The kite also influenced Leonardo da Vinci. When da Vinci was experimenting with the concept of flight and flying machines in the late 1400s, he used different kite designs. The Wright brothers, who invented the first airplane to fly with a gasoline engine, developed an interest in flying when they were children. They used to fly kites. The brothers' historic flight in 1903 was made on a plane that was inspired by a kite design. But what is the connection between kites and aeronautics? The basic principle that lifts the kite is the same that keeps the plane in the air. People have used kites to study the principles of flying.