Question: who is credited with performing the first heavier-than-air flight
Answer: The Wright brothers , Orville ( August 19 , 1871 -- January 30 , 1948 ) and Wilbur ( April 16 , 1867 -- May 30 , 1912 ) , were two American aviators , engineers , inventors , and aviation pioneers who are generally credited with inventing , building , and flying the world 's first successful airplane .