The Wright brothers were involved members of an international “glider” community and, yes, they won the race to be the first to successfully strap an engine to one and fly it.
But remember that the Wright brothers didn’t even try to patent “the airplane”. Their achievement (and patent) was about safely controlling an airplane so that it could fly. More than two years before their 1903 flight, Wilbur Wright gave a presentation in Chicago where he said “ As long ago as 1884 a machine weighing 8,000 pounds demonstrated its power both to lift itself from the ground and to maintain a speed of from 30 to 40 miles per hour, but failed of success owing to the inability to balance and steer it properly. This inability to balance and steer still confronts students of the flying problem, although nearly eighteen years have passed. When this one feature has been worked out, the age of flying machines will have arrived, for all other difficulties are of minor importance.”
But remember that the Wright brothers didn’t even try to patent “the airplane”. Their achievement (and patent) was about safely controlling an airplane so that it could fly. More than two years before their 1903 flight, Wilbur Wright gave a presentation in Chicago where he said “ As long ago as 1884 a machine weighing 8,000 pounds demonstrated its power both to lift itself from the ground and to maintain a speed of from 30 to 40 miles per hour, but failed of success owing to the inability to balance and steer it properly. This inability to balance and steer still confronts students of the flying problem, although nearly eighteen years have passed. When this one feature has been worked out, the age of flying machines will have arrived, for all other difficulties are of minor importance.”