Flight Fight: Were Wright Brothers Really the First Flight? We thought the wright brothers were the first to take flight but that piece of history is getting turbulence. Here's gio benitez. Reporter: That famous wright brothers plane hangs at the smithsonian, the pair credited with the first flight in 1903. Now a new campaign to rewrite history being waged here. The first flight occurred here in the state of connecticut. Senators voting to pass a bill that says this man was the first to fly, gustav whitehead. Thrilled to see so much support for our native son. They claim whitehead flew the bat winged plane in 1901, two years before the the wright brothers flew theirs. Connecticut even have a fountain to honor him, his great grandson there to see it. Finally some recognition. Reporter: The debate simmered for decades. Whitehead here on tv in 1986. We are convinced that he flew. In part because of this newspaper article in 1901, a reporter saying he saw whitehead soar nearly half a mile and aviation historian john brown tells us he found 17 witnesses who saw whitehead fly. Is there any ounce of you that says, you know what, i could be wrong about whitehead? This is an open and shut case. We're not talking about beyond a shadow of a doubt. We're talking about convincing evidence here. But the smithsonian denies that claim, saying he probably never flew at all. Gio benitez, abc news, new york.