Conquer the Sky

N1: In the year 1900, no one had ever flown in an airplane before. 

N2: People had taken rides in hot-air balloons. 

N3: Others had flown in gliders—aircraft that sailed on the wind. 

N1: But no one had built a plane that could carry a person and fly on its own power. 

N2: In fact, everyone who tried failed—

N3: —until two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, changed the world forever.

N1: Orville and Wilbur Wright are in their bicycle shop. 

N2: In a back room, they are building a large wooden glider.

N3: It has two sets of 18-foot wings covered in shiny white fabric. 

Orville: Help me with this rope, Will.

Wilbur: Sure thing, Orv.

N1: Their sister comes in. She points to a space between the lower wings. 

Katharine: Is that where the pilot goes?

Orville: Yes, you lie on your stomach and hold on to these controls.

Katharine: Why do you have to go all the way to North Carolina to test it? 

Wilbur: We need strong winds and a lot of sand for soft landings. 

Katharine: Flying seems treacherous. 

Orville: It is. Some people have died in crashes.

Wilbur: But don’t worry. We promise we’ll be careful.

N2: Bill invites the Wrights for dinner. 

Bea: Tell us about your flying machine! 

Wilbur: Right now we’re trying to figure out balance and control.

Orville: Every time we fly, we learn something new. 

Wilbur: Whether it’s the shape of the wings—

Orville: —or how to steer better. 

Bea: How long will you stay in Kitty Hawk?

Orville: Until it gets too cold. Then we’ll go back to Ohio and build a better glider.

Bill: But does a flying machine have a real use?  

Wilbur: I think someday we will travel through the air as easily as we sail across the ocean. 

Bill (chuckling): That seems far-fetched.

Orville: Does it? The world is changing every day. People are using automobiles instead of horses. 

Wilbur: You can use a telephone to call someone miles away. 

Addie: I’ve never seen an automobile or a telephone, and that’s fine by me. 

Bea: I’d sure like to see how they work. 

Addie: We’re just simple folk with no time for fantasies. 

N3: Bea pokes at the food on her plate.

N1: For the next three years, the Wright brothers dedicate themselves to flying. 

N2: They return to Kitty Hawk with bigger and better fliers. 

N3: They live in a small shed on the beach—

N1: —and spend hundreds of hours failing and trying again.

N2: One evening, Bea and her mother bring the Wright brothers some blankets.

Wilbur: Thank you! We’ve been sleeping in our coats. 

N3: Bea looks around at all the scraps of wood and wire. 

Bea: May I ask you something? 

Orville: Of course. 

Bea: Why do you keep trying to fly when it seems so impossible? 

Addie: Bea! That’s rude.

Wilbur: No, it’s a fair question. What makes us think we can succeed when so many people could not? 

N1: Bea nods. 

Wilbur: It’s true we are a couple of nobodies who never got high school diplomas. 

Orville: But we have curious minds, and we work very hard. 

Wilbur: And we have a true passion for flying. 

Bea: What about the people who say humans aren’t meant to fly? What if they’re right? 

N2: Orville raises an eyebrow at Bea.

Orville: What if they’re not?

N3: In the fall of 1903, the Wright brothers come to Kitty Hawk. They bring their biggest flier yet.

N1: On December 17, they are ready to test it.  

N2: A small crowd watches. 

Bea: Look! They’re putting the flier on the launching track. 

Addie: Those wings must be 40 feet long. 

Local 1: Those fellas are nice, but screwy in the head. 

Bea: I think history will be made today. 

Local 2: What makes today special? Those fools have been trying to fly for years. 

Bea: This flier has a motor. We may see the first motor-powered flight in the world.

N3: Orville and Wilbur flip a coin to see who will get to fly the plane. 

N1: They talk quietly and shake hands. 

Bea: I wonder what they’re saying. 

Local 1: Probably “Nice knowing ya.” 

N2: The plane’s motor roars. Orville climbs into position.  

N3: The plane slides down the track. 

Bea: Here we go!

N1: Bea squeezes her mother’s hand.  

N2: Slowly, the plane begins to rise off the ground. 

N3: It lifts into the air. 

Crowd: Gasp!

N1: It rises and dips—

Crowd: Gasp!

N2: Rises and dips—

Bea: It’s flying! He’s flying!

N3: A few seconds later, Orville brings the plane safely down. 

Local 2: Wow! Those crazy boys did it. They really did it! 

Local 1: I always knew they would! 

Addie: I see it now, Bea. 

N1: Bea turns and sees tears in her mother’s eyes. 

Bea: See what, Mama?

Addie: It’s all right to dream big. There really is no limit to what people can do.

N2: The Wright brothers kept building planes that flew longer, higher, and faster. 

N3: Most people did not believe the Wright brothers could fly until they saw it with their own eyes. 

N1: Human flight would shape our world.  

N2: Within 21 years, people would fly around the world. 

N3: In 66 years, humans would fly to the moon. 

N1: And it all began with two brothers and a dream.