,
"one of which
is that of scouting
"and carrying messages
in time of war.
"Early interest on your part
"will greatly assist us
in making future plans.
"Sincerely,
"the Wright Brothers."
Just remember, gentlemen,
Langley is your boast...
not mine.
Oh! I wish he'd go
a bit higher above the trees.
Now do you have time
to open your mail?
ORVILLE: Okay.
[CHUCKLING]
[INDISTINCT]
What does it say, Orville?
It's from the Secretary of War
William Howard Taft.
"Regarding your
application for funding,
"The board of ordinance
and fortification
of the United States army...
"declines to make
any financial allotments
"for the experimental
development of devices
"for mechanical flight
"and has further determined
"that your machine
has not yet been
brought to the stage
"of practical operation."
BISHOP: I've never seen
Wilbur so happy.
It's too bad
he can't just stay up there.
[ALL CHEERING]
[ENGINE SPUTTERING]
[SPUTTERING INCREASES]
Glenn!
You can be very proud, Glenn.
We've accomplished
in a little a year
what it took
the Wright Brothers
four years to do!
Not hardly.
Glenn, you're the first
American to fly a mile
in public.
Scientific American
gave you the trophy!
Well, you can give it
to the Wright Brothers
when you see 'em next.
They deserve it.
What did I do?
I'll tell you what, I flew.
Did you see me turn?
I nearly lost the airplane
and my life.
What difference does it make
if you fly a mile
or 100 miles?
If you can't turn
with confidence,
you can't even compete
with barn swallows.
[SIGHING]
How is it that the Wrights can
turn easily and you can't?
Because I don't know
everything they know.
♪
ORVILLE: Being rejected
by our own government
and our financial resources
nearly gone,
we are now forced to do
what we did not want to do.
In the company of an agent
who has sold the submarine
to Russia,
we will offer
to sell our invention
to all of Europe.
For all our years of work,
we have achieved some
fame and no money.
Curtiss, in far less time,
is taking both prizes.
I cannot be sure
which has hurt Will more,
being unwanted
in his own country
or Glenn Curtiss's success.
ORVILLE: Higher and higher
the magnificent glider rises
above your marvelous big top
of the Ringling Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey circuses,
borne aloft into
God's blue sky by
a powerful hot air balloon,
higher and higher,
astonishing the people
watching in the racetrack
grandstands below.
And now,
two men prepare to defy death.
As the balloon releases
the glider,
the daredevil Wright Brothers
are cast adrift
500 feet above the earth!
Will they survive?
Can they bring their craft
safely to earth?
It does not seem possible,
for if God had meant
men to fly,
he would have
given them wings.
-They're falling.
They're falling...
-Orville? Orville!
-Here they come!
-Drop everything,
we've got to talk.
MAN: Wait, wait,
he's right in the middle!
-It can't wait!
-What about
the Wright Brothers?
I'm looking after
the Wright Brothers
if you don't mind.
-What happens?
-They land safely in
the middle of the racetrack.
Don't worry.
We won't talk to Buffalo Bill
until we have your answer.
Buffalo Bill?
Have you lost your mind?
No, just a bit of pride.
What is all this about?
President Roosevelt has
called William Howard Taft
and his generals
on the carpet.
He wants to know why
Wilbur Wright was forced
to go to Europe
to sell his airplanes.
Tell him
the Honorable Mr. Taft
doesn't believe we can fly.
Cable Wilbur.
The President
wants him back here.
You're to fly for the army
as soon as you can get ready.
Good heavens.
How long have we been
waiting to hear that?
What does the army
want us to do?
Fly for an hour
at 40 miles an hour,
and build a machine
that can carry two men.
-Can you do it?
-We've already done it.
♪
REPORTER 1: Five years ago
this Christmas
you wouldn't talk to me.
Are you talking to me now?
I was there
at your first public flight.
Four years is a long time
to hide, Mr. Wright.
How does it feel
to be a part of history
on two continents?
REPORTER 1: How come
you're not answering
our questions, Mr. Wright?
REPORTER 2: How come
you been hiding so long?
I'm not interested in
making history, gentlemen.
I'm not interested
even in talking.
REPORTER 3:
What are you interested
in then, Mr. Wright?
ORVILLE: Just speed,
gentlemen, just speed.
Clear the way.
She's really good, isn't she?
[ALL CHEERING]
[PLANE STALLING]
What?
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[ALL MURMURING]
Compound fracture
of the tibia...
Four fractured ribs.
Barring any internal injury,
you're a very lucky man.
Lieutenant Selfridge is dead.
That does not make me lucky.
Sergeant, Orville Wright
is a friend of mine.
I'm here to discover
what caused this crash.
I've got orders, sir,
to let nobody in here.
I am
Dr. Alexander Graham Bell,
the President himself
has authorized me to conduct
aerial investigation.
I don't care who you are.
I'm Glenn Curtiss.
You know me?
Oh! Yes, sir.
I do.
You can understand why
we have to get in here.
Sir... Sir, I...
How in the world
did he ever survive this?
Now the patent says
the vertical tail
is operated by wires
controlling the wing tips.
I'm not interested
in that patent.
I want to know
why they crashed.
Look, you can see it.
It's just like their patent.
It's a coordinated action
of wing-tips and rudder.
BELL: Forget the patent,
Glenn.
I want to find out
why he crashed.
That's a set of wires
so uncomplicated
that the best scientists
in the world couldn't see it.
You'll be using their idea
without permission.
Come on, Dr. Bell,
I'm about to get rich
and famous...
without so much
as a telephone call.
[CHUCKLING]
♪
ORVILLE:
The crash at Fort Myer
did not deter acceptance
of our flying machine.
The army gave us a contract.
Almost immediately,
the navy gave their contract
to Curtiss.
We share Europe with him, too.
Wherever Will, Kate and I go,
Curtiss has already been there
or is on his way.
Mr. Toumlin always did say
Will and I
were frank as schoolboys,
but will put it right in print
in theScientific American
for all the world
and Curtiss to read,
charging him with
using our patent
to make profits for himself.
We have no objection
to anyone using our invention
for pleasure,
but not for profit.
We have decided to file
a patent suit against Curtiss.
To Will, Glenn Curtiss
had stolen his dream...
the only dream will ever had.
♪
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration.
$15,000 plus expenses.
All you have to do
is fly 10 miles
up the Hudson river
and return.
They've never seen
an airplane fly in New York.
You couldn't ask
for a better showcase
for Wall Street and
all those big money boys.
It's all yours.
It's not enough.
Now, Glenn, I can't go
asking them for more money.
I want to fly
against Wilbur Wright.
-You don't need him.
-Ha! I do.
Oh, don't be a fool.
Why ask him to share
in your glory?
Because I want the skies
all to myself.
I want the world to know
that Glenn Curtiss is
not only a better inventor,
he is a better aviator
as well.
Wilbur Wright's tired.
He's worn out from Europe.
All he wants to do
is to build his airplanes
and retire.
I'll retire him, Mr. Newell.
You get Wilbur Wright
to New York.
ORVILLE:
I agree with you, Will.
Our patent suit
against Curtiss
is going to take years.
I would feel better about this
if you had more time to rest
and regain your strength.
No, Kate, I have to
go along with Will.
He's never flown publicly
in his own country.
It's his decision
to make and he made it.
Pride has nothing to do
with Will's health.
You are 42 years old, Wilbur,
giving away eight years
of reactions to Curtiss.
If I've made a mistake,
it was keeping our invention
from the public for too long.
We'll all be there.
It's not just Will
who's accepted Curtiss's
challenge, it's all of us.
Look, Will,
the last rose of summer.
It's not the competition,
is it?
Or the money or the glory?
It's more than that,
isn't it, Will?
Recognition, Kate.
Recognition
of our first flight.
Not all the roses,
just one.
♪
[WIND WHOOSHING]
What did
the Wright Brothers say?
The Wrights
are stubborn people.
They don't talk to no-one.
But I've sent word to them
same as I'm telling you
-as Mayor of New York.
-Wind can't last forever.
What's the wind got to do
with flying an airplane?
People are laughing
at me already
for bringing you two here.
Millions of people
are waiting for you to fly.
Either do so or forfeit
the $15,000 we're paying you.
Driver.
I've got a good show
in St. Louis booked
for next week.
You don't need this!
They're not gonna
risk this wind
any more than you are.
WILBUR:
Depending on the wind,
I should make it to
the first checkpoint
in 10 or 15 minutes.
KATE: Watch out
where you're going, Will.
WILBUR: And once
over grant's tomb,
I'll circle back
-to the Statue of Liberty.
-Oh! I am sorry.
Charlie has the weights ready?
Yes, he said he'd have it
all set by midnight.
-Good.
-I'm awfully sorry.
-We probably
don't even need them.
-Will.
-[WIND WHOOSHING]
-[TALKING INDISTINCTLY]
KATE: ...safer than you
and your canoe.
I beg your pardon.
[WILBUR GRUNTS]
-You all right?
-Yeah, I'm fine.
You just make sure
I don't hit anybody.
I'm awfully sorry.
[WIND CONTINUES WHOOSHING]
I remember sitting up
with Langley
the night
before his last flight.
It was a windy.
Long cold night.
We had no choice
but to risk the winds
over the water, Glenn.
You do!
If a man's not first,
he's nothing.
I've worked to be a winner
all my life.
Think I'm stopping here?
Not if you live long enough.
The winds will be calmest
just before dawn.
[WIND WHOOSHING]
WILBUR:
It's not quite the sea plane
Curtiss is building
for the navy.
[LAUGHING] $50 buys a lot
at Abercrombie.
You know, Kate?
I'd like to build us a house.
A house?
Father will have
his own library.
You'll have your own
music room all to yourself.
And Orv and I
will have our own workrooms.
That sounds wonderful.
And it won't be
just any house.
It must be on a hill
with the grandest view
in all Ohio.
And I'll design it
and we'll all live there
together.
Well, there he is,
right on time.
I always figured him
to be crazy.
He wouldn't take it
if he weren't worried
about failing.
WILBUR: Windy morning.
GLENN: We'll talk about that
when I get back.
Assuming you do get back.
I see you're planning
a canoe ride.
Maybe.
But you don't have to worry
because your plane
isn't fast enough
or strong enough
-to get off the ground
in these winds.
-You think so?
You're a summertime flier,
Mr. Curtiss,
when the weather's hot
and the winds are calm.
You don't know me
or my airplane.
I know you have the courage
of a thief.
Now show me what you know
about the winds.
[ENGINE STARTING]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
[ENGINE WHIRRING]
♪
ORVILLE: Three years after
that historic flight
over New York City
and around
the Statue of Liberty,
Will became ill
with typhoid fever
during the bitter patent fight
with Glenn Curtiss.
He never lived to see
the house he wanted to build.
He died on May 30th, 1912,
just two years
before the courts confirmed
our patent.
Will saw the future
as sure as if he had lived it.
The flyer was a result
of known technology
of the day,
our own skills,
and the one thing
that sets man apart,
the ability to create
what did not exist before.
The invention was his life.