“Success. Four flights Thursday morning. All against 21 mile wind. Started from level with engine power alone. Average speed through air 31 miles. Longest 59 seconds. Inform press. Home Christmas.” With these simple words, Wilbur and Orville Wright telegraphed news of their first flight to their father—and launched the aviation era.

December 17, 1903, was the historic day. It was miserable in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina: freezing temperatures, puddles covered with ice, and winds up to 27 mph. The Wright brothers had decided to lay the launching track flat on the ground. Orville, whose turn it was to pilot, could then ride the plane at a slower speed, allowing Wilbur to keep up easily while steadying the right wing. About 10:35 a.m. the Wright Flyer lifted off the monorail, and Orville soared to an altitude of 10 feet, traveled 120 feet, and landed 12 seconds after takeoff.

Though it may not have seemed revolutionary, this first pilot-controlled, sustained flight in a heavier-than-air craft was truly a great moment of the 20th century. The fragile Flyer used that day was damaged and would not fly again, but Wilbur and Orville Wright learned from their failures and successes. As inventors, builders, and flyers, they went on to refine their airplane and taught humankind to fly, igniting passions and discoveries that even a century into the aviation era continue to amaze.

With this painting, the Esterline Heritage of the Air Collection series comes full circle. We end where aviation began… a fitting tribute to the pioneers who made the “Age of the Air” possible.