Click on the photos below to view hi-res (high resolution) versions of the famous photo of the Wright brothers first airplane flight, piloted by Orville Wright. The first two are a restored version that looks much clearer than the unrestored version when viewed in high resolution.


[566 x 442 photo (72 dpi) of Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight, 1903]

Kitty Hawk, NC (North Carolina), December 17, 1903.
Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight.

Click here to view full-sized restored version of 8"x10" photo above.

Note: The photo immediately above is cropped for printing as an 8"x10" photo (8" by 10 3/16" to be more exact) in 180 dpi, which in my opinion looks better than the unrestored photo (third one, see below). In your browser this 1835x1432 pixel file will probably be displayed as a 72 dpi, gigantic (19.9" x 25.5") photo, likewise if printed directly from your browser. To print in 180 dpi for an 8"x10" photo (7.96" x 10.19" or 20.21cm x 25.89cm), you may have to download it and open (and perhaps reformat) it with Photoshop or a similar program. Soon I will be adding a service that allows you to order this print and have it mailed to you.




[740 x 442 photo (72 dpi) of Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight, 1903]

Kitty Hawk, NC (North Carolina), December 17, 1903.
Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight.

Click here to view full-sized restored version of uncropped photo above.

Note: The photo immediately above is uncropped. Its aspect ratio is very close to 5:3. Printing it as a 4"x6" photo (102 x 152 mm) in 358 dpi would mean a crop of 252 pixels (11/16"). In your browser this 2400x1432 pixel file will probably be displayed as a 72 dpi, gigantic (19.9" x 33.3") photo, likewise if printed directly from your browser. To print in other dpi resolutions, you may have to download it and open (and perhaps reformat) it with Photoshop or a similar program. Soon I will be adding a service that allows you to order this print and have it mailed to you.




[640 x 450 photo (72 dpi) of Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight, 1903]

Kitty Hawk, NC (North Carolina), December 17, 1903.
Orville Wright's famous first airplane flight.

Click here to view this unrestored 300 dpi, nearly letter-sized (A4) photo above.

Note: The photo immediately above is a nearly letter-sized (A4) photo in 300 dpi, but in my opinion doesn't look as good as the first photo above printed in 180 dpi as an 8"x10" photo. This unrestored photo is more dots per inch (dpi), but the high quality of the restoration of the photos above (cropped and uncropped, no difference otherwise) more than compensates. In your browser this 3255x2027 pixel file will probably be displayed as a 72 dpi, gigantic (28.15" x 45.2") photo, likewise if printed directly from your browser. To print in 300 dpi nearly letter-size/A4 (6.757" x 10.85" or 17.2cm x 27.6cm), you may have to download it and open (and perhaps reformat) it with Photoshop or a similar program. This file was originally saved in Adobe Photoshop 2.5 and opens properly in all versions tested (up to 5.0). Soon I will be adding a service that allows you to order this print and have it mailed to you.




On Thursday, December 17, 1903, the historic day, it was Orville's turn to pilot. The strong headwind as he was riding the plane along the track made for a speed that allowed Wilbur to keep up easily, steadying the right wing as Orville had done 3 days earlier. Just after the Wright flyer lifted off the monorail, the famous picture was taken, possibly the most reproduced photograph ever, which Orville had set up (having asked one of the men simply to squeeze the shutter bulb after takeoff).

For more information, go to the Wright brothers history: First Flight, 1903.