Wingspan12.3 m
492 millionRibosomes
1,230Thumb tack lengths
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Wright Flyer
The first powered heavier-than-air flying machine/Aircraft
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright Flyer became the first powered aircraft to achieve sustained, controlled flight. That first flight covered just 37 meters in 12 seconds, which is less distance than a Boeing 747's wingspan. A piece of the original wing fabric and propeller traveled aboard Apollo 11 to the Moon, making it the most well-traveled piece of muslin in history.
Measurements
Overall length6.4 m
2.3 thousandthsGolden Gate Bridges
1.9 hundredthsEiffel Towers
Empty mass274 kg
137Chihuahuas
1.9 hundredthsSchool buses
27.4Bicycles
Airspeed13.4 m/s
44.7Roombas
1.9 tenthsGolf ball drives
About 48 km/h
First flight duration12 s
380 billionthsEarth years
12 billionCPU clock cycles
2 tenthsMicrowave minutes
December 17, 1903, first of four flights that day
Engine power8,950 W
12Actual horses
149 millionthsCruise ships
119 millionthsJet engines
About 12 hp
First flight distance37 m
8.2 trillionthsNeptune orbit radii
75.5Trumpet lengths
1,156SD card lengths
Wing area47.4 m²
4,580US dollar bills
820 trillionthsLake Michigan surfaces