> The Wright brothers' main innovations were: a workable system for steering, and a motor with sufficiently high specific power. And an airframe that could wor

> The Wright brothers' main innovations were: a workable system for steering, and a motor with sufficiently high specific power. And an airframe that could work with both of those. Langley, for example, had an engine that weighed about the same as the Wrights', but put out 50 horsepower to their 12. But the Aerodrome collapsed on takeoff, rendering that power useless. The Wrights had a mechanically simpler design that was strong enough to cope with aerodynamic forces.