Last Flight at Kitty Hawk

Public Demonstration
Wilbur Wright soared over a racetrack near Le Mans, France, in August 1908 and gave the first official public demonstration of the Flyer (now dubbed the Model A). On his arrival earlier that summer, he had been met with widespread scepticism and a fair measure of hostility from both the public and the fledgling band of French aviation pioneers. But the Flyer's performance silenced all critics - while the French machines struggled to even get aloft, the Wright biplane took to the air with ease. "We're beaten," admitted one French aviator, "we don't even exist."

First Fatality
On September 17 1908, (the final day of demonstration flights for the army), a cracked propeller sent the Flyer plunging to the ground. Soldiers and spectators worked to clear the wreckage and free Wright's passenger on that day, Lt. Richard Selfridge, while onlookers hovered over the badly injured Orville.
 
Lt. Selfridge died from his injuries, earning the tragic distinction of being the first airplane crash fatality. Compressed vertebrae and a broken femur kept Orville out of the pilot's seat for months, but in December he joined his brother in Europe.
 
Entertaining a King
Wilbur stayed on in Europe into early 1909, making scores of flights as well as winning prizes and arranging business deals. The fame of the Wright brothers drew notables from across Europe, including King Alfonso XIII of Spain. The King sat next to Wilbur, but it was as close as he would come to flying with the celebrated aviator - the queen, justifiably concerned, made Alfonso promise not to leave the ground!

Flight for New York City
Wilbur piloted a Model A Flyer along New York City's skyline as part of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration on October 4 1909. As a precaution while flying over the Hudson River, Wilbur slung a canoe with a canvas cover under the plane to serve as a float. That day's flight covered the 20-mile round trip between Grant's Tomb and Governor's Island in just 33 minutes and was probably seen by more than a million New Yorkers.
 
Wright Flying School
By 1910, exhibition flying had quickly become a lucrative business, so the brothers decided to put together a team to put on aerial displays around the country for both the publicity and proceeds from ticket sales. However, the venture turned out to be too dangerous - five of the nine pilots on the team died in crashes and it had to be shut down at the end of 1911.