The "takeoff weight" of the "Wright Flyer" flown by the Wright brothers on Dec.17, 1903 was approximately how many pounds?

The first "powered" flight made by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk North Carolina was with the airplane they called the Wright Flyer. The brothers had built the aircraft in 1903 using giant spruce wood as their construction material. The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. Since they could not find a suitable automobile engine for the task, they commissioned their employee Charlie Taylor to build a new design from scratch, effectively a crude gasoline engine. A sprocket chain drive, borrowing from bicycle technology, powered the twin propellers, which were also made by hand.

Wilber's first flight lasted only 3 seconds. Orville piloted the second flight which lasted 12 seconds and went 120 feet. The most successful of the flights that day was when Wilber flew the airplane 852 feet in 59 seconds.

Depending on who was flying, and the gasoline load, the takeoff weight was approximately 745 lbs.