The Wrights' first great achievement was devising a system to control their aircraft, all thanks to an inner tube box in their bike shop.

This system became known as wing warping, and was the foundation for all the Wrights' control systems. First used on their 1899 kite, it was the first practial method of control with an aerodynamic basis. The change to the wings' shape was more effective and more precise than earlier pioneers' like Otto Lillienthal's system of shifting his weight.

The Wrights ultimately developed full three-axis control over their aircraft by 1902.