The Wright Flyer (often retrospectively referred to as Flyer I or 1903 Flyer) was the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft. It was designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, US. Today, the airplane is exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.The U.S. Smithsonian Institution describes the aircraft as ""...the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard."" The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale described the 1903 flight during the 100th anniversary in 2003 as ""the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight.""