Res. No. 1187 Title Resolution commemorating 100 years of machined-powered flight. Body By Council Members Sears, Nelson, Gennaro, Jackson, Koppell and Weprin Whereas, On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright (the "Wright Brothers") made the first manned, heavier than air, machine-powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and Whereas, The first machine-powered flight occurred in a 1903 Flyer 1 airplane created by the Wright Brothers out of spruce, ash and muslin, with a wingspan of 40 feet, an unmanned weight of over 600 pounds and a 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine; and Whereas, The Wright Brothers' first flight lasted approximately 12 seconds and traveled an estimated distance of 120 feet; and Whereas, The Wright Brothers would go on to fly the 1903 Flyer 1 airplane three more times on December 17, 1903, with the fourth and final flight traveling an estimated 852 feet and lasting approximately 59 seconds; and Whereas, With these four successful machine-powered flights, the Wright Brothers ushered the world into the age of aviation and transformed life in the 20th century; and Whereas, In describing their achievements, Orville Wright would later go on to state that "this flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it was nevertheless the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without a reduction in speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it began;" and Whereas, For their machine-powered airplane invention, the Wright Brothers were selected by Time Magazine as two of the 100 most important people of the 20th century; and; Whereas, The Wright Brothers original 1903 Flyer 1 airplane is currently at the Smithsonian Institute where it has been on display since 1949; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York commemorates 100 years of machined-powered flight. LS# 3571 RA 11/25/2003 H:/word/resolutions/Sears/ls#3571 |1013|