Wright Brothers Cyberhunt

Source: Based on Cyberhunt written by Instructor Magazine editors (posted online at http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/instructor/flight.htm)

1. When Wilbur and Orville Wright were very young, their father gave them a ______________ which began their life-long fascination with the science of ________________. (Click here for answer: http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/wright.html)

2. Many years later, after successfully running a ______________ business, the brothers began building their first models of flying machines. The first of these was a small, pilot-less kite made of _________, ____________, and ____________. (Click here for answer: http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/wright.html)

3. On December 17, __________, the brothers finally got their chance to test a full-scale airplane glider. Orville took off first, flying for a total of ___________ seconds and a distance of _____________ feet.  (Click here for answer: http://www.nasm.si.edu/galleries/gal100/wright1903.html)

4. That first, famous glider was made of spruce and ash wood and covered with ____________. This made the aircraft __________________, _______________, and ________________. (Click here for answer: http://www.nasm.si.edu/galleries/gal100/wright1903.html)

5. On that December day at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the brothers made four historical flights, even though the weather was __________________. At the end of the day, disaster struck: A gust of wind damaged the glider’s _________, _________, and _______________. (Click here for answer: http://www.fi.edu/flights/first/during.html)

6. Only 5 other people were present for the brothers’ historic flight. Many of those invited did not come because ______________________________________________. The first person the brothers contacted after they flew was ____________________. (Click here for answer: http://sln.fi.edu/flights/first/after.html)

7. The three elements of flight that the brothers’ glider had mastered were _________, _________________, and ________________________. To learn even more about how flight works, the brothers observed ______________________________________. (Click here for answer: http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/planes/wrightfly.html)

8. The Wright brothers never claimed they were first to fly. ___________________, an Englishman, may have tried it before them. However, Wilbur and Orville WERE the first to make a ______________ and _______________ flight. (Click here for answer: http://www.wright-brothers.org/History/History%20of%20Airplane/wannabees)

9. Extra time? Revisit any of the sites above. Record other interesting facts.

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