Wilbur Wright (1867-1912), American aviation pioneer. Wilbur and his brother Orville ran a small bicycle factory in Dayton, Ohio. They became interested in flight and were inspired by the German glider, Otto Lilienthal. The Wrights began their own experiments, using basic wind tunnels to study aerofoil shapes and designed 'wing warping' as a means of control, emulating the way birds control their flight. They even designed and built their own light-weight engine. On 17 December 1903 at 10.23 am, their powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, made its first flight with Orville at the controls. The era of aviation was born.