1903 Wright Flyer on display at the National Air and Space Museum

The 1903 Wright Flyer, built and flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright-the aircraft of the first sustained, controlled, powered heavier-than-air flights on December 17, 1903-is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s aeronautical collection. The Flyer is preserved and has been displayed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall for public interpretation of the Wright brothers' achievements. The museum's collection records document the Flyer as a foundational artifact in the history of aviation.