Today In History: 06 May [1908]
The Wright brothers fly for the first time since 1905
, at Kitty Hawk. Wilbur pilots the 1905 "Flyer III," modified so that the pilot and a passenger can sit erect, on a flight of just over 1,000 feet.
They were required by the Signal Corps to produce an airplane "capable of carrying two men and sufficient fuel supplies for a flight of 125 miles, with a speed of at least 40 miles an hour." They started flying on 6 May, were first witnessed flying by correspondents on 11 May, and flew their first passenger on 14 May.
PHOTO: The Wright Flyer III in its two-seat configuration at Kill Devil Hills, May 1908. Take-offs were made from the monorail launch track; the catapult and derrick were not used. This is the only surviving Wright brothers photo of the airplane in this configuration.