i f 

l i 

i f 

By Arthur George Renstrom 

WRIGHT 

A Re ssue o 

A Chrono ogy Commemorat ng 

the Hundredth Ann versary o the 

BIRTH OF ORVILLE WRIGHT • AUGUST 19, 1871 

WILBUR & ORVILLE 
WILBUR & ORVILLE
 

WRIGHT
 

A Reissue of 

A Chronology Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the 

BIRTH OF ORVILLE WRIGHT • AUGUST 19, 1871
 

By Arthur George Renstrom 

A Joint Publication of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission 

and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Monographs in Aerospace History, Number 32 

September 2003 

NASA Publication SP-2003-4532 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Office of External Relations 

NASA History Office 

NASA Headquarters 

Washington, DC 20546 
On the cover: The classic photograph of the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. 

Orville Wright is on the airplane; older brother Wilbur looks on from the sidelines. 

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data 

Renstrom, Arthur George, 1905–1991 

Wilbur & Orville Wright: a chronology: commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Orville Wright, August 19, 1871/ 

compiled by Arthur G. Renstrom. 

p. cm.—(monographs in aerospace history; no.) (NASA history series) (NASA SP; 2003-4532)
 

Includes bibliographical references and index.
 

1. Wright, Orville, 1871–1948.—Chronology. 2. Wright, Wilbur, 1867–1912—Chronology. 3. Aeronautics—United States—
 

History—Chronology. I. Title. II.
 

Series. III. Series: NASA history series IV. NASA SP; 4532.
 

TL540.W7R46 2003 

629.13’0092’273—dc21 

[B] 2003051363 
A Chronology • iii
 
Foreword
 

During the year 2003, hundreds of events will mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers’ historic first flights at Kitty 

Hawk, North Carolina. The centennial year will witness exhibitions, lectures, television documentaries, films, air shows, flight recreations of 

Wright aircraft, the issuing of postage stamps and medals, the publication of dozens of new books and articles, and numerous other commemorative activities. One of these events, although not likely to make the evening news, is among the most important of all in terms of a 

lasting contribution to the observance of this ultimate aviation milestone: the reprinting of Arthur G. Renstrom’s Wilbur & Orville Wright: 

A Chronology Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Orville Wright, August 19, 1871. 

Since its appearance in 1975, Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology has become indispensable to students and authors concerned 

with the life and work of the famous brothers. No doubt every book on the subject published in the last quarter century, including three 

of my own, was written with this treasure close at hand. This volume is far more than a simple compilation of dates and facts. Renstrom 

was a master reference librarian and bibliographer with a passion for aviation and the Wright brothers. He brought his considerable 

research skills to bear on the topic, and the result is a richly detailed, ever-informative, often entertaining walk through the lives and 

achievements of these two extraordinary individuals. Renstrom was not content to offer a date with a one-line tidbit. His entries are brimming with information. This is a highly readable reference work that, believe or not, can be enjoyably read from cover to cover. The project was clearly a labor of love by a talented professional. 

During most of the last twenty years, I have been privileged to be the curator of the 1903 Wright Flyer at the Smithsonian 

Institution’s National Air and Space Museum. The position brings a steady stream of inquiries about the Wright airplane and the endlessly fascinating brothers who created it. I do not know how I would have done this job without Renstrom’s superb volume on my 

bookshelf. It is the first place I go to check anything on the Wright brothers, and I typically find what I am looking for in its pages. 

Arthur Renstrom also published two other classic reference works on the Wright brothers: Wilbur & Orville Wright: A 

Bibliography Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Wilbur Wright, April 16, 1867, in 1968 (an updated revision was published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 2002) and Wilbur & Orville Wright, Pictorial 

Materials: A Documentary Guide in 1982, completing a series of research tools for which there are few peers on any subject. He 

was also part of the team that produced the landmark two-volume compilation of the Wrights’ letters, notebooks, and diaries in 

1953, The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, edited by Marvin W. McFarland. Renstrom’s contribution to the documentation 

and preservation of the Wright story is a lasting legacy that will serve researchers, students, and general enthusiasts for generations 

to come. In this busy, high-profile anniversary year, the reprinting of a nearly thirty-year-old reference book may seem a mundane 

and quiet contribution to the celebration surrounding the Wright brothers’ world-changing achievement, but it is perhaps one of 

the most important. The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and NASA are to be commended for their foresight. 

Peter L. Jakab 

Chairman, Aeronautics Division 

National Air and Space Museum 

Smithsonian Institution 

July 4, 2003 

iv • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
Preface
 

Since 1949, when the Wright papers were given to the 

Library of Congress by the Orville Wright estate, the Library has 

paid tribute to the Wright brothers on several occasions. 

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of powered flight, a twovolume edition of The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, 

Including the Chanute-Wright Letters and Other Papers of Octave 

Chanute (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1953) was 

published under the sponsorship of Oberlin College. The 

Wrights’ letters, diaries, notebooks, and other records of their 

scientific and technical work in inventing and perfecting the airplane were edited at that time by Marvin W. McFarland of the 

Library’s Aeronautics Division. 

A subsequent anniversary was observed by the Library with 

the publication of Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Bibliography 

Commemorating the Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of Wilbur 

Wright, April 16, 1867 (Washington: Library of Congress, 1968), 

listing more than 2,000 printed and audiovisual research materials on the Wright brothers. 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary in 1971 of the birth 

of Orville Wright, the Library here presents a chronology and 

flight log through which the fortunes of the Wright brothers and 

their flying machines may be traced: their early trials, with little 

of the encouragement of public notices; the growing interest in 

their work by the time they exhibited their airplane and technique for the Army in 1908; their demonstration flights abroad 

in 1908 and 1909, which brought them public acclaim and 

meetings with kings; their triumphant return to the United 

States, with the presentation of medals by the President and a 

memorable two-day homecoming celebration in Dayton; the 

period of public exhibition flying; Wilbur’s unexpected death 

from typhoid fever; the protracted Wright patent litigation with 

Glenn H. Curtiss; the sale of the Wright Company in 1915; the 

subsequent retirement of Orville from public life, his lengthy 

controversy with the Smithsonian Institution, and awards to 

him of numerous medals and honorary degrees; and finally, the 

continuing tribute tendered the Wrights in anniversary celebrations 

and testimonial dinners and the building and dedication of 

memorials and monuments in their honor. 

The nucleus of the present publication was an article entitled 

“Wright Chronology,” contributed by the compiler of this work 

to the July 1953 issue of the aviation journal Aero Digest, a 

commemorative issue marking the 50th anniversary of powered 

flight by the Wright brothers. Prepared in connection with tasks 

associated with The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, it consisted of 366 individual entries and covered the period from the 

birth of Wilbur Wright on April 16, 1867, through the Wright 

golden anniversary celebrations on December 17, 1953. 

The present chronology comprises over 2,600 individual 

entries, extending the period covered through August 19, 

1971, the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Orville 

Wright. The information presented is based upon an extensive 

survey of the Library’s unique Wright collection, as well as 

other related documentary sources in the Library. One of the 

primary sources for the later years was the extensive chronological 

scrapbook collection maintained by the Wright brothers. Initiated 

by them in 1902, when the Wrights were conducting gliding 

experiments at Kitty Hawk, the scrapbooks were maintained in 

later years largely by Mabel Beck, secretary to Orville for many 

years, who also faithfully presided over the voluminous files and 

helped preserve the valuable documents for future historians. 

Additions to the scrapbooks ceased on February 29, 1948, shortly after Orville’s death on January 30 of that year. A related source 

was the Library’s Hart O. Berg collection, including 14 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings on the Wrights. 

Supplementing the main chronology is a flight log, in which 

an attempt has been made to record the flights of Wilbur and 

Orville from 1900, when their first gliding experiments were 

carried out at Kitty Hawk, through 1918, when Orville made 

his last flight as a pilot at Dayton on May 13, flying a Wright 

1911 model aircraft. A total of 21 detailed flight logs are presented. 

So far as is known, no previous attempts have been made to 

record the Wright flights systematically. Wright documents have 

served as primary sources for 12 series of flights: 1900, Orville’s 

letter from Kitty Hawk to Katharine Wright, dated October 14; 

1901, Wilbur Wright’s Diary A; 1902, Orville Wright’s Diary B 

and Orville Wright’s Notebook C; 1903, Orville Wright’s Diary 

D; 1904, Wilbur Wright’s Diary E, 1904–1905; 1905, Wilbur 

Wright’s Diary F; 1908, Wilbur Wright’s Diary T (Kitty Hawk) 

and Signal Corps “Log of Wright Aeroplane” (Fort Myer, Va.); 

1909, Signal Corps “Log of Wright Aeroplane” (Fort Myer, Va.) 

and Orville Wright’s Diary X (Tempelhof Field, Berlin); 1910, 

Orville Wright’s Diary Y; and 1911, Orville Wright’s Diary V. 

The Wright brothers’ scrapbooks and contemporary 

accounts in American and European newspapers and in aviation 

and technical journals were the primary sources for the remaining 

Wright flight logs. No diaries or notebooks were maintained by 

Wilbur in France in 1908 recording his flights at the 

Hunaudières Race Course and Camp d’Auvours at Le Mans, or 

in 1909 at Pont-Long, at Pau, and at Centocelle Flying Field, 

Rome. Nor did he keep detailed records of his flights at 

Governors Island, N.Y., and at College Park, Md., in 1909. 

Likewise, no accurate and detailed records survive of Orville’s 

numerous flights at Dayton during the period 1910–18. 

Consequently, it is exceedingly difficult to record all flights for 

these periods, and no claim is made for completeness. 

Furthermore, accurate time, distance, and altitude records for 

these years are frequently unavailable. 

A comprehensive index of persons, institutions, and geographic 

names cited in the publication is provided to facilitate use of the 

chronology. 

The amount of pertinent material uncovered as the 

preparation of the chronology progressed resulted in an 

enlargement of its original scope, and consequently it was not 

possible to achieve publication in the 1971 anniversary year. 

A Chronology • v 
Contents
 

Foreword ...............................................................................................................................................................iv
 

Preface.....................................................................................................................................................................v
 

Chronology.............................................................................................................................................................1
 

1867 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1


1903 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6


1910 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26


1920 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40


1930 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49


1940 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57


1950 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62


1960 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65


1970 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66


Flight Log .............................................................................................................................................................69
 

1900 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69


1901 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69


1902 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71


1903 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75


1904 Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77


1905 Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82


1908 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84


1908 Hunaudières Race Course, Le Mans, France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86


1908 Camp d’Auvours, Le Mans, France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87


1908 Ft. Myer, Va. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93


1909 Pont-Long, Pau, France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94


1909 Centocelle Field, Rome, Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97


1909 Ft. Myer, Va. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100


1909 Tempelhof Field, Berlin, Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101


1909 Governors Island, N.Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102


1909 Bornstedt Field, Potsdam, Germany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103


1909 College Park, Md. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103


1910 Montgomery, Ala. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106


1910 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108


vi • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1911 Kitty Hawk, N.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115


1911–1918 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118


The NASA History Series ..................................................................................................................................121
 

A Chronology • vii
 
Chronology 

1867 

APRIL 16. Wilbur Wright born on a farm near Millville, eight 

miles east of New Castle, in Henry County, Ind. 

He was the son of the Rev. Milton Wright, a minister and 

later bishop of the United Brethren Church in Christ, and Susan 

Catherine Koerner. Besides his younger brother, Orville, and his 

sister, Katharine, there were two older brothers, Reuchlin (born 

March 17, 1861, in Grant County, near Fairmont, Ind.), and 

Lorin (born November 18, 1862, in Fayette County, Ind.); two 

other children, twins, died in infancy. 

Bishop Wright was born November 17, 1828, in Rush 

County, Ind. He attended country schools there and for a short 

time was a student at Hartsville College, Ind. In 1853 he 

received a license to preach from the White River Conference of 

the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and was ordained 

August 1856 at Abbington, Ind. He was the principal of a 

denominational school in Oregon from 1857 to 1859. 

On November 24, 1859, he married Susan Catherine 

Koerner, daughter of John G. Koerner, wagon and carriage 

maker. She attended Hartsville College for a time and was 

especially successful in mathematical studies. 

Between 1859 and 1869 Milton Wright was engaged for a 

short time in teaching and afterward in preaching. In 1869 he was 

made editor of the Religious Telescope, published in Dayton, Ohio, 

continuing in that capacity for eight years. He was elected bishop 

on May 10, 1877, at the 17th general conference of the Church of 

the United Brethren in Christ at Westfield College, Westfield, Ill. In 

1878 he moved from Dayton to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1881 he 

moved to Richmond, Ind., where, in conjunction with his work as 

a presiding elder, he edited the Richmond Star. In 1884 he again 

made Dayton his home, remaining there after his retirement in 

1905 and until his death in 1917. 

1868 

SEPTEMBER. Wright family moves to Hartsville, Bartholomew 

County, Ind., following Rev. Milton Wright’s appointment as 

pastor of Hartsville College. 

1869 

SPRING. Wright family moves to Dayton, Ohio, when Milton 

Wright becomes editor of the Religious Telescope, a United 

Brethren weekly, living in a house on Third Street till about 

November, then moving to a brick house on Second Street, 

where the family resided until April 1871, when a house was 

purchased at 7 Hawthorne Street on the West Side. 

1871 

AUGUST 19. Orville Wright born at 7 Hawthorne Street, 

Dayton, Ohio. 

1874 

AUGUST 19. Katharine Wright born at Dayton, Ohio. 

Katharine Wright was graduated from Oberlin College in 

1898 and later taught at the Steele High School in Dayton. She 

served as secretary of the Dayton Association of College Women 

and was secretary of her college class. She resided at the Wright 

Dayton home until her marriage in 1926 to Henry J. Haskell, 

editor of the Kansas City Star and an Oberlin College classmate. 

1878 

Bishop Milton Wright, on a return from a short trip on 

church business, brings home a toy Pénaud-type hélicoptére, 

arousing the boys’ first interest in the problem of flight. 

JUNE. Wright family moves from Dayton to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

1881 

FEBRUARY 13. Wilbur, at age 13, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, joins 

United Brethren Church, Rev. Marion R. Drury, pastor. 

APRIL. Orville writes letter to his father, who is away on church 

business. 

The earliest surviving document in the Wright Collection in 

the Library of Congress, it reads: 

Dear Father 

I got your letter today. My teacher said I was a good 

boy today. We have 45 in our room. The other day I 

took a machine can and filled it with water then I put 

it on the stove. I waited a little while and the water 

came squirting out of the top about a foot. The water 

in the river was up in the cracker factory about half a 

foot. There is a good deal water on the Island. The old 

cat is dead. 

Your son 

Orville 

JUNE. Wright family moves to Richmond, Ind. 

It was here that Orville first took up kite-building, both as 

a sport and as a business. 

1884 

JUNE. Wright family returns to Dayton, living in a rented house 

for 16 months until expiration of lease on their home at 7 

Hawthorn Street, which had been rented on family’s departure 

from Dayton in 1878. 

Wilbur, though he had completed his fourth year of high 

school in Richmond, declines to go back to collect his diploma 

at the June commencement. 

A Chronology • 1 
1885
 

SEPTEMBER. Orville, although lacking certificate of completion of sixth grade in Richmond, Ind., enters Dayton Seventh 

District grade school in seventh grade despite attempts by school 

authorities to start him in sixth grade. 

Wilbur takes special “postgraduate” course at Dayton 

Central High School, continuing study of Greek and starting 

trigonometry. 

OCTOBER. Wright family occupies 7 Hawthorn Street in 

Dayton, the house where Orville was born in 1871 and where 

Wilbur was to die in 1912. 

1886 

Orville (with Ed Sines, neighbor and boyhood friend) starts 

The Midget, a school newspaper, with new press given him by 

his brothers Lorin and Wilbur and with type given by his father. 

OCTOBER 9. “Ten Boys Club” organized at home of Reuchlin 

Wright in Dayton, with Wilbur the 10th and youngest member. 

Lorin and Reuchlin also members. 

1887 

SEPTEMBER. Orville enters Dayton Central High School. 

1889 

MARCH 1. Orville, as editor and publisher, commences publication 

of the weekly West Side News. 

He was to maintain an active interest in printing and 

publishing throughout the period 1889–96. 

JULY 4. Susan Catherine Wright, mother of Wright brothers, 

dies at age 58. Burial is in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton. 

A marker was erected at her birthplace in Hillsboro, 

Virginia, by the Rivanna Garden Club of Charlottesville, 

Virginia, on December 17, 1929. 

1890 

APRIL 30. Orville, with Wilbur as partner, converts West Side 

News into evening newspaper, The Evening Item. 

Publication was suspended in August. 

SEPTEMBER. Orville enters final year of high school, not 

working for diploma but as special student in Latin. His interest 

in the printing business prompted him to leave school before 

graduating. 

DECEMBER 13. Paul Laurence Dunbar, high school classmate 

of Orville’s, starts the Tatler, which Orville prints for him. 

About this time Dunbar chalked on the shop wall the 

following quatrain: 

Orville Wright is out of sight 

In the printing business. 

No other mind is half so bright 

As his’n is. 

1892 

Orville buys European-type “safety” bicycle, a Columbia, 

for $160. Wilbur buys Eagle bicycle for $80. 

DECEMBER. Orville and Wilbur rent 1005 West Third St. as 

bicycle shop, stocking it with such well-known makes as the 

Coventry Cross, Halladay-Temple, Warwick, Reading, Smalley, 

Envoy, and Fleetwing, and adding repair facilities. 

They were to continue active in the bicycle manufacturing 

and repair business from 1892 to early 1907. This modest business provided the funds that enabled them to carry out all their 

early aeronautical experiments, including the power flights of 

1903, 1904, and 1905. 

1893 

Bicycle shop moves to larger quarters, 1034 West Third St. 

Wilbur and Orville attend The World’s Columbian 

Exposition in Chicago, May 1–October 30, where, among other 

attractions, the aeronautical exhibit drew their attention. 

1894 

OCTOBER 20. Wilbur and Orville commence weekly magazine 

Snap Shots. 

1895 

Bicycle shop moves to 22 South Williams St. 

Orville invents calculating machine that will multiply as 

well as add. 

1896 

Wrights begin to manufacture their own brand of bicycles, 

first being the Van Cleve and later the lower priced St. Clair. 

SPRING. Wilbur and Orville experiment with gas engine. 

MAY 16. Wrights put on sale their “Wright Special,” another 

bicycle of their own manufacture. 

JULY 2–4. Wright Cycle Co. is one of the contributors to and 

participants in the 16th Annual Meet of the Ohio Division, 

League of American Wheelmen, held in Dayton. 

The Wrights were members of the league. 

AUGUST–OCTOBER. Orville seriously ill with typhoid fever. 

AUGUST 10. Otto Lilienthal, German engineer and aeronautical 

pioneer, dies in Germany, following injuries suffered in crash near 

Rhinow the previous day while testing his latest single-surface 

glider, with adjustable horizontal tail. 

Although Wilbur withheld the news of Lilienthal’s crash 

until after Orville’s convalescence, the tragedy served to stimulate 

anew the interest of the brothers in the work of Lilienthal and 

others who had tried to solve the problem of human flight. The 

2 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
Wrights’ curiosity may have been aroused, in a passive way, as 

early as September 1894 by an article on Lilienthal entitled “The 

Flying Man” in McClure’s Magazine, to which they had access 

in their home at that time. 

1897–1898 

While engaged in the bicycle manufacturing and repairing 

business, Wrights focused their attention on the problems of 

mechanical and human flight. Extensive reading and study of bird 

flight and of Lilienthal’s gliding trials convince the brothers that 

human flight is possible and practical. They decide to conduct 

some limited experiments of their own. 

1899 

MAY 30. Having read of the work of Cayley, Pénaud, and Marey 

in books from his father’s library, Wilbur writes the Smithsonian 

Institution inquiring about additional publications on aeronautical 

subjects. 

JUNE 2. Richard Rathbun, assistant secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution, sends the Wrights a list of works and four 

Smithsonian pamphlets on the subject of aerial navigation, which 

further stimulate the Wrights’ interest in gliding as a sport. 

JUNE 14. Wilbur acknowledges receipt of Rathbun’s letter and 

Smithsonian pamphlets and orders copy of Samuel P. Langley’s 

Experiments in Aerodynamics. 

JULY–AUGUST. Wrights construct and Wilbur tests and flies a 

biplane kite measuring five feet from tip to tip and about 13 

inches from front to rear, in which wing warping was achieved 

by the manipulation of four cords leading to the ground. The 

kite flying is witnessed by 10 or 12 schoolboys, including 

Frederick W. Fansher, John D. Reiniger, and Walter Reiniger. 

The kite was built to test the idea of warped wing lateral 

control and followed a demonstration by Wilbur early in July 

in which he used an open-end pasteboard box and pressed the 

corners together so that the upper and lower surfaces were given 

a spiral twist, presenting the top and bottom surfaces of the box 

at different angles on the right and left sides. The successful kite 

experiment encouraged the Wrights to proceed with the building 

of a man-carrying machine embodying this principle. The kite 

hung on a wall of a room over their store until destroyed about 

1905 to make room for an upstairs office. 

NOVEMBER 27. Wrights write the U.S. Weather Bureau for 

information on a suitable place to conduct their flying 

experiments. 

DECEMBER 4. Willis L. Moore, chief of the U.S. Weather 

Bureau, sends Wrights data on wind velocities in various locations 

of the country, enclosing marked copies of the Monthly Weather 

Review for August and September 1899. 

The September issue also contained an article by Prof. 

Cleveland Abbe entitled “Preliminary Results of Weather Bureau 

Kite Observations [carried out by Charles F. Marvin and H. C. 

Frankenfield] in 1898.” 

1900
 

FEBRUARY. Katharine Wright, occupied in teaching at Steele 

High School, engages Carrie Kayler (later Carrie Kayler 

Grumbach), age 14, as a helper in the Wright home. She was to 

stay on as a member of the Wright household for nearly half a 

century, until after Orville’s death in January 1948. 

MAY 13. Wilbur writes to Octave Chanute—civil engineer, aerial 

experimenter, and author of the book Progress in Flying Machines 

(1894), which was noteworthy in presenting the first technical 

assessment of the aviation pioneers—beginning an important 

friendship and correspondence that lasted until May 1910, several 

months before Chanute’s death on November 23. In his letter 

Wilbur fully describes the Wright system of control as used in their 

kite experiment. 

AUGUST 10. Wilbur writes to Chanute telling of plans to 

construct full-size glider and enlisting his aid in obtaining necessary 

materials unavailable in Dayton. 

AUGUST 16. Joseph J. Dosher, in charge of the Kitty Hawk 

Weather Bureau Station, supplies data on prevailing winds and on 

nature of the region in a response to Wilbur’s letter of August 3. 

AUGUST 18. William J. Tate, neighbor of Dosher, also writes 

the Wright brothers recommending Kitty Hawk as a suitable 

place to conduct experiments in “scientific kite flying.” 

SEPTEMBER 6. Wilbur leaves Dayton for Kitty Hawk, arriving 

in Elizabeth City on September 11 by boat and arrives at Kitty 

Hawk on September 13. 

SEPTEMBER 13–OCTOBER 2. Wilbur and later Orville 

stay with William J. Tate in Kitty Hawk until their camp is 

made ready. 

SEPTEMBER 14. Wilbur commences assembly of Wrights’ first 

experimental double-deck glider having a surface of 177 square 

feet. The glider is completed by September 23. 

SEPTEMBER 24. Orville leaves Dayton for Kitty Hawk, arriving 

September 28. 

OCTOBER. Wrights commence active experiments. Flying 

their glider both as a kite and as a man-carrying glider to test out 

flight theories and to practice with a view to solving the problem 

of equilibrium. About a dozen free flights are made. The total 

time in the air was only about two minutes. William J. Tate is 

present and assists the brothers in many of their experiments, 

which are concluded about the end of the month. 

OCTOBER 4. In preparation for gliding experiments Wilbur 

and Orville set up camp in a tent about a half mile from home 

of William J. Tate. 

OCTOBER 10. Wright 1900 glider upset by wind on Hill of the 

wreck. 

Three days were spent in its repair. 

A Chronology • 3 
OCTOBER 23. Wrights depart from Kitty Hawk, leaving glider 

at camp. The only remaining piece of the 1900 glider is destroyed 

by a 93-mile gale in July 1901. 

1900–1901 

WINTER. Wrights proceed with plans for larger glider of same 

general design as the first but with considerably more area, 290 

square feet, for greater lifting power. 

The glider would be flown as a kite, with an operator 

aboard, and in the kind of winds they could usually expect based 

on their experience in 1900. 

1901 

MAY 12. In a letter to Octave Chanute, Wilbur tells of plans for 

further experiments at Kitty Hawk in September and October 

and of proposed changes in their new glider. He invites Chanute 

to visit them at their camp. 

JUNE 26-27. First meeting with Octave Chanute, authority on 

aerial navigation, occurs when he visits Wrights in Dayton. 

JULY. Wilbur’s articles “Angle of Incidence,” published in the 

Aeronautical Journal, and “Die Wagerechte Lage Wahrend des 

Gleitfluges,” published in the Illustrierte Aeronautishe 

Mitteilungen, are the first aeronautical writings of the brothers 

to appear in print. 

JULY 7. Wrights start for Kitty Hawk, arriving there July 10. 

JULY 9. Storm demolishes Wright 1900 glider, which was left at 

Kitty Hawk at the conclusion of experiments there in August 1900. 

JULY 18. On recommendation of Chanute, for whom he was 

building a glider, Edward C. Huffaker of Chuckey City, Tenn., 

joins Wrights at Kitty Hawk to test Chanute glider, remaining 

until August 18. 

Huffaker had worked in the Smithsonian Institution as an 

assistant to Samuel P. Langley in his aeronautical work from 

1895 to 1899. 

JULY 25. George A. Spratt, of Coatesville, Pa., on recommendation 

of Chanute joins Wrights at Kitty Hawk and participates in their 

activities until his departure August 16. 

Spratt was recommended by Chanute because of his interest 

in aeronautics and because his medical training might be needed 

in the event of injury to the Wrights in the isolated area used to 

carry out their experiments. 

JULY 27. Wright 1901 glider assembled and tried for the first time. 

Between 50 and 100 flights are made in 1901, ranging in 

distance from 20 feet to nearly 400 feet, with many covering 300 

feet or more. 

AUGUST 4–11. Chanute visits Wrights at Kill Devil Hill and 

witnesses some of their gliding experiments. 

AUGUST 20. Wrights leave Kitty Hawk, arriving home in 

Dayton August 22. 

AUGUST 29. Chanute writes Wilbur asking him to deliver 

address before the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago and 

in reply, September 2, Wilbur accepts. 

SEPTEMBER. Wilbur and Orville share in proceeds of sale of 

160-acre farm at Casey, Iowa, originally given to them by their 

father and jointly owned by the Wright brothers, which is sold 

by Reuchlin Wright. 

SEPTEMBER 18. Wilbur addresses Western Society of 

Engineers on Wright 1900 and 1901 gliding experiments. He 

compares results with those obtained by earlier investigators and 

indicates that previously published figures relating to air pressures 

on curved surfaces appeared to be in error. Before the lecture, 

entitled “Some Aeronautical Experiments,” Wilbur is entertained 

by Chanute at his home in Chicago and views his study room 

and collection of models of flying machines. 

OCTOBER 6. Wrights conduct tests of model airfoils mounted 

on a bicycle wheel placed horizontally at front of one of their 

bicycles. 

SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER. Wrights design single-cylinder, 

4-stroke-cycle, stationary powerplant, which was utilized in 

construction engine and airplane parts from 1902 through 

1908 and for determining the power output of their early 

flight engines. 

The engine was restored under the direction of Charles 

Taylor and installed April 16, 1938, in Greenfield Village, 

Dearborn, Mich., together with the shop machinery it operated. 

OCTOBER–DECEMBER. Wrights conduct further tests of airfoils 

with wind tunnel and pressure-testing balances of their own design, 

becoming the first investigators to compile tables of figures from 

which it was possible to design an airplane that would fly. 

DECEMBER. Wilbur’s Chicago speech of September 18 printed 

in the Journal of the Western Society of Engineers. 

Few other articles on the subject of flight have been so 

frequently reprinted or widely quoted. 

1902 

JANUARY 5. Wilbur sends Chanute data sheets resulting from 

wind tunnel tests with instructions for making computations. 

JANUARY 19. Wilbur sends Chanute photograph and description 

of Wright pressure-testing instrument, i.e., the lift balance used in 

the Wright wind tunnel. 

FEBRUARY 22. Scientific American publishes account of 1901 

gliding experiments by Wrights, based on Wilbur’s paper “Some 

Aeronautical Experiments.” 

MARCH 18–21. Wilbur goes to Huntington, Ind., to defend 

his father in case involving a layman’s misuse of church funds. 

Subsequent trips were made in 1902 by Wilbur to 

Huntington on May 9–15, on August 5–9, and on November 24. 

AUGUST. Wrights complete construction of parts for their 1902 

glider, designed on the basis of the wind tunnel calculations. 

4 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
Historic photo of the Wright brothers’ third test glider being launched at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on 

October 10, 1902. 

Wilbur uses family sewing machine to sew needed cloth wing 

covering on which pattern has been marked by Orville. 

The wings of this machine measured 32 feet from tip to 

tip, and five feet from front to rear. The wing area totaled 305 

square feet. 

AUGUST 25. Wrights leave for Kitty Hawk, arriving in Norfolk 

and Elizabeth City, N.C., on August 26 and at the Kitty Hawk 

camp on August 28. 

AUGUST 29–SEPTEMBER 7. Orville and Wilbur construct 

their camp, drill well, and obtain needed food supplies and 

equipment. 

SEPTEMBER 8–19. Wright 1902 glider, a biplane with forward 

monoplane elevator and a fixed double rear fin, assembled and 

made ready for flying. 

SEPTEMBER 15. The 1901 glider is dismantled and destroyed 

to make room for a new glider. The uprights are used in the new 

machine. 

SEPTEMBER 19–OCTOBER 24. The Wrights make 700–1,000 

glides, increasing their record for distance to 622 1/2 ft., for time 

to 26 seconds, and for angle of descent to 5° for a glide of 156 ft. 

Orville stated in a deposition given in Dayton on January 

13, 1920, in a patent suit that the flights of 1902 demonstrated 

lateral stability as well as the fact that their tables of air pressure 

derived from their wind tunnel tests enabled them to calculate 

in advance the performance of their flying machine. 

SEPTEMBER 30. Lorin Wright arrives at Kitty Hawk from 

Dayton for visit with brothers, remains until October 13, and 

witnesses some of the gliding experiments. 

OCTOBER 1. George A. Spratt arrives at Kitty Hawk to participate for second time in Wright gliding experiments, and 

remained until October 20. 

OCTOBER 4, 6. Wrights modify their 1902 glider by replacing 

fixed double rear fin with a rear rudder linked with the wingwarping control to counteract warp-drag. 

OCTOBER 5. Chanute and his assistant, Augustus M. Herring, 

arrive at Kitty Hawk to join Wrights in gliding experiments. 

Chanute and Herring remained until October 14 and 

conducted unsuccessful tests on the multiple-wing machine 

built by Charles Lamson for Chanute, which had arrived in 

camp on September 24. 

OCTOBER 18. In his first letter to the Wrights, Samuel 

Pierpont Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 

inquires about experiments at Kitty Hawk and particularly 

about their use of “special curved surfaces and the like.” 

OCTOBER 28. Wrights leave Kitty Hawk, arriving in Dayton 

on October 31. 

NOVEMBER. Orville plans to construct a new testing machine 

with intent to conduct new series of measurements to aid in 

design of their airplane. 

DECEMBER. Wrights conduct propeller experiments and begin 

construction of their 1903 four-cylinder engine. 

A Chronology • 5 
DECEMBER 15. Wrights commence plans for a new flying 

machine to be equipped with motor and propellers by conducting 

propeller experiment using 28-inch diameter screw. 

DECEMBER 24. Patrick Alexander, prominent member of 

Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, calls on Wrights in 

Dayton with letter of introduction from Chanute. 

1903 

Early in 1903 Wrights build a second wind tunnel, 2 feet by 

2 feet by 8 feet, to ensure greater accuracy in measurements than 

obtained in tests made in the 1901 wind tunnel. 

FEBRUARY 12. Wrights test newly built airplane motor for 

first time. 

FEBRUARY 13. Motor body and frame broken during test. 

MARCH 6. Propeller estimates for 1903 propellers completed. 

MARCH 23. Wright brothers apply for patent on their flying 

machine (patent issued May 22, 1906). 

APRIL 2. Octave Chanute, in illustrated lecture before AéroClub de France in Paris, tells of the Wright brothers’ gliding 

experiments of 1901 and 1902. 

In the August 1903 issue of L’Aerophile, Chanute published 

an article on the same subject with photographic illustrations, 

scale drawings, and structural details on the Wright 1902 glider. 

Chanute’s lecture and subsequent reports and articles precipitated 

a revival of interest in aviation in Europe. 

APRIL 16. Wilbur Wright 36 years old. 

APRIL 20. Wright brothers receive from foundry a new aluminum 

casting for engine of 1903 machine. 

MAY 2. Orville suffers injury when eye is struck by piece of emery. 

On May 4 Charles Taylor removed an embedded fragment 

from Orville’s eye; the doctor later removed additional fragments. 

JUNE 6. Following return from Europe in May, Chanute visits 

Wrights in Dayton. He presents them with a Richard hand 

anemometer. 

Wilbur reported in 1911 that on this visit Chanute informed 

the brothers he was ending his active gliding experiments because 

“he had come to the conclusion that whatever the final merits of 

the two systems [Wright and Chanute] might be, the first success 

would be obtained in all probability by our system, i.e., human 

control, rather than by his own system, i.e., automatic control.” 

JUNE 7. In letter to George A. Spratt, Orville tells of plans for 

powered machine. 

JUNE 18. Wilbur informs Chanute in a letter that “Our 

engine develops at the brake 15.6 horsepower and we are 

convinced that this is very close to what we will be able to 

reach as a maximum,” indicating early completion of engine 

required for powered flight. 

JUNE 24. Wilbur delivers second lecture before Western Society 

of Engineers, “Experiments and Observations in Soaring Fight,” 

giving account of Wright gliding experiments at Kitty Hawk in 

September and October 1902. 

AUGUST. Wilbur’s lecture of June 24 published in Journal of 

the Western Society of Engineers. 

AUGUST 19. Orville 32 years old. 

SEPTEMBER 12. Wright brothers, as agents, order from St. 

Louis Motor Carriage Co. an automobile “tonneau” for Albert 

R. Cotteral, of Cotteral & Gaddis, General Contractors, 

Dayton, which they deliver to him on September 22. 

SEPTEMBER 23. Wrights leave Dayton for Kitty Hawk, arriving 

there September 25. 

SEPTEMBER 26. Wrights repair damaged shed that housed 

their 1902 glider and commence construction on a new building 

at Kitty Hawk, completed on October 5, in which to assemble 

and house their new machine. 

SEPTEMBER 28. 1902 glider renovated and experiments 

conducted for first time in 1903. Between 60 and 100 glides 

are made. 

In a letter to Chanute dated October 1, Wilbur states that 

it was the finest day for practice the Wrights ever had. 

OCTOBER 3. 1902 glider modified and performance improved 

by enlarging tail surface and changing method of attaching rudder 

to rear rudder frame. 

OCTOBER 9. Wrights commence assembly of 1903 machine, 

following receipt on October 8 of parts shipped from Dayton. 

OCTOBER 23. Dr. Spratt arrives at Kitty Hawk and participates 

in the Wright experiments for third time, departing from Kitty 

Hawk on November 6. 

OCTOBER 28. Smithsonian Institution reprints from its 1902 

annual report and distributes Wilbur’s 1901 lecture, “Some 

Aeronautical Experiments,” as Smithsonian Publication 1380. 

NOVEMBER 2. Installation of engine on 1903 machine 

commenced. 

NOVEMBER 4. The 1903 machine assembled and ready for 

launching except for mounting of propellers. Launching track 

completed. 

NOVEMBER 5. New Wright airplane almost completed and 

assembled when propeller shafts break, requiring shipment to 

Dayton for repair and delaying further experiments. 

Repaired shafts were returned on November 20. 

NOVEMBER 6. Chanute arrives at Kitty Hawk to visit Wilbur 

and Orville, staying until November 12 and discussing his own 

and Wrights’ plans for the next year. 

NOVEMBER 12. Glider experiments are terminated because 

the dilapidated condition of the machine rendered it unsafe. 

Over 200 glides were made during the period September– 

November. 

6 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
NOVEMBER 28. Propeller shaft cracks in test, curtailing further 

tests while awaiting replacement. 

DECEMBER 3. Orville returns to Dayton to obtain replacement 

for broken propeller shaft, the second time shaft had broken. 

DECEMBER 9. Orville leaves Dayton for Kitty Hawk with new 

improved and larger spring steel propeller shaft, arriving back in 

Kitty Hawk on December 11. 

DECEMBER 14. Wrights make first and unsuccessful attempt 

with power machine from slope of Big Kill Devil Hill, with 

Wilbur as operator. Machine stalls after 3 1/2 seconds in the air 

and settles to earth 105 feet below. Five men from Kill Devil Hill 

Life Saving Station present during test. 

DECEMBER 17. Wilbur and Orville make world’s first free, 

controlled, and sustained flights in power-driven, heavier-thanair machine. The four trial flights are witnessed by John T. 

Daniels, W. S. Dough, and A. D. Etheridge, from the Kill Devil 

Life Saving Station; W. C. Brinkley, of Manteo, and Johnny 

Moore, from Nags Head. 

First trial by Orville 10:35 a.m. Time 12 seconds. Distance 

120 feet. Speed between 7 and 8 miles per hour. 

Second trial by Wilbur 11 a.m. Time approximately 12 

seconds. Distance approximately 175 feet. 

Third trial by Orville 11:40 a.m. Time 15 seconds. Distance 

a little over 200 feet. 

Fourth trial by Wilbur 12 noon. Time 59 seconds. Distance 

852 feet. With headwinds averaging 27 m.p.h., the fourth flight 

achieved a distance through the air of over half a mile. A photograph 

of the first successful flight was taken by John T. Daniels, one of the 

witnesses, with Orville’s camera. Machine was wrecked by sudden 

gust of wind shortly after the fourth flight. 

Orville’s telegram to his father announcing successful flights 

transmitted by Joseph J. Dosher, then in charge of Weather 

Bureau Station at Kitty Hawk, to Weather Bureau Station in 

Norfolk, in charge of James Gray, who turned it over to Western 

Union for transmission to Dayton. 

DECEMBER 18. First (inaccurate) accounts of successful flights 

of December 17 published in Norfolk The Virginian-Pilot, New 

York American, and Cincinnati Enquirer, as well as Dayton 

afternoon papers. 

DECEMBER 18–19. 1903 machine and motor disassembled, 

packed, and shipped to Dayton. The 1902 glider is stored in the 

large camp building at Kitty Hawk. 

The machine, in boxes, was stored for many years in a shed 

at the rear of the old Wright workshop and lay for several weeks 

in water and mud during the Dayton flood of March–April 

1913. Subsequently, it was stored in a barn and, when this was 

torn down, in Orville’s laboratory. 

DECEMBER 21. Wrights leave Kitty Hawk, arriving back in 

Dayton December 23. 

DECEMBER 26. Wilbur and Orville interviewed at home by 

Bertha Comstock, of the Chicago Tribune, and by J. D. Sliders, 

of the New York World. 

DECEMBER 31. On reading of successful flights on December 17, 

Godfrey L. Cabot, wealthy and influential Boston businessman, 

writes Senator Henry Cabot Lodge that it would be “eminently 

desirable for the United States to interest itself in this invention with 

a view to utilizing it for war-like purposes.” He also wrote the 

Wrights asking if their machine were capable of carrying a payload 

in the form of a 100-lb. sack of carbon black from his mine in West 

Virginia, over the countryside, often impassable in winter, to the 

nearest railhead, 16 miles away. 

1904 

JANUARY 5. Wrights issue statement to Associated Press, 

published January 6, to correct printed misinformation about 

December 17 flights. 

JANUARY 14. Wrights write to Harry A. Toulmin, patent attorney 

in Springfield, Ill., for appointment to discuss pending patent 

application. 

JANUARY 22. Wilbur goes to Springfield, Ill., to see Toulmin 

and places Wright patent case in his hands. Wilbur saw Toulmin 

again on February 4 to discuss foreign patent applications. 

Chanute visits Wrights in Dayton to discuss rules for 

aeronautic competition scheduled for St. Louis World’s Fair. 

FEBRUARY 4. Independent magazine publishes forged account 

of the Wright flight entitled “Experiments of a Flying Man,” 

using Wilbur Wright’s signature without authorization. 

On February 5 Wrights sent letters to the Independent 

demanding apologies and corrections. Independent published 

retraction to February 24 issue. 

FEBRUARY 17. Orville and Wilbur travel to St. Louis to inspect 

grounds over which World’s Fair aeronautic competition was to 

be held. 

The Wrights decided not to exhibit an airplane at the fair, 

and the proposed race was subsequently cancelled. 

MARCH 8–16. Wilbur again occupied with the United 

Brethren Publishing House case involving his father, and writes 

letters and travels to Huntington, Ind., in his behalf on March 

15, returning to Dayton on March 16. 

MARCH 22. Wrights apply for French patent on their airplane. 

MARCH 24. Wrights apply for German patent on their airplane. 

APRIL–MAY. Wrights construct an entirely new, heavier and 

stronger machine at Huffman Prairie, eight miles out of Dayton, 

with which they made long flights later in the year. A new motor 

is installed which furnished 18 horsepower, as compared with 12 

or 13 horsepower in the 1903 machine. 

APRIL 15. Wrights complete building of a wooden shed at 

Huffman Prairie to house their new, 1904 flying machine. 

MAY 5. Wilbur writes Chanute that three-day trip to 

Huntington, Ind., in connection with Bishop Wright’s church 

problems, has delayed work on their flying machine. 

A Chronology • 7 
MAY 23 and 25. Wrights attempt flights with new machine at 

Huffman Prairie, but rain and insufficient wind prevent takeoff. 

MAY 26. At Huffman Prairie, a large meadow of about 100 acres, 

Wrights try new machine for first time, Orville flying about 25 feet. 

Between this date and December 9, when their last flight of the 

season was made, the Wrights made 105 starts, with total flying 

time of 49 minutes, enabling Wilbur and Orville to obtain practice 

in controlling and maneuvering a powered machine. 

JULY 30. Modification of 1904 machine completed. The gas 

tank and radiator are moved rearward, and blade width of 

propellers is increased. 

AUGUST 13. Wilbur flies 1,340 feet in 32 2/5 seconds, breaking 

previous distance record set at Kitty Hawk. 

SEPTEMBER 1. First basic Wright French patent No. 342,188 

published. The patent was applied for on March 22, 1904, and 

was granted July 1, 1904. 

SEPTEMBER 7. Wrights use a catapult launching device, 

sometimes called the starting derrick, for first time in launching 

machine. 

SEPTEMBER 15. Wilbur makes first turn in the air, a half circle. 

SEPTEMBER 20. Wilbur makes first complete circle in airplane, 

witnessed by Amos I. Root, editor and publisher of Gleanings in 

Bee Culture, who had driven nearly 200 miles from Medina, 

Ohio, to see the flights. 

OCTOBER 15. Chanute visits Wrights in Dayton and witnesses 

short flight by Orville. Machine damaged in landing. 

OCTOBER 24. Lt. Col. John E. Capper, British Army, visits 

Wright brothers in Dayton on behalf of British government, 

seeking proposal for sale of their airplane. 

NOVEMBER 1. After starting down track, Orville wrenches 

shoulder in attempting to stop when stake holding restraining 

wire pulls loose. 

NOVEMBER 9. Wilbur flies five minutes four seconds, distance 

2 3/4 miles, making almost four circles of the field, the best and 

longest flight of the year. 

NOVEMBER 16. Orville makes flights of 1/2, 1/3, and 1/8 

miles and Wilbur a flight of two miles, making 2 1/4 turns of 

the field. 

DECEMBER 1. Orville makes flight of about 2 3/4 miles, 

almost four circles of the field. 

1905 

JANUARY 1. Amos I. Root publishes in Gleanings in Bee 

Culture his account of Wright flight on September 20, 1904, 

first eyewitness report of powered flight. 

The Wright airplane was later described in the January 15 

issue of the magazine, and the Wright 1905 flights were reported in the December 1 issue. 

8 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JANUARY 3. Wilbur sees Robert M. Nevin, Congressman from 

the Dayton district, in first attempt to interest the government in 

their plane. Nevin proposed that the Wrights write him a letter, 

which he would then show to President Taft, who would arrange 

for the Wrights to meet with War Department officials. 

JANUARY 5–FEBRUARY 24. Wrights conduct engine and brake 

tests with four-cylinder engine in preparation for 1905 flights. 

JANUARY 10. Subsequent to his visit to their home in Dayton in 

October, the Wrights write Col. John E. Capper for assurance that 

British government would be interested in an offer of their airplane. 

JANUARY 18. Following Wilbur’s meeting in Dayton on 

January 3 with Congressman Nevin, Wrights write him asking 

whether U.S. government would be interested in their airplane. 

Nevin referred their letter to the Secretary of War on 

January 21. 

JANUARY 26. Nevin replies to Wrights, enclosing letter of 

January 24 from Maj. Gen. George L. Gillespie, U.S. Board of 

Ordnance and Fortification, which states that because “It 

appears from the letter of Messrs. Wilbur and Orville Wright 

that their machine has not yet been brought to the stage of practical operation” the board is unwilling to contribute funds 

toward it’s development. 

MARCH 1. Wrights offer to furnish British War Office a flying 

machine for scouting purpose, the price contingent of performance of the machine. 

MAY 2. Wilbur’s tract dealing with misuse of funds of the United 

Brethren Publishing House, with which his father was deeply 

concerned, is published and distributed to many delegates to the 

General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in 

Christ, Old Constitution, to be held in Michigan late in May. 

The General Conference endorsed the policy of the minority 

trustees, of whom Bishop Wright was one. 

MAY 13. In a letter to the Wrights, British War Office states it 

is requesting military attaché in Washington, Col. Hubert J. 

Foster, to call o them to witness their machine in flight. 

MAY 23. Wrights begin setting up 1905 machine and complete 

it in June. 

MAY 28. Wilbur reports to Chanute that he has recently 

returned from a week’s trip to Michigan to attend General 

Conference of his father’s church. 

JUNE 23. Orville makes first flight with 1905 machine, a flight 

of 9 1/2 seconds. 

This is the first of a series of 50 flights carried out during the 

year and ending October 16, providing practice and further 

experimentation in improving the lateral stability of the airplane. 

These flights were witnesses by 17 persons. 

JULY 25. Carl Dienstbach, American correspondent of 

Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilugen and author of an article 

about the Wrights in the March 1904 issue of this journal, visits 

Wright home in Dayton. 
Dienstbach subsequently wrote many articles and reports 

on the Wright flights. 

AUGUST 30. Christian Conservator publishes editorial by 

Wilbur entitled “Shall White River [United Brethren 

Conference] Destroy Herself?” in interests of his father. 

SEPTEMBER 12. To correct deficient performance of their 

propellers in flight, Wrights devise and mount on propeller tips 

“Little Jokers” (small surfaces, resembling an elevator, set at an 

angle to balance the pressures that were distorting the blades). 

SEPTEMBER 26. In the first of series of extended flights, 

Wilbur flies 11 1/8 miles (17,961 meters) in 18 minutes 11 2/5 

seconds. Witnessed by his father. 

SEPTEMBER 29. Orville flies 12 miles (19,570 meters) in 19 

minutes 56 seconds. 

SEPTEMBER 30. Orville makes flight of approximately 10 

miles in 17 minutes 15 1/2 seconds. 

OCTOBER 3. Orville flies 15 miles (24,535 meters) in 26 minutes 11 1/5 seconds. 

OCTOBER 5. Wilbur makes longest flight of the year: 24 1/5 

miles (38,956 meters) in 39 minutes 23 4/5 seconds, more than 29 

rounds of the field, at an average speed of 38 miles an hour. This 

was a longer flight than the total of their 105 flights of 1904. 

Dayton Daily News publishes article stating that Wrights 

were making sensational flights every day. 

OCTOBER 9. Wrights write to Secretary of War renewing their 

offer to furnish a practical flying machine for scouting purposes. 

In a letter to Capt. Ferdinand Ferber–French artillery officer 

who had been experimenting with Lilienthal-type glider since 

1899 and, as a result of correspondence of Chanute, with 

Wright-type gliders since 1902–Wrights state they are prepared 

to furnish a flying machine on contract, to be accepted only after 

a trial flight of at least 40 kilometers. They also report results of 

their 1905 flights and experiments. 

OCTOBER 16. U.S. Board of Ordnance and Fortification, to 

which October 9 letter was referred, informs Wrights it must see 

drawings and description of machine in order to determine its 

practicality. 

OCTOBER 17–18. Wrights conduct engine tests. 

OCTOBER 27. In reply to Wright letter of October 19, U.S. 

Board of Ordnance and Fortification declines to take any action 

on Wright offer. 

NOVEMBER 4. In letter to Capt. Ferdinand Feber, Wrights 

offer to sell a flying machine to the French government for 

1,000,000 francs. 

NOVEMBER 8. Replying to Chanute’s letter of November 4 

requesting statement as to extent Wrights were aided by work of 

Samuel P. Langley, who had died on February 27, Wilbur writes: 

“The knowledge that the head of the most prominent scientific 

institution of America believed in the possibility of human flight 

was one of the influences that led us to undertake the preliminary 

investigation that preceded our active work. He recommended to us 

the books which enabled us to form sane ideas at the outset. It was 

a helping hand at a critical time and we shall always be grateful.” 

NOVEMBER 14. Charles M. Manly, an engineer who had 

participated in the airplane experiments of Smithsonian 

Institution Secretary Samuel P. Langley in 1903, in a speech 

before the Aero Club of New York, reports that the Wright 

brothers were able to control their machine in all kinds of 

weather and that within the last two months had made more 

than 50 rounds of their flying field near Dayton. 

Manly’s information apparently was based on witnessing 

Wright flights in Dayton early in October. 

NOVEMBER 17. Wrights send letters giving details of their 

1905 experiments to Carl Dienstbach, New York representative 

of Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen, Berlin; Patrick 

Alexander, London, member of the Aeronautical Society of 

Great Britain; and Georges Besancon, editor of L’Aerophile. 

NOVEMBER 22. Wrights receive letter from Col. Hubert J. 

Foster, British military attaché in Washington, requesting view 

of Wright machine in flight. 

NOVEMBER 30. Wrights’ letter of November 17 to Georges 

Besancon is published in L’Auto, a Paris sports journal, creating 

sensation and leading to numerous investigations as to the 

authenticity of the flights. Frank S. Lahm, an American 

businessman residing in Paris, a balloonist and member of 

the Aéro-Club de France, cables his brother-in-law, Henry 

M. Weaver in Mansfield, Ohio, requesting information on 

authenticity of reported Wright flights. 

The letter was also published in the December issue of 

L’Aérophile. 

DECEMBER 1. Wright brothers’ letter of October 9 to Capt. 

Ferdinand Ferber, reporting results of 1905 flights and experiments, 

published in L’Auto. 

DECEMBER 3. Henry M. Weaver visits Wrights in Dayton to 

verify their reported flights. Weaver cables Lahm, “Claims fully 

verified, particulars by mail.” 

Les Sports reports, “All the dailies have published these last days 

a letter addressed to L’Aerophile by the Wright brothers on the 

subject of their flying machine.” 

DECEMBER 6. Weaver sends letter, as promised, confirming 

successful flights, basing his reply on interviews with Wright 

brothers and with eyewitnesses in Dayton, including Charles S. 

Billman, William Fouts, and farmers David Beard and Amos 

Stauffer on December 3. 

DECEMBER 12. Robert Coquelle, writer for L’Auto, comes to 

Dayton to verify Wright claims of powered flight and requests 

pictures and details of their machine. He is accompanied to 

Wright home by John F. Johnson, Dayton bicyclist. 

The Wrights did not provide him with this information, but 

Coquelle published a series of articles about them in L’Auto, 

December 23–26 issues, which the Wrights denounced as false 

and inaccurate. 

A Chronology • 9 
Wilbur and Orville Wright with Flyer II at Huffman Prairie. 

DECEMBER 28. Arnold Fordyce, author and writer, representing 

French syndicate that included Capt. Ferdinand Ferber and Henri 

Letellier, publisher and owner of the French newspaper Le 

Journal, arrives in Dayton to negotiate contract for purchase of 

Wright airplane. 

DECEMBER 29. Lahm reads French translation of Weaver’s letter 

of December 6 before a meeting of the Aviation committee of the 

Aéro-Club de France, resulting in spirited discussion on veracity of 

the statements made in it. 

DECEMBER 30. Wrights sign optional contract with Arnold 

Fordyce, agreeing to deliver to him their first flying machine for 

1,000,000 francs, or $200,000, for the use of the French Army 

not later than August 1, 1906. 

The Wrights were to give a demonstration flight in France 

within three months to show that the plane could travel 50 

kilometers in an hour. 

DECEMBER 31. Weaver letter of December 6 to Lahm reporting 

Wrights’ 1905 flights published in full in L’Auto. 

The letter was also published on January 1 in the Paris edition 

of the New York Herald and in Les Sports. 

1906 

JANUARY. L’Aérophile publishes French Wright patent. 

10 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JANUARY 6. In response to invitation extended to them in letter 

of December 22, 1905, Wrights join Aero Club of America. 

JANUARY 7. New York Times publishes report of Wrights’ 

1905 experiments based on Root’s account in Gleanings in Bee 

Culture, December 1, 1905, issue. 

JANUARY 13–20. Crankshaft and flywheel of Wright original 

1903 engine exhibited at Aero Club of America show held in 

New York in conjunction with Sixth Annual Automobile Show 

of the Automobile Club of America. 

These parts were not returned by the Aero Club after the 

show and when a search was made for them some years later they 

could not be found. 

JANUARY 16. Wrights begin series of tests with 1905 engine, 

continuing test at intervals in February, March, April, and July. 

FEBRUARY 5. Option check for 25,000 francs deposited with 

Morgan, Harjes & Co., Paris branch of J. P. Morgan & Co., in 

accordance with contract signed in December for Fordyce. 

FEBRUARY 17–18. William J. Hammer, consulting electrical 

engineer, spends two days in Dayton and visits at home of 

Wrights. 

MARCH 2. Wright brothers, in report to Aero Club of America, 

make first public announcement of their successful powered 
flights in 1905. Wrights name 13 Dayton residents and four 

nonresidents as witnesses of these flights. 

MARCH 10. Aero Club of America adopts congratulatory 

resolutions and sends them to Wright brothers in recognition 

of their achievements “in devising, constructing, and operating 

a successful, man-carrying dynamic flying machine.” 

MARCH 12. Wright brothers’ statement of March 2 to 

Augustus Post, secretary of the Aero Club of America, reporting 

the successful flights of 1905, made public as printed circulars 

on Aero Club of America letterhead. 

This information reached the press on March 17, with 

accounts appearing in the newspapers on March 18. The 

report was later translated by Léonce A. Ferrus and published 

as Les Expériences des Freres Wright (Paris, Berger-Levrault 

et Cie., 1907). 

MARCH 13. Edward B. Grimes, journalist, visits Wright home 

to obtain information for article on Wrights. 

This article, subsequently published in the Technical World 

Magazine, June 1906 issue, is based largely on and incorporates 

the Wright statement of March 2 to the Aero Club of America. 

MARCH 20–APRIL 5. French commission, composed of 

Arnold Fordyce, the head, Commander Herni Bonel, Capt. 

Henry J. Régnier, Capt. Jules H. F. Fournier, and attorney 

Walter V. R. Berry, which was sent by the French War Ministry 

to negotiate changes in the contract signed with Fordyce, visits 

the Wrights but fails to reach agreement and option lapses. 

MARCH 21. Wright brothers’ report of successful 1905 flights, 

submitted to Aero Club of America on March 2, is among articles 

included in cornerstone laid for new club house being built by the 

Automobile Club of America in New York. 

APRIL 2. At request of Wrights, Octave Chanute comes to 

Dayton from Chicago to be present at conference with French 

military mission negotiating purchase of airplane. 

APRIL 7. Scientific American publishes results of questionnaire 

sent to 17 eyewitnesses of the longer 1905 Wright flights, along 

with text of letter from one of them, Charles Webbert. 

APRIL 14. Wrights address identical letters to German, Italian, 

Japanese, and Russian ministers of war, offering to sell airplane. 

Scientific American publishes letter from Octave Chanute 

dated March 31, which confirms report of successful flights by 

Wright brothers. The letter is in response to editor’s letter of 

March 19 and a telegram dated March 29 to Chanute seeking 

verification of a statement attributed to him which appeared in 

the Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen, February issue. 

APRIL 20. Patrick Y. Alexander, on second visit to Dayton (first 

was December 24, 1902), is dinner guest at Wright home. 

The Wrights suspected that he came in the interests of the 

British government to ascertain if they had entered into a contract 

with the French. 

MAY 8. In response to a communication of February 8, Wrights 

offer their flying machine to the British War Office. 

Submitted in 1903, the Wright Brothers finally received this 

patent in 1906 for their airplane that they tested in 

North Carolina. 

MAY 16. Glenn H. Curtiss, in letter to Wrights, informs them 

of the facilities of the Glenn H. Curtiss Manufacturing Co. in 

Hammondsport, N.Y., and offers to provide them with a motor 

for their plane. 

MAY 20. In continuance of his offer of May 16, Glenn H. 

Curtiss telephones Wrights from Columbus, Ohio. Wrights do 

not respond to offer. 

MAY 22. U.S. Patent Office grants basic Wright patent, No. 

821,393, for a flying machine. Patent application filed March 

23, 1903. 

JULY 16. Wright German patent, No. 22051, granted. Patent 

application filed March 4, 1904. 

JULY 20. Wrights begin series of tests with new engine that gives 

more than 30 hp., 50 percent more than used in their 1905 

flights, continuing tests at intervals in August, September, 

October, and November. 

JULY 31. In response to letter of July 27, Wrights write Lt. Col. 

Albert E. Gleichen, British military attaché in Washington, 

offering to furnish to British government a Wright airplane to 

A Chronology • 11 
train a British operator, and to give manufacturing rights for 

$100,000. 

AUGUST 8. Col. Gleichen visits Wrights in Dayton. 

SEPTEMBER. Glenn H. Curtiss, with Capt. Thomas Baldwin, 

U.S. Army balloonist, visits Wrights at their office and workshop 

in Dayton. 

This was the first meeting between Wrights and Curtiss, 

who was later to be their opponent in prolonged patent suits 

commencing in 1909. At this time Baldwin and Curtiss were 

shown photographs of the Wright 1904 and 1905 flights, and the 

machine and the flights were discussed at considerable length. 

SEPTEMBER 4. Wrights receive letter from French Minister of 

War declaring prior negotiations for purchase of airplane at an end. 

SEPTEMBER 5. Wrights see an airship aloft for the first time, 

an exhibition flight given at the Dayton Fairgrounds by Capt. 

Thomas S. Baldwin, U.S. Army. 

NOVEMBER 22. Wrights announce they will not publicly test 

their flying machine because this would jeopardize negotiations 

for sale of their airplane. 

NOVEMBER 29. Ulysses D. Eddy, New York businessman 

and former partner in Flint & Co., calls on Wrights at their 

home in Dayton to verify newspaper reports concerning their 

invention, which he believed might interest his former firm 

and prove profitable. 

DECEMBER 1–8. New Wright four-cylinder vertical engine 

exhibited at second Annual Exhibition of the Aero Club of 

America in New York. 

In his letter of November 10 to Dr. George A. Spratt, 

Wilbur stated, “We have spent the last six months in building 

some new motors of greater power than the old ones and 

slightly lighter.” 

DECEMBER 5. Patrick Alexander of England, on his third visit 

to Dayton, is guest of Wrights in Dayton. In the evening 

Wilbur, Orville, and he leave for New York to attend New York 

Aero Show, being held December 1–8 in conjunction with the 

Seventh Annual Sow of the Automobile Club of America at 

Grand Central Palace. 

DECEMBER 7. Wrights, accompanied by Octave Chanute, 

visit the New York Aero Show. 

John Brisben Walker, editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine, 

give dinner in honor of Wrights at Century Club in New York, 

in which Octave Chanute, Augustus Post, and other prominent 

individuals attend. 

DECEMBER 8. Wilbur and Orville go to Coatesville, Pa., for a 

few days to visit with Dr. George Spratt. 

DECEMBER 10. Wilbur and Orville go to Washington, where 

they meet Dr. Albert F. Zahm, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, Prof. 

Charles F. Marvin, Prof. Willis L. Moore, and several scientists 

from the Smithsonian Institution. 

DECEMBER 12. Wrights return to Dayton. 

12 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

DECEMBER 15. The Wright four-cylinder engine shown at 

Aero Club of America exhibit in New York, December 1–8, is 

described and illustrated in Scientific American. 

DECEMBER 17. In response to interest in Wright airplane 

expressed by Charles R. Flint of Flint & Co. of London, Berlin, 

and St. Petersburg, commercial bankers and one of the world’s 

largest munitions dealers, Orville goes to New York for first 

meeting. On return to Dayton on December 19 he reports 

prospect of a successful deal. 

DECEMBER 18. Flint & Co. offers Wrights $500,000 for 

their rights outside the United States, money to be paid in full 

upon delivery of one machine after a demonstration flight of 

50 kilometers. 

DECEMBER 26–28. George H. Nolte of Flint & Co. in New 

York comes to Dayton to consult with Wilbur and Orville 

regarding foreign sales rights for the Wright airplane. 

1907 

JANUARY. L’Aerophile publishes details and photographs of 

Wright four-cylinder engine exhibited in New York in December, 

basing information on account published in Scientific American, 

December 15 issue. 

JANUARY 7. Wrights are interviewed in Dayton by George K. 

Turner of McClure’s Magazine. 

An article on the brothers entitled “The Men Who Learned 

to Fly,” based on this interview, was subsequently published in the 

February 1908 issue of the magazine. Wilbur strongly condemned 

it, claiming it included many incorrect statements, as well as 

alleged direct quotations not a part of original conversation. 

JANUARY 17. George H. Nolte of Flint & Co. comes to 

Dayton for second time in pursuance of negotiations under way 

between Wrights and Flint & Co. to exploit Wright invention. 

JANUARY 20. Wrights depart for New York to discuss sale of 

their airplane abroad with Charles R. Flint, returning to Dayton 

on January 26. 

JANUARY 24. Wrights see and discuss sales plans with 

Courtlandt Field Bishop, president of Aero Club of America, 

and seek information about conditions of airplane competition 

announced by Mr. Bishop on January 22 which was reported to 

have a prize of $200,000. 

FEBRUARY 5. Wilbur goes to New York, returning to Dayton 

on February 9 with report of proposition to supply 50 machines 

to Germany for half million dollars. 

MARCH 1. Wrights write Barnum & Bailey, Bridgeport, Conn., 

to ascertain if they would be interested in exhibiting the Wright 

airplane. 

In September 1907 Barnum & Bailey expressed an interest 

in exhibiting the machine at the London Exposition in 1908, 

but nothing developed from this proposal. 

MARCH 20–21. Wrights conduct experiments with hydroplanes 

and floats on the Miami River at Dayton. 
The dam controlling the water on which they were 

experimenting broke during the night of March 21–22, preventing further experiments on the river at this time. 

APRIL 2. In a letter, Wrights provide Congressman Herbert Parsons 

of New York, whom Wilbur apparently had seen on a trip to New 

York the preceding week, with copies of correspondence between 

Wrights and Board of Ordnance and Fortification in 1905. 

APRIL 6. Wrights complete and achieve satisfactory test with a 

new engine weighing 160 pounds and giving more than 30 hp. 

Engine tests continued April–June. 

APRIL 23. In letter to Congressman Parsons, Wrights express 

willingness to meet with Gen. J. Franklin Bell of U.S. Army. 

In prior letter of April 15 to the Wrights, Congressman 

Parsons, who was endeavoring to interest President Roosevelt in 

the Wright machine, had enclosed a letter from Gen. Bell 

addressed to Parsons. 

MAY–JUNE. Orville works on improved airplane and experiments 

with new engine. 

MAY 3. Wilbur and Orville elected honorary members of 

Wiener Flugtechnischer Verein, Vienna. 

MAY 8. Herbert N. Casson, author of “At Last We Can Fly; the 

Story of the Wright Brothers” in the American Magazine, April 

1907 issue, visits Wright home in Dayton. 

MAY 16. In response to telegram dated May 15 from Flint & 

Co., Wilbur leaves Dayton for New York and sails for Europe 

aboard R.M.S. Campania on May 18, arriving in London on 

May 25 and in Paris on May 27 to begin a series of talks with 

Flint & Co. agents in London, Paris, and Berlin, which it was 

hoped would lead to the sale of the Wright flying machine. 

MAY 17. In letter to the U.S. War Department in response to 

a communication of May 11, Wrights renew offer to supply 

a flying machine to the government that will carry two men 

and a fuel supply for a flight of 200 kilometers and state that 

they are willing to make it a condition of contract that the 

machine must make a trial before government representatives 

of not less than 50 kilometers at a speed of not less than 50 

kilometers an hour. 

MAY 22. Aero Club of America publishes Navigating the Air; a 

Scientific Statement of Aeronautics Up to the Present Time, 

which contains “The Relations of Weight, Speed, and Power of 

Flyers” by the Wright brothers, giving comparative data for the 

1903, 1904, and 1905 airplanes. Appended are letters to the 

Aero Club of America from four witnesses of flights made by the 

Wrights at Dayton in 1905. 

MAY 27. Wilbur arrives in Paris and spends day sightseeing. 

MAY 28. Wilbur, accompanied by Hart O. Berg and Frank 

R. Cordley of Flint & Co., has conference with French 

industrialist Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe in first effort to 

sell the Wright airplane. 

Deutsch de la Meurthe expresses willingness to join in 

formation of a company or to introduce Wright to French 

Minister of War. The Wright proposition provided for a flight 

of 50 kilometers, with an altitude of up to 300 meters with 

one man aboard, the price to be a million francs. 

MAY 31. Wrights reply to May 22 letter of Board of Ordnance 

and Fortification, offering to deliver a Wright flying machine for 

$100,000 and to teach an operator to fly it. 

JUNE 13. Wilbur visits Aero-Club Park in Saint-Cloud to view 

balloon contest conducted by Aéro-Club de France. 

JUNE 15. In response to letter of June 8, Wrights elaborate the 

conditions set forth in offer of May 31 to the U.S. Board of 

Ordnance and Fortification. 

JUNE 21. Orville journeys to Springfield, Ill., to consult Harry 

A. Toulmin regarding new patent on device for maintaining 

automatic stability in an airplane. 

He made a second trip on June 26. 

JUNE 24. Wilbur, following discussions with Flint & Co. 

representative Henry Peartree on June 20–22, submits 

proposition to French Minister of War providing for a flight 

of 50 kilometers, rising to an altitude of 300 meters with one 

man on board, the price of the airplane to be one million 

francs. 

JULY 2. French government declines Wilbur’s proposition of 

June 24. 

Orville, in cable from Dayton to Wilbur sent the previous 

day, also is not agreeable to these terms. 

The U.S. War Department declines to enter into a contract 

with the Wrights. 

JULY 14. Wilbur, with tickets provided by the French War 

office, views Bastille Day ceremonies in Paris, including the 

review of French troops at Longchamps by President Clément 

Armand Falliéres of France, Premier Georges Clemenceau, and 

Gen. Georges Picquart. 

JULY 17. At Saint-Cloud, Wilbur is passenger in the balloon La 

Mouche, built by Maurice Mallet and piloted by Charles Levée 

and Alan R. Hawley. 

James E. Harrington was also a passenger. The descent was 

made at Charpentrie, 10 miles from Orleans. The trip of nearly 

80 miles lasted three hours and 15 minutes. 

JULY 18. In response to a cabled request on July 13 from Wilbur, 

who hopes to make a deal with the French, Orville leaves Dayton 

from New York en route to Paris to join him, sailing on July 20 

aboard the Philadelphia and arriving in Paris on July 28. 

JULY 19. At the request of Isidor Lowe, Wilbur prepares 

“Comparison of Airships With Flyers” (first published in The 

Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright in 1953). He concludes, 

“Every recognized scientific student of aeronautics in the world 

favors aeroplanes against airships.” 

JULY 20. Wright machine crated and shipped from Dayton to 

France in anticipation of demonstration flight in connection 

with sale. 

A Chronology • 13 
The machine remained in storage in Le Havre until the 

summer of 1908. 

JULY 31. Wrights submit to the French Minister of War new 

revised proposition for sale of airplane. 

AUGUST 1. Orville, Frank R. Cordley, of Flint & Co., and 

Charles Levée, member of Aéro-Club de France, visit Maurice 

Mallet’s balloon factory in Paris. Meet with Victor Tatin, early 

French aviation experimenter. 

Charles E. Taylor, Wright mechanic, in response to Wilbur’s 

request of July 15, leaves Dayton to join the Wrights, arriving in 

Paris August 11. 

AUGUST 4. Wilbur, accompanied by Hart O. Berg, leaves Paris 

for Berlin to see Isidor Loewe, armament manufacturer, and to 

commence negotiations for sale of Wright airplane in Germany. 

AUGUST 6. Wilbur, with Hart O. Berg commences German 

negotiations for sale of Wright machine, with conference with 

Isidor Loewe and Capt. Richard von Kehler of the German 

Army and head of the Motorluftschiff-Studiengesellschaft, 

Berlin. 

AUGUST 17. Wilbur returns to Paris. 

AUGUST 24. All offers to the French Minister of War are 

withdrawn by the Wrights because of their disappointment 

with long, drawn-out negotiations. 

SEPTEMBER 15. Wilbur leaves Paris for Berlin on second visit 

to Germany to continue negotiations. 

OCTOBER 1. Wilbur has conference at balloon station at Tegel 

regarding sale of Wright airplane to German Army with Maj. 

Hans Gross, who expresses an interest if Wrights can provide a 

practical machine. 

Orville, in London, receives telegram from Wilbur on 

October 2 requesting him to come to Berlin to participate in 

negotiations. 

Orville arrived in Berlin on October 3. 

OCTOBER 22. Orville returns to Paris from Berlin to confer 

with Lt. Frank P. Lahm, then proceeds to London on October 

24 to confer with Lt. Col. John E. Capper, and returns to Paris 

again on November 3. 

OCTOBER 24. Carl Dienstbach and Capt. Alfred 

Hildenbrandt, formerly with the German Aeronautics Corps, 

arrive in Dayton to authenticate reports of flights, interviewing 

witnesses and Bishop Wright in absence of the Wrights. 

In a subsequent article in the German newspaper LokalAnzeiger, published November 18, Hildebrandt affirmed the 

validity of the evidence of the Wright flights. 

OCTOBER 25. Wilbur returns to Paris from Berlin, with 

German negotiations unsettled. 

OCTOBER 30. Replying from London to a letter of October 

5, Wrights ask U.S. Board of Ordnance and Fortification if it is 

interested in a conference and say that one of the brothers is 

14 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

willing to return to the United States at once to discuss the matter 

and to give demonstration flights. 

NOVEMBER 2-3. Orville, having arrived in London from Paris 

on October 29, spends the weekend with Col. and Mrs. John E. 

Capper at their home in Farnborough, England. 

Col. Capper, of the Royal Aircraft Factory, had called on the 

Wrights in Dayton in 1904 at the request of the British Government. 

NOVEMBER 3. Wrights sign agreement with Flint & Co. and 

Hart O. Berg providing that they act as sole agents for the 

Wrights abroad and negotiate agreements with governments for 

purchase or use of Wright airplane and for the formation of 

companies to take over ownership or exploitation of Wright 

inventions. 

Flint & Co. accepted this agreement on December 2. 

NOVEMBER 11. Wilbur, accompanied by Wright mechanic 

Charles E. Taylor, leaves Paris for London, spends several days 

there, and sails for the United States from Liverpool aboard 

R.M.S. Baltic on November 14, arriving in New York on 

November 22. 

NOVEMBER 14. Orville, with Hart O. Berg, visits the automobile 

show in Paris and there meets Marquis Albert de Dion, 

Ferdinand Charron, and Capt. Ferdinand Ferber, all members of 

the Aéro-Club de France. 

Orville again visits the automobile show on November 27. 

NOVEMBER 18. Orville, with Berg and the English writer 

Walter Savage Landor, witnesses French flyer Henri Farman 

compete for a Deutsch-Archdeacon prize of 50,000 francs at 

Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. 

NOVEMBER 25. Wilbur, in Washington, following his return 

from Europe, meets with Gen. James Allen, chief of the Signal 

Corps, and Gen. William Crozier and Maj. Lawson M. Fuller of 

the Ordnance Department, and provides them with information 

on the performance of the airplane the Wrights are willing to 

guarantee for $25,000. 

DECEMBER 3. Wilbur goes to Washington to confer with Board 

of Ordnance and Fortification on December 5 in continuance of 

discussions of November 25 and returns to Dayton on December 6. 

DECEMBER 4. Orville departs for the United Sates aboard the 

Oceanic, arriving home in Dayton on December 13. 

DECEMBER 5. Wilbur appears before the Board of Ordnance 

and Fortification in a meeting in Washington and confers with 

Gen. James Allen. He offers U.S. government an airplane capable of carrying two people for $25,000. 

DECEMBER 9. Wilbur writes Octave Chanute, “Our plan is to 

spend the winter building a half dozen new machines for the 

spring trade. We do not fear any serious competition until after 

we show our machine.” 

DECEMBER 18. In letter to Gen. James Allen, Wrights offer 

suggestions on proposed specifications to be issued for proposed 

bids on flying machines. 
DECEMBER 23. U.S. Signal Corps advertises for bids on military heavier-than-air flying machine to be submitted to Board of 

Ordnance and Fortification by February 1. 

The specifications were published in full in Scientific 

American Supplement, December 28 issue. 

1908 

JANUARY 18. Wrights supply information on their airplane and 

flights to Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, secretary of the Aerial 

Experiment Association, Hammondsport, N.Y., who had 

requested technical data in a letter of January 15. 

JANUARY 20. Orville goes to Springfield to consult Harry A. 

Toulmin on Wright patents. 

JANUARY 22. Orville goes to Canton, Ohio, to witness balloon 

ascension by Lt. Frank P. Lahm, returning on January 23. 

JANUARY 27. French Wright patents Nos. 384,124 and 

384,125 applied for November 18, 1907 issued. 

Wrights submit bid to U.S. Signal Corps to furnish a heavierthan-air flying machine designed to weigh between 1,100 and 

1,250 lbs. With two men on board, and for a speed of 40 miles an 

hour, to be delivered in 200 days. 

FEBRUARY 8. Wrights’ bid to furnish a flying machine to the 

U.S. War Department for $25,000 is accepted. 

FEBRUARY 10. Wrights apply for patent on device for maintaining 

automatic stability (issued October 14, 1913–their patent No. 

1,075,533). 

First formal Army airplane contract signed by U.S. Signal 

Corps with Wright brothers, with Capt. Charles S. Wallace signing 

on behalf of Signal Corps and Orville for the brothers. Wrights 

agree to deliver for $25,000 by August 28, 1908, a heavier-than-air 

flying machine meeting U.S. Signal Corps Specification No. 486, 

dated December 23, 1907. 

FEBRUARY 17. Wrights apply for two additional flying machine 

patents, their patent No. 987,662 granted on March 21, 1911, and 

their patent No. 1,122,348 granted on December 29, 1914. 

FEBRUARY 29. Scientific American publishes article by Wilbur 

entitled “Flying as a Sport–Its Possibilities,” which was contributed 

to a “Sportsman’s Number” of the magazine. 

MARCH. Orville works on new four-cylinder vertical motor. 

MARCH 15. Wilbur goes to New York, returning to Dayton 

on March 20, to discuss with Flint & Co. the terms of a new 

French contract for the formation of French Wright company. 

This provided for a syndicate to be formed by Lazare Weiller, 

with other French capitalists, to buy the Wrights French 

patents and the rights to manufacture, sell, or license Wright 

airplanes in France. 

L’Auto reports that the Wright brothers have signed a contract 

with French firm Bariquand & Marre for seven 40-hp engines. 

MARCH 23. Lazare Weiller agrees to contract with Wrights for 

formation of company in France. 

The conditions specified included an agreement to execute 

twice a minimum flight of 50 kilometers an hour. The second 

flight was to be made, at the earliest, three days after the first. 

Orville and Wilbur were to receive 2,500 shares, each, of the 

founders shares. Orville disposed of these shares in September 

1920 for $1,800. 

APRIL 4. Wright 1904 airplane shipped to Kitty Hawk to be 

used by Wrights for practice flying and in renewing their pilot 

skills, as they had done no flying since 1905. 

APRIL 6. Wilbur leaves for Kitty Hawk, arriving there April 9. 

APRIL 10. Public announcement of Wright brothers’ contract 

with Lazare Weiller is made in L’Auto. 

APRIL 15. Charles W. Furnas, Wright mechanic, arrives at Kitty 

Hawk to assist Wrights in their experiments. 

APRIL 21. Orville leaves for Kitty Hawk, arriving there April 

25. Wright machine arrives the same day. 

APRIL 25. Wilbur, with assistance of Charles Furnas, completes 

new building, begun April 20, to be used for living quarters during 

1908 experiments. 

APRIL 27. Wrights unpack and begin assembly of their airplane. 

MAY 1. French aviation magazine L’Aérophile publishes description 

of Wright airplane, based on drawings filed with Wright patent Nos. 

384,124 and 384,125 in French Patent Office. 

Norfolk Virginian-Pilot carries exaggerated story concerning 

the Wright brothers, reporting they had flown 10 miles to sea and 

returned and had done a lot of maneuvering over the ground. 

New York Herald telegraphs the Weather Bureau at Manteo, 

N.C., for information. 

MAY 5. Wrights visited by D. Bruce Salley, free lance reporter from 

Norfolk, Virginia, who had arrived at Manteo on May 4 and had 

been instructed to report on sensational flights reportedly carried 

out several days ago. 

MAY 6. Wrights fly for first time in 1908. Wilbur flying a distance 

of 1,008 feet at average speed of 41 miles, the first of a series of 22 

flights carried out May 6–14 with their 1905 machine modified 

so that the operator and a passenger could sit erect. 

MAY 7. D. Bruce Salley’s dispatch of May 6 from Norfolk, 

reporting that the Wright brothers had flown almost 1,000 feet 

at an altitude of 60 feet, published in New York Herald. 

MAY 14. Wrights carry a passenger for the first time, Wilbur 

making a flight of about 600 meters in 28 3/5 seconds, with 

Charles W. Furnas of Dayton aboard, and Orville another with 

Furnas, making a complete circle and covering a distance of 2 

1/2 miles (4,120 meters) in four minutes 2 2/5 seconds. 

This and other flights in May were witnessed from a distance 

by a group of newspaper correspondents, including Byron R. 

Newton, of the New York Herald, William Hoster, of the New 

York American, P. H. McGowan, of the London Daily Mail, 

Arthur Ruhl, writer, and James H. Hare, photographer, for 

A Chronology • 15 
The Wright Flyer demonstrations at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 3, 1908. 

Collier’s Weekly, and by the men of the Kill Devil Hill Life 

Saving Station and others in the area. 

MAY 17. Wilbur leaves Kitty Hawk, en route to Europe, without 

returning to Dayton, arriving in New York on May 19 and 

consulting with Flint & Co. on May 20. 

MAY 20. Wilbur writes to Orville, declaring that “We need to 

have our true story told in an authentic way at once,” which 

subsequently leads to Orville’s article furnished to the Century 

Magazine and published in September. 

MAY 21. Wilbur sails from New York for Paris aboard steamship 

La Touraine, arriving May 29 to demonstrate capabilities of 

Wright machine in Europe. 

MAY 23. Orville arrives in Dayton from Kitty Hawk, stopping 

in Washington, D.C., en route to inspect grounds at Ft. Myer. 

Scientific American reports on Wright flights at Kitty 

Hawk, May 6–14, and states that “In view of these semi-public 

demonstrations, there can be no further doubt of the claims 

made by the brothers as to their ability to fly.” 

MAY 29. New York Herald publishes for first time detailed 

drawings and description of Wright airplane from drawings 

and description filed with French Patent Office when patent 

application was made. 

16 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

MAY 30. Arthur Ruhl’s account of May flights of Wright 

brothers at Kitty Hawk, illustrated with photographs by James 

Hare, published in Collier’s Weekly. 

JUNE 3. Orville releases account of Wright May 1908 flights at 

Kitty Hawk to Aero Club of America and four technical journals. 

This account as published in Aeronautics (New York), June 

issue; Scientific American, June 13 issue; L’Aérophile, June 15 

issue; and Illustrierte Aeronautishe Mitteilungen, July 1 issue. 

JUNE 5. Wright engine and airplane shipped from Kitty Hawk 

arrives back in Dayton. 

JUNE 6–AUGUST 5. Wright engine tested and airplane 

worked on by Orville preparatory to shipping it to Washington 

for Army trials. 

JUNE 8. Wilbur and Hart O. Berg, seeking a suitable flying 

ground, go to Le Mans, located about 125 miles southwest of 

Paris, at invitation of Leon Bollee, factory owner who offers 

Wilbur use of facilities to set up his machine. 

JUNE 12. Berg informs Wilbur that the Hunaudiéres Race 

Course at Le Mans has been rented from Count Roger de 

Nicolay, president of the Jockey Club and principal owner of the 

race course, at a monthly rental and a share of the gate receipts 

if exhibition flights are staged there. 
JUNE 15. Orville travels to Springfield to discuss Wright 

patents with Harry A. Toulmin. 

JUNE 16. Wilbur arrives at Le Mans to commence trial flights. 

Cases containing Wright airplane arrive, are taken to Leon Bollee’s 

shop and opened, disclosing considerable damage occurring en 

route due to improper packing. 

JUNE 20–AUGUST 8. Wilbur assembles Wright airplane and 

tests engine preparatory to first flight at Le Mans. 

JUNE 22. Orville completes and sends article setting forth their 

aeronautical achievements to date to Century Magazine, for 

which he is paid $500. 

JULY–AUGUST. Orville, assisted by Charles E. Taylor, works 

on construction of parts for five Wright machines for delivery to 

Wilbur in France. 

JULY 3. Wilbur spends day in Paris with Frank S. Lahm, discussing 

past and future of flying, and returns to Le Mans in the evening. 

JULY 4. Wilbur burned on left arm by escaping steam from broken 

water connection in engine while testing his flying machine. 

JULY 15. Wrights apply for patent on mechanism for flexing the 

rudder of a flying machine, which was granted on January 5, 

1909 (their patent No. 908,929). 

JULY 20. Orville writes Glenn H. Curtiss that ailerons used in 

Curtiss June Bug are an infringement on Wright warping patents. 

JULY 26. Wilbur, accompanied by René Pellier and Léon 

Carré, makes a second balloon ascension in a spherical balloon, 

Au Petit Bonheur, recently purchased and piloted by Léon 

Bollée at Le Mans. 

JULY 29. Wilbur and Orville elected honorary members of 

Aeronautic Society, New York. 

AUGUST 8. Wilbur finishes assembling machine and makes a 

flight of one minute 45 seconds at an estimated speed of 55 

kilometers per hour using stick control for first time, at the 

Hunaudiéres Race Course. 

Wilbur reserves rights to photographs of his first flight to 

Century Magazine. Other photographers are not permitted to 

take close-up photographs. Flight is witnessed by large crowd, 

majority from Le Mans and nearby countryside, as well as by 

many members of Aéro-Club de France and a number of 

newspaper representatives from Paris. 

This was the first flight made by the Wrights in Europe and 

the first of nine made at the Hunaudiéres Race Course, August 

8, 10–13. 

AUGUST 13. Wilbur makes last flights at Hunaudiéres Race 

Course, flying for eight minutes 13 2/5 seconds and for two minutes 

20 seconds. A wing of his machine is damaged on landing on this 

last flight, prompting his decision to move to a larger field. 

AUGUST 16. Wilbur, accompanied by Hart O. Berg, is guest at 

luncheon in his honor given by Baron Paul d’Estournelles de 

Constant, senator for the Département de la Sarthe, at Chateau 

Clermont, near La Fléche. 

Wright engine and airplane parts packed and shipped to 

Fort Myer, Va., for forthcoming Signal Corps trials by Orville. 

AUGUST 18. Wilbur completes repairs to damaged machine 

and transports it to Camp d’Auvours. 

AUGUST 19. Orville leaves for Washington, D.C. and arrives 

there the next day with the Wright 1908 machine to be used in 

flights in fulfillment of Wright Army contract. 

AUGUST 21. Wilbur resumes flying at a new location, Camp 

d’Auvours, seven miles east of Le Mans, making flights of one 

minute 49 1/5 seconds and two minutes 14 seconds. 

This was the first of an extensive series of flights at Camp 

d’Auvours, lasting through December 31 in which Wilbur 

continually increased the length and altitude of his flights, carried 

passengers, trained pilots, established new flight records, and 

brought numerous prizes and honors to the Wrights. 

AUGUST 22. Orville attends banquet at National Press Club in 

Washington at which the balloonist Thomas S. Baldwin was 

guest of honor. 

AUGUST 22–SEPTEMBER 2. Wright airplane at Fort Myer is 

unpacked, assembled, and engine tested. Starting track, with 

wooden tower for hoisting the catapult weight, prepared and 

wooden shelter for machine constructed. Tent set up which 

serves as office for contractor. 

AUGUST 23. Wilbur honored at banquet given by 

Agricultural Society in La Fléche. He is presented with the 

Universal Peace Society bronze medal and accepts a similar one 

in behalf of Orville. 

At invitation of Dr. Albert F. Zahm, Orville moves from St. 

James Hotel in Washington to Cosmos Club. 

AUGUST 25. Wilbur guest of honor at banquet given by 

Lazare Weiller at Hotel du Dauphin in Le Mans. Other guests 

include M. d’Auriac Prefect of the Département de la Sarthe, 

Gen. Georges A. Bazaine–Hayter, Baron Paul d’Estournelles de 

Constant, Léon Bollée, René Pellier, vice president of the AéroClub de la Sarthe, and representatives of the press. Aviators 

present included Henri Farman, Henry Kapferer, Marcel 

Kapferer, Paul Zens, and Ernest Zens. 

AUGUST 27. Wright airplane assembled at Fort Myer and ready 

for testing. 

AUGUST 29. Scientific American publishes detailed photographs 

and description of Wright airplane. 

The account was continued in the September 26th issue of 

the magazine and was based largely on Orville’s article in the 

September issue of the Century Magazine. 

AUGUST 30. Orville guest at home of David Fairchild, botanist. 

SEPTEMBER. First popular presentation by the Wrights of the 

aeronautical achievements to date, entitled “The Wright 

Brothers’ Aeroplane,” is published in the Century Magazine. 

Though it appears under joint authorship, the article was 

entirely the work of Orville. 

A Chronology • 17 
SEPTEMBER 1. Wilbur sends cablegram from Le Mans to 

Chicago Daily News denying reports that he planned to fly 

across English Channel. He states that his primary purpose is to 

meet the conditions stipulated by the French company seeking 

to buy the Wright airplane. He says further that the huge crowds 

witnessing flights have prevented a record-breaking distance 

record up to this time. 

SEPTEMBER 3. In preparation for forthcoming trials in fulfilling Army contract, Orville makes first flight at Fort Myer, Va., 

near Washington, D.C., a flight of one minute 11 seconds, in 

which he circled the field 1 1/2 times. 

This was the first of a series of 14 flights, many of which 

established records, extending through September 17. 

SEPTEMBER 5. Wilbur is guest at dinner at Chateau-de-Loir. 

Attending the dinner are Mr. and Mrs. Hart O. Berg, Paul 

Tissandier, Paul Zens, and Ernest Zens. 

SEPTEMBER 6. Wilbur is visited by French balloonists Paul 

and Ernest Zens and Paul Tissandier who travel in small balloon 

from gas works at Le Mans, descend on artillery grounds, and 

land 20 yards from Wilbur’s airplane shed. 

SEPTEMBER 9. Orville establishes three new records by making 

a flight of 57 minutes 31 seconds in which he circled the field 57 

times, a flight of one hour two minutes 15 seconds in which he 

circled the field 55 times, and a flight of six minutes 24 seconds 

with Lt. Frank P. Lahm as passenger. The last flight of the day 

lasted until after dusk and was probably the first night airplane 

flight. Flights witnessed by Secretary of War Luke E. Wright, 

Secretary of Commerce and Labor Oscar S. Straus, and other 

high-ranking government officials. 

SEPTEMBER 10. Orville flies one hour five minutes 52 seconds 

and rises to an estimated altitude of 200 feet, breaking the record 

of the previous day. 

Dayton Mayor Edward E. Burkhart sends Orville letter of 

congratulation from city of Dayton on his record-breaking flight 

at Fort Myer on September 9. 

SEPTEMBER 11. Orville flies one hour 10 minutes 24 seconds, 

another duration record, circling the field 57 1/2 times and 

describing two figure eights, the first seen at Fort Myer. 

SEPTEMBER 12. Orville establishes two new records, flying for 

nine minutes 6 1/3 seconds with Maj. George O. Squier, a new 

passenger record, and flying one hour 14 minutes 20 seconds, 

circling the field 71 times and attaining a maximum altitude of 

about 300 feet, a new duration record and the longest 1908 

flight made by Orville. 

SEPTEMBER 14. Crowd estimated at 5,000, largest to date, 

comes to Camp d’Auvours to witness flights by Wilbur, but 

engine trouble prevents any flying. Visitors include Count A. D. 

Economos, Louis Blériot, Frank S. Lahm, Auguste Nicolleau, 

Capt. Gérard Binné, Paul Tissandier, Paul Zens, and Ernest Zens. 

SEPTEMBER 16. Wilbur flies 39 minutes 18 2/5 seconds at 

Camp d’Auvours, establishing new French record. 

In a flight lasting two minutes 28 1/5 seconds Wilbur carries 

his first European passenger, Ernst Zens, French Balloonist. 

SEPTEMBER 17. Orville severely injured and Lt. Thomas E. 

Selfridge killed at Fort Myer, Va., in first airplane fatality when 

Wright airplane crashes to earth from a height of about 75 feet 

after propeller blade breaks and machine goes out of control. 

This terminates the Wright Army trials for the year. 

SEPTEMBER 18. Katharine Wright takes leave from teaching 

assignment and arrives in Washington from Dayton. 

Accompanied by Charles R. Flint, the Wright brothers’ financial 

agent, she visits Orville at the Fort Myer hospital. 

On learning of Orville’s accident at Fort Myer, Wilbur 

postpones preparations for an attempt to win the Michelin and 

Aéro-Club de France prizes. 

SEPTEMBER 21. Wilbur flies one hour 31 minutes 25 4/5 

seconds covering a distance of 66.6 kilometers, establishing a 

new world record, in the presence of Henry White, American 

Ambassador to France. 

Katharine represents her brother Orville at burial of Lt. 

Thomas E. Selfridge in Arlington Cemetery. 

SEPTEMBER 24. Wilbur honored at reception by Aéro-Club 

de la Sarthe for establishing new world flying record on 

September 21. Léon Bollée presides. Baron Paul d’Estournelles 

de Constant, Hart O. Berg, president of Conseil Générale le 

Chevalier, and Prefect of the Département de la Sarthe d’Auriac 

speak in praise of Wilbur. 

When asked to say a few words, Wilbur responded with the 

often quoted remark: “I know of only one bird, the parrot, that 

talks, and he can’t fly very high.” 

SEPTEMBER 25. Spectators witnessing flights by Wilbur 

include Léon Delagrange, René Quinton, Ernest Archdeacon, 

Lazare Weiller, Count A. D. Economos, Frank Butler, Mr. and 

Mrs. Omer Decugnis, Baron Paul d’Estournelles de Constant, 

Paul Tissandier, Count and Viscount Costa de Beauregarde, and 

Ernest Zens. 

SEPTEMBER 28. Wilbur makes flight of one hour seven minutes 

24 4/5 seconds, completing a distance of 48 kilometers 120 

meters and attaining a maximum altitude of 10 meters, for which 

he was awarded on September 30 the prize of 5,000 francs offered 

by the Aviation Commission of the Aéro-Club de France. 

OCTOBER 1. Aéro-Club de France awards Wrights gold medal 

for their September flights in France and America. 

OCTOBER 7. Wilbur makes six flights and on one of them carries 

his first woman passenger, Mrs. Hart O. Berg, the first real flight 

made anywhere in the world by a woman. 

OCTOBER 8. Wilbur makes a series of seven flights, several in the 

presence of Dowager Queen Margherita of Italy. In the first flight, 

lasting four minutes 22 seconds, he carries as passenger Griffith 

Brewer, the first Englishman to fly. The Queen compliments 

Wilbur on his flying skill. 

OCTOBER 9. Wilbur is guest at chateau of Count Roger de 

Nicolay, president of the Jockey Club. 

18 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
OCTOBER 10. Wilbur flies with Prof. Paul Painlevé, member of 

the French Academy of Sciences and distinguished mathematician, 

as passenger, a flight of one hour nine minutes 45 2/5 seconds 

for a distance of 55 kilometers at an altitude of 10 meters, 

establishing a new world record for duration an distance for two 

persons. This flight was also officially recognized as fulfilling 

the flight performance conditions of the Wrights’ contract with 

the Lazare Weiller Syndicate. 

Wilbur elected president of Ten Dayton Boys Club at annual 

meeting of the club. 

OCTOBER 13. Wilbur acknowledges congratulations received 

from Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Germany of successful 

flights. 

OCTOBER 16. French Académie des Sports awards Wright 

brothers gold medal with inscription “To the conquerors of the 

air, M. M. Wilbur and Orville Wright, the first to fly with an 

apparatus heavier-than-air driven by a motor.” 

OCTOBER 24. Wilbur flies three minutes two seconds with 

Baron Oskar von Lancken-Wakenitz, German chargé d’affaires 

in Paris, as passenger, the first German to fly in an airplane. 

Orville is visited in hospital at Fort Myer by Lord Alfred C. 

W. H. Northcliffe and Gen. Nelson A. Miles. 

OCTOBER 27. Aero Club of United Kingdom awards the 

Club’s gold medal to Wilbur and Orville “for their pioneer work, 

1908” and unanimously elects them honorary members. 

OCTOBER 28. In accordance with the terms of the Wright 

contract with the Lazare Weiller Syndicate, Wilbur begins a 

series of training flights extending through March 20, flying for 

12 minutes with Count Charles de Lambert as a passenger, his 

first lesson with his first French pupil. 

NOVEMBER 1. Orville and Katharine arrive in Dayton following 

his discharge from hospital in Fort Myer. 

Orville never fully recovered from his injury and suffered 

irritation of the sciatic nerve when experiencing vibration in 

airplanes, railroads, boats, or automobiles. 

NOVEMBER 2. Wilbur and Orville elected honorary members 

of the Aero Club of America at its annual meeting. The Aero 

Club also votes to give the Wrights gold medals (designed by 

Victor D. Brenner), which were presented to them at a White 

House ceremony, June 10, 1909. 

NOVEMBER 5. Aéro-Club de France honors Wrights with 

banquet at Automobile-Club de France, presided over by 

French Minister of Public Works, Louis Barthou, at which 

Wilbur receives the Aéro-Club de France gold medal, the 

Academie des Sports gold medal, and the Aéro-Club de France 

Aviation Commission prize of 5,000 francs. 

Wilbur is guest at luncheon of the French society Autor du 

Monde, attended by distinguished editors, authors, scientists, 

and statesmen. These included Louis Liard, vice rector of the 

Academy of Paris; Henri Bergson, the philosopher; Auguste 

Rodin, the sculptor; Paul Painlevé, the mathematician; Charles 

Wagner, author of “The Simple Life”; and Louis Lepine, Paris 

chief of police. 

In the afternoon Wilbur attends French Senate meeting, 

where an appropriation for encouragement of aviation was 

under discussion. On adjournment of the Senate, Baron Paul 

d’Estournelles de Constant gives a reception in his honor and 

introduces him to the president of the Senate, Antonin Dubost, 

and many of the senators. Louis Tillaye, questor of the Senate, 

delivers short speech of welcome. 

NOVEMBER 9. Council of Aeronautical Society of Great 

Britain votes that “the Gold Medal of the Aeronautical Society 

of Great Britain should be presented to Messrs. Wilbur and 

Orville Wright, in recognition of their distinguished services to 

Aeronautical Science.” Notification of the award is made on 

November 21. 

NOVEMBER 10. Wilbur flies for 15 minutes with Capt. Paul 

N. Lucas-Girardville as passenger, the first lesson for his second 

French pupil. 

NOVEMBER 11. Honorary membership conferred on Wilbur 

and Orville by Columbia University Aero Club. 

NOVEMBER 13. Wilbur attains an altitude of 90 meters, winning 

the Aéro-Club de la Sarthe “Prix de la Hauteur” of 1,000 francs. 

NOVEMBER 17. Society for the Encouragement of Peace presents 

gold medal to Wilbur. 

NOVEMBER 18. Wilbur attains an altitude of 90 meters and wins 

the “Prix de la Hauteur” of the Aéro-Club de France, 2,500 francs. 

NOVEMBER 20. Wilbur honored at dinner given by Henri 

Deutsh de la Meurthe and Aéro-Club de France at the AutomobileClub de France headquarters in Paris. Glowing tributes to the 

Wrights are paid by Marquis Albert de Dion, Count Henri de la 

Vaulx, Baron Paul d’Estournelles de Constant, and other guests. 

NOVEMBER 21. Wilbur and Orville informed of election as 

honorary members of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain 

and of the award to them of the society’s gold medal voted on 

November 9. 

NOVEMBER 30. La Compagnie Générale de Navigation 

Aérienne, French Wright company, organized. 

DECEMBER 1. Aero Club of the United Kingdom gold medal 

awarded the Wright brothers “for their pioneer work.” 

DECEMBER 5. Wilbur is honored guest at dinner given by 

Ligue Nationale Aérienne in Paris. 

DECEMBER 18. Wilbur establishes two new world records, a 

flight of one hour 54 minutes 2/5 seconds covering a distance of 

99.8 kilometers, a new official world duration and distance 

record, and attains an altitude of 115 meters, a new record for 

which he received the 100 meter “Prix de la Hauteur” offered by 

the Aéro-Club de la Sarthe. 

DECEMBER 25. Cercle des Arts & Sports at Le Mans honors 

Wilbur at dinner. 

A Chronology • 19 
Wright airplane is one of chief attractions at Aeronautical 

Salon in Grand Palace in Paris, which is opened by President 

Clément A. Fallières of France. 

DECEMBER 28. Wilbur submits entry fee to enter competition 

for Coupe Michelin, stating that he will undertake a competitive 

flight on December 31. 

DECEMBER 31. Wilbur wins Michelin Cup for 1908 and 

prize of 20,000 francs with a flight covering 123 kilometers 200 

meters (real distance being nearly 150 kilometers) in a time of 

two hours 18 minutes 33 3/5 seconds. He extends this same 

flight to establish a new official world duration and distance 

record in a time of two hours 20 minutes 23 1/5 seconds, 

covering 124 kilometers 700 meters. This flight also wins the 

Albert Triaca prize of 500 francs offered for achieving the 

longest flight in the year 1908. 

Following Wilbur’s record-breaking flight on this day, Wilbur 

and Minister of Public Works, Louis Barthou are honored at 

reception given by the Aéro-Club de la Sarthe in Le Mans. 

Tributes to Wilbur paid by Léon Bollée and Louis Barthou. 

1909 

JANUARY. In Country Life Orville predicts commercial future 

for the airplane. 

JANUARY 2. Wilbur sends Wright airplane to French resort 

town of Pau in the south of France at the edge of the Pyrenees. 

Pau had been selected in December on the recommendation 

of his student flyer Paul Tissandier as a new flying site because 

of a warmer climate. 

JANUARY 5. Orville and sister Katharine sail for France on 

Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse to join Wilbur in Paris, arriving 

in Plymouth January 11 and in Paris January 12, where they 

are met by Wilbur, Mr. and Mrs. Hart O. Berg, a number of 

journalists, and members of Aéro-Club de France. 

Wilbur is honored at luncheon at Hotel du Dauphine in Le 

Mans, which is attended by Léon Bollée, president of the AéroClub de la Sarthe, and fellow members of the Aéro-Club. 

Wrights granted patent No. 908,929, originally applied for 

July 15, 1908, for a mechanism for flexing plane rudder. 

JANUARY 7. Orville issued Aéro-Club de France pilot’s license 

No. 14, Wilbur No. 15. 

JANUARY 12. At a luncheon at the Automobile-Club de France 

in Paris, André Michelin presents Wilbur with Michelin award 

of 20,000 francs for record-breaking flight on December 31. 

JANUARY 14. Wilbur arrives at Pau, and Orville and Katharine 

come from Paris to join him on January 16. 

JANUARY 16. Orville and Katharine, en route to Pau to join 

Wilbur, escape injury when their train collides with another 

coming from Pau and is badly wrecked. 

JANUARY 18. Les Premier Hommes-Oiseaux: Wilber et Orville 

Wright, first book to deal with the work of the Wrights, by 

Francois Peyrey, writer for L’Auto, is published. 

20 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JANUARY 21. Wilbur and assistants commence unpacking and 

assembling Wright airplane which, together with the starting rail 

and derrick, had been shipped from Le Mans on January 2. 

City of Pau officially welcomes Wrights and holds dinner 

and reception in their honor at the Palais d’Hiver. Prominent 

municipal and military personnel and officials of aeronautical 

societies attend. 

JANUARY 24. In letter to Dayton Daily News Wilbur states report 

published on January 8 that he had been named correspondent in 

divorce suit brought by a Lieutenant Goujarde is entirely without 

foundation. 

The news service which sent the item, after an investigation, 

discharged its correspondent, and wrote a letter to Wilbur making 

full apology. 

JANUARY 25. Representative J. Eugene Harding, of Ohio, 

introduces H.J. Res. 246, authorizing Secretary of War to award 

gold medals to Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright. 

A similar bill, S.J. Res. 119, is introduced on same day by 

Senator Joseph B. Foraker, of Ohio. 

JANUARY 27. Wilbur and Orville accept honorary membership 

voted by Osterreichischer Flugtechnischer Verein, Vienna. 

JANUARY 29. Wrights dine with Alfred de Lassence, Mayor of 

Pau, attend moving picture showing at Theatre de Variéts that 

includes views of some of Wilbur’s flights at Le Mans. 

JANUARY 31. Russian Wright patent No. 23488 issued. 

FEBRUARY. In London Magazine Wilbur discusses the London 

Daily Mail prize of $10,000 to be awarded to first flyer to complete 

journey from London to Manchester within a period of 24 hours 

and with only two stops en route. 

FEBRUARY 3. Wilbur makes flight of five minutes 57 seconds, 

reaching an altitude of 35 meters, and another of five minutes 4 

3/4 seconds, the first of a series of flights at Pau. 

These flights, extending through March 20, were primarily 

training flights with his three French student pilots, Count 

Charles de Lambert, Paul Tissandier, and Captain Paul N. 

Lucas-Girardville. 

FEBRUARY 7. Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine lunch with Lord 

Alfred Northcliffe, owner of the London Daily Mail, who had 

recently arrived in Le Mans. 

FEBRUARY 9. Wilbur flies at Pau for 19 minutes in the presence 

of Louis Blériot, French aviator. 

FEBRUARY 10. Board of Regents of Smithsonian 

Institution recommends that the newly established Langley 

Medal be awarded to Wilbur and Orville Wright “for 

advancing the science of aerodromics in its application to 

aviation by their successful investigations and demonstration 

of the practicability of mechanical flight by man.” 

Lord Arthur J. Balfour, former Prime Minister of England, 

and Lord and Lady Frederick G. Wolverton visit Pau to view 

flights by Wilbur, but snow and bad weather prevent flights. 
Wilbur has lengthy visit with Lord Balfour and explains 

mechanics of plane to him. 

FEBRUARY 11. Verein deutscher Flugtechniker, Berlin, confers its 

diploma of honor on Wrights “in acknowledgement of . . . pioneer 

services in the advancement of the technics of flight.” 

Lord Northcliffe and Lord Balfour witness 20-minute flight 

by Wilbur. Lord Balfour joins in pulling rope used to raise 

weights on the launching derrick. 

FEBRUARY 15. Katharine is passenger for first time in flight 

with Wilbur lasing seven minutes and four seconds. 

FEBRUARY 16. Wrights sign contract for demonstration flights 

in Germany with August Scherl, owner of the Lokal-Anzeiger, a 

leading newspaper in Berlin. 

FEBRUARY 20. King Alfonso XIII of Spain arrives in Pau, goes 

to the flying field, and is introduced to the Wrights. Two early 

morning flights by Wilbur are made in his presence. Wilbur 

explains plane operation in great detail. Wilbur, Orville, Hart O. 

Berg, and Mayor Alfred de Lassence of Pau, and small party 

breakfast with King Alfonso. 

FEBRUARY 23. Ohio State Senator George K. Cetone introduces 

Senate Bill No. 107 “To provide for a suitable recognition by the 

State of Ohio for the Wright Bros., inventors of the aeroplane, of 

Dayton, Ohio.” 

The bill was enacted by the General Assembly of Ohio on 

March 12, and a medal presented on June 18. 

FEBRUARY 25. Orville and Katharine take trip in balloon Icare 

at Pau with Ernest Zens and the Marquis Edgard de Kergariou, 

covering distance of 30 kilometers in two hours 10 minutes and 

landing at Ossun in the Pyrenees. 

FEBRUARY 27. La Vie au Grand Air publishes interview with 

Wilbur on his training and instruction methods. 

Assembly of second Wright airplane intended for use of 

Wright pupils near completion at Pau. 

MARCH. Wrights enter into contract with Short Brothers, 

Battersea, England, in which Short Brothers agree to construct 

six Wright machines using Wright plans, cost to be £1,000 each. 

MARCH 4. Congressional Medal awarded Wright brothers by 

resolution of Congress, H.J. Res. 246, “in recognition of the 

great service of Orville and Wilbur Wright, of Ohio, rendered 

the science of aerial navigation in the invention of the Wright 

aeroplane, and for their ability, courage, and success in navigating 

the air.” 

A gold medal was subsequently designed by Charles E. 

Barber and George T. Morgan, of the United States Mint, and 

presented to the brothers on June 18. 

British Wright patent No. 24076, applied for November 10, 

1908, granted to Wright brothers. 

MARCH 5. Wrights receive honorary doctor of engineering 

degree from the University of Munich “in acknowledgement 

of . . . discoveries, advancements and elucidation of rich 

consequence in the problems of flight.” 

MARCH 17. Wrights meet King Edward VII, of England when 

he visits Pau and witnesses two flight by Wilbur, in the second of 

which Katherine is passenger in flight of 12 minutes 22 seconds. 

MARCH 18. Orville and Katharine leave Pau for Paris. Wilbur 

remains. 

MARCH 19–27. Wright airplane is among those exhibited at 

the International Aero and Motor-Boat Exhibition (Olympia 

Air Show) in London. 

Wright airplane offered for sale of $7,000. 

MARCH 20. Wilbur flies in presence of the French Chamber of 

Deputies and takes three members for short flights. Wilbur also 

makes a flight of eight minutes with Capt. P. N. Lucas-Girardville, 

his last with French student pilots and completing the training 

part of the Wrights’ French contract. 

MARCH 23. Wright airplane, built at Pau and completed on 

March 19, shipped to Rome, where Wilbur is to train two 

Italian pilots. Wilbur departs for Paris to join Orville and 

Katharine. 

MARCH 24. Wright student pilots Count Charles de Lambert 

and Paul Tissandier qualify for Aéro-Club de France licenses by 

making solo flights of 25 kilometers each. 

MARCH 25. Dayton City Council recommends appropriation 

of $200 to be used for suitable memorial to the Wright brothers. 

A Dayton city medal was presented to the brothers on June 

18 as “A testimonial from the citizens of their home in recognition 

of their success in navigating in the air.” 

Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine visit Le Mans and are 

received by members of the Aéro-Club de la Sarthe and its 

president, Léon Bollée. 

MARCH 28. Wilbur leaves Paris for Rome, arriving on April 1, 

to prepare for training of the two Italian fliers. 

APRIL 1. Wilbur, accompanied by Hart O. Berg, Wright 

European business representative, visits Maj. Mario Moris, head of 

the Italian military service, with a view to selling Wright airplanes 

to the Italian government. 

Wilbur and Berg meet with Camille Barrére, French 

Ambassador to Italy. 

Orville and Katharine attend monthly meeting of Aéro-Club 

de France, first time a woman had been invited to an Aéro-Club 

de France meeting. 

APRIL 2. Wilbur, accompanied by Berg, is received in special 

audience by King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, who was 

especially interested in the problems of flight. 

APRIL 9. Assembly of Wright airplane and erection of starting 

derrick at Centocelle Field is completed. 

Katharine and Orville arrive in Rome to join Wilbur. 

APRIL 13. Pierpont Morgan and party, accompanied by Berg, 

visit Wrights at Centocelle Field. 

A Chronology • 21 
APRIL 15. Wilbur makes first flight in Italy at Centocelle Field 

near Rome, a flight of 10 minutes, reaching an altitude of 30 

meters, witnessed by a large and enthusiastic crowd. 

Between April 15 and 26 Wilbur completed more than 50 

flights, many of them with passengers. 

APRIL 16. Wilbur makes five flights, beginning the training of Lts. 

Mario Calderara and Umberto Savoia and carrying as a passenger 

on one flight the former Premier of Italy Sidney Sonnino. 

APRIL 19. Berg, in military captive balloon in center of flying 

grounds takes snapshots of Wright plane in flight. 

Wilbur explains operation of plane to large groups of teachers 

and students who had come to Centocelle to view flights. 

APRIL 21. Wilbur completes seven flights, in one reaching an 

altitude of 70–80 meters, in others carrying passengers Admiral 

Giovanni Mirabello, the Duke of Gallese, and the Honorable 

Emilio Maraini. 

Wrights and sister Katharine attend musicale at 

Campidoglio in Rome on occasion of Rome’s founding day. 

APRIL 22. Wilbur makes nine flights in three of which he carried 

as passengers Prince Scipione Borghese, Prince Filippo Doria, and 

Teodor Mayer. Several flights are witnessed by Italian Dowager 

Queen Margherita. 

APRIL 24. Wilbur makes five flights, two of them witnessed by 

King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Lloyd C. Griscom, U.S. 

Ambassador to Italy, accompanied Wilbur as passenger on his last 

flight. A Universal News Agency cameraman also accompanied 

Wilbur on one of the flights, taking the first motion pictures 

from an airplane in flight. 

Wilbur, Lt. Mario Calderara, Italian Army officers, and 

journalists join in luncheon at Fort Casilano. 

APRIL 26. Students of the School of Engineering, University of 

Rome, accompanied by the university rector, Dr. Alberto 

Tonelli, and by Prof. Moise Ascoli, witness and enthusiastically 

applaud Wilbur’s flights. 

APRIL 27. Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine honored at farewell 

luncheon given by members of the Rome Aero Club at Excelsior 

Hotel. Among those present are the Duke of Gallese, president 

of the club Sidney Sonnino, Prince Filippo Doria, Prince Mario 

Borghese, and Lt. Mario Calderara. 

APRIL 28. Katharine, Orville, and Wilbur leave Rome, arriving 

in Paris the next day. 

MAY. Wright airplane used in carrying out contract with Lazare 

Weiller Syndicate presented to Arts et Métiers Museum in Paris. 

MAY 1. Aéro-Club de la Sarthe in Le Mans give banquet, resided 

over by the president of the club, Léon Bollée, in honor of Wrights 

and presents Wilbur with a bronze art object, representing the 

Muse of Aviation, designed by Louis Carvin. Mayor Alfred de 

Lassence, on behalf of city of Le Mans, presents him with a gold 

plaque engraved with the city coat of arms and a second medal on 

behalf of the citizens. 

MAY 2. Wrights arrive in London en route to the United States. 

22 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

MAY 3. Wilbur and Orville visit British War Office and confer 

with War Secretary Richard B. Haldane and Gen. Sir Charles F. 

Hadden, Master General of Ordnance. 

Wrights are guests of Frank Hedges Butler, prominent 

British balloonist, at luncheon at Carlton hotel, attended by 

Gen. Sir Charles F. Hadden, Gen. Gerald F. Ellison, Col. Sir 

Edward Ward, Under Secretary of War, and prominent British 

aeronauts. 

Wrights visit Short Brothers factory at Battersea, where they 

inspect six machines of their design which are under construction. 

Wrights visit Aero Club of the United Kingdom headquarters 

in Piccadilly. 

Aeronautical Society of Great Britain’s gold medal, 

awarded to Wilbur and Orville on November 9, 1908, is presented at ceremonies and banquet, presided over by Edward 

P. Frost, president of the Aeronautical Society, at the 

Institution of Civil Engineers. 

MAY 4. Wrights inspect Aero Club’s new flying ground at 

Sheppey Island. 

Wrights honored at banquet given by Aero Club at Ritz 

Hotel. 

MAY 5. Wrights depart for New York aboard Kronprinzessin 

Cecilie. 

MAY 12. Wrights, having arrived in New York on May 11, honored 

at luncheon given by Aero Club of America at Lawyer’s Club, with 

A. Holland Forbes, acting president of the club, presiding. 

Aeronautical enthusiasts and business and professional men praise 

feats of the brothers in their tour abroad. 

MAY 13. Thousands in Dayton greet Wilbur, Orville, and 

Katharine on their return home from European trip. They are 

taken from the railroad station to their home in a carriage drawn 

by four white horses. Albert L. Shearer, who had given Wilbur 

and Orville their first employment in his hardware store in 

1882, delivers a welcoming address. John C. Eberhardt presents 

certificate of friendship entwined in a laurel wreath. Fireworks in 

the evening end reception. 

International Aeroplane Club of Dayton founded, organized 

to honor Wilbur and Orville. Wilbur and Orville elected 

honorary members. 

Flugmaschine Wright Gesellschaft m. b. H., Berlin, formed, 

acquiring the Wright German patents for 200,000 marks and 

rights for manufacture of Wright planes in Germany, as well as 

sales rights for Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxemburg, and 

Turkey. Orville named as member of the board of directors. 

MAY 31. Wilbur and Orville go to Detroit to inspect Packard 

Automobile Company and to see Russell A. Alger, influential 

stockholder in the company, returning to Dayton on June 2. 

JUNE. Wrights conduct propeller test in Dayton to determine 

cause of accident at Fort Myer on September 17, 1908, and to 

prevent recurrence of similar problems in upcoming flight tests 

in June and July. 

JUNE 3. Nord Cincinnati Turn-Verein gives Wilbur and Orville 

honorary life membership. 
JUNE 6. Rev. John A. Gray, of Congregational Church of 

Fairmount, Ind., preaches Sunday evening sermon on “The 

Wright Brothers; Their Message to the Men of Today.” 

JUNE 9. International Aeroplane Club of Dayton Awards honorary 

life memberships to Wilbur and Orville “in recognition of valuable 

contribution to the science of aerial navigation and conspicuous 

achievements in demonstrating the practicality of the aeroplanes.” 

Engrossed certificates of membership are presented to the 

brothers at their home on June 16. 

JUNE 10. President Taft presents Wilbur and Orville with 

Aero Club of America gold medals, designed by the artist 

Victor D. Brenner, in the East Room of the White House in 

the presence of nearly 1,000 persons, including Aero Club of 

America officials, scientists, diplomats, military personnel, and 

high-ranking government officials. In making the presentation 

President Taft remarked: “You made this discovery by a course 

that we of America like to feel is distinctly American–by keeping 

your nose right at the job until you had accomplished what you 

had determined to do.” 

Aero Club of Washington honors Wrights at buffet luncheon 

and reception at the Cosmos Club, attended by distinguished 

guests and Aero Club of America members. 

Wrights are guests of Gen. Clarence Edwards of the 

Washington Aero Club at dinner at Willard Hotel. 

JUNE 16. Wright brothers receive honorary bachelor of science 

degree from Earlham College, Richmond, Ind. Brothers unable 

to attend exercises. 

Wilbur attends meeting of Ten Dayton Boys Club in his 

capacity as president. 

JUNE 17. On first day of a two-day celebration staged by Dayton 

to honor them, the brothers review exhibition parade and drill by 

the Dayton Fire Department, attend public reception at the 

Y.M.C.A., are given the key to the city, and witness a fireworks 

display in which their portraits, 80 feet high and entwined with 

an American flag, are shown. 

JUNE 18. On the second day of the celebration, Bishop Wright 

delivers invocation at ceremony in which gold medals are presented 

to Wilbur and Orville. Gen. James Allen, Chief Signal Officer of the 

Army, as the representative of the President, presents the 

Congressional Medal, Gov. Judson Harmon of Ohio presents the 

Ohio Medal, and Mayor Edward E. Burkhart presents the City of 

Dayton Medal. 

Following presentation of medals, the brothers view a parade 

of floats, including a Wright airplane, depicting development of 

locomotion in America. 

Wright airplane arrives in Washington from Dayton for use 

in government trials. 

JUNE 19. Wrights leave for Washington, D.C., and arrive there 

June 20 to resume the trials that had been interrupted by the 

Fort Myer accident September 17, 1908. 

JUNE 24. Assembly of Wright machine at Fort Myer completed. 

JUNE 25–26. Engine tests conducted by Wrights at Fort Myer. 

JUNE 26. Senate adjourns to witness flights by Orville, joined by 

other members of Congress, Army officers, scientists, diplomats, 

and members of the press. Flights postponed because brothers 

did not feel they could safely undertake a first flight in a new 

machine in a 16-mile wind. 

Sale of Curtiss airplane by Glenn H. Curtiss, first commercial 

sale of an airplane in the United States, to the Aeronautic Society 

of New York for $7,500, sets in motion the beginning of patent 

suit by Wright brothers to prevent Curtiss from selling airplanes 

without a license. 

JUNE 27. Bishop Wright and son Reuchlin leave Dayton for 

Washington to view flights by Orville. 

They returned July 2, having witnessed flights on June 29, 

June 30, and July 1. 

JUNE 29. Orville makes first of series of preliminary flights at 

Fort Myer, Va., in preparation for Army trials. 

JULY 2. Orville escapes injury at For Myer when ribs of his 

main plane are broken in passing over a dead tree and the 

machine falls, breaking the skids. 

JULY 4. Orville goes back to Dayton to make repairs, returning 

to Washington on July 7. 

JULY 9. Mrs. Nicholas Longworth, daughter of former 

President Roosevelt, comes to Fort Myer to observe Wright 

flights, is invited by Wrights to view their airplane, and the 

mechanics of the flying machine are explained to her. 

Mrs. Longworth later was a frequent visitor at Fort Myer 

and served tea from her electric runabout on the Fort Myer 

parade grounds to prominent spectators. 

Secretary of the Navy George L. Meyer and Secretary of 

War Jacob M. Dickinson inspect the Wright airplane. 

JULY 10–OCTOBER 17. One of the two Wright machines 

assembled and used in flights by Wilbur at Pau and Rome 

exhibited at first Internationale Luftschiffahrts-Ausstellung held 

at Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 

JULY 20. Orville flies one hour 20 minutes 45 seconds in 

unofficial test at Fort Myer. 

Katharine Wright goes to Washington to witness flights by 

Orville. 

Wilbur and Orville named to French Legion of Honor. 

JULY 27. Orville flies with Lt. Frank P. Lahm as passenger, for one 

hour, 12 minutes, 37 4/5 seconds. This fulfills Army requirement of 

remaining in air for an hour carrying two persons and establishes 

record for two-man flight. Flight is witnessed by President Taft, the 

cabinet, high public officials, and an estimated crowd of 10,000 

enthusiastic spectators. Orville is congratulated by President Taft, 

Maj. Frederick S. Foltz, commandant of the post, Gen. Clarence 

Edwards, and numerous others at the field. 

JULY 30. Orville, flying with Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois as passenger, 

undertakes speed test between Fort Myer, Va., and Shuter’s 

Hill, near Alexandria, over a measured course of five miles 

across broken country, maintaining speed of 37.735 miles 

going and 47.431 returning, or an average speed of 42.583 

A Chronology • 23 
miles per hour, in first cross-country flight, a total distance of 

about 10 miles. 

Gen. James Allen, accompanied by members of the board of 

award, congratulates Orville on his successful flight. 

Maj. Charles G. Treat conveys to Orville the compliments 

of President Taft, who had witnessed the flight takeoff but was 

unable to witness the completed flight because of a business 

meeting. 

JULY 31. Orville and Katharine leave Washington, arriving in 

Dayton on August 1. Wilbur remains in Washington to discuss 

and plan for the training of two additional Signal Corps officers, 

returning to Dayton on August 2. 

AUGUST 2. Board of Officers, convened to observe Wright 

brothers’ airplane trials at Fort Myer, Va., meets in office of Gen. 

James Allen, Chief Signal Officer of Army, and submits report 

on results of trials. Allen approves recommendation that Army 

purchase the Wright brothers’ airplane. 

This completed formal acceptance of the machine by the 

United States government, the first flying machine purchased 

and put into service by any government. 

AUGUST 8. Orville and Katharine Wright leave Dayton for 

Europe, sailing from New York on August 10 aboard the 

Kronprinzessin Cecilie and arriving in London August 16 and in 

Berlin August 19. 

Orville was to give demonstration flights and to seek to 

complete negotiations begun by Wilbur in 1908 for the sale of 

Wright patents to a German syndicate. 

AUGUST 14. Wilbur travels to Washington to inspect buildings 

under construction at College Park to be used by Army pilots 

undergoing training there. 

AUGUST 16–17. Wilbur goes to New York to initiate patent 

suits against Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn H. Curtiss. 

AUGUST 17. Orville and Katherine, accompanied by Charles S. 

Rolls, founder of the British Rolls-Royce automobile company, 

visit Sheppey Island to inspect Wright airplanes under construction 

under license by Short Brothers. 

AUGUST 18. Wright brothers file bill of complaint to enjoin 

the Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn H. Curtiss from 

manufacturing, selling, or using for exhibition purposes the 

Curtiss airplane. 

AUGUST 19. Die Bruder Wright, by Capt. Alfred Hildebrandt, 

published in Berlin. 

Wrights file suit against the Aeronautic Society of New York 

to prevent further exhibition and use of the Curtiss flying 

machine owned by the society, on the ground that the machine 

is an infringement of the Wright patents. 

AUGUST 21. Orville and Katharine are dinner guests of U.S. 

Ambassador David J. Hill at his home in Berlin. 

AUGUST 23. James M. Beck, chairman of Aeronautics 

Committee of the Hudson-Fulton Commission, announces 

receipt of contract signed by Wilbur providing for series of 

flights by him during the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 

September and October for a fee of $15,000. 

AUGUST 25. Wright machine, one of two being assembled by 

German Wright Company, transferred from military aeronautic 

headquarters at Tegel to Tempelhof Field. 

AUGUST 29. Orville meets Kaiser Wilhelm II and is introduced 

by him to Count Ferdinand Zeppelin, who arrived at Tegeler 

Schiessplatz shortly after noon on a flight in the dirigible I.Z.6 

from Friedrichshafen to Berlin. Count Zeppelin and Orville 

later dine with the Emperor in his castle. 

AUGUST 30. Orville makes preliminary flights at Tempelhof 

Field, a military parade ground near Berlin, preparatory to 

presenting a number of exhibition flights under the sponsorship 

of the Berlin Lokal-Anzeiger newspaper and to training pilots 

for the German Wright Company. 

SEPTEMBER 3. Ambassador and Mrs. Hill entertain Orville 

and Katharine with members of American resident colony in 

Berlin attending. 

SEPTEMBER 4. Orville makes first public flight in Germany at 

Tempelhof Field, flying for 19 minutes two seconds for a distance 

of about 20 kilometers. 

SEPTEMBER 5. Ambassador and Mrs. Hill honor Orville and 

Katharine at dinner. 

SEPTEMBER 7. In response to telegram from Russell A. Alger, 

stockholder in Packard Automobile Company, Wilbur goes to 

Detroit. 

SEPTEMBER 9. Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Crown 

Princess Cecilie witness several flights by Orville. 

Mrs. Alfred Hildebrandt is a passenger with Orville in a 

flight of eight minutes 38 seconds, the first woman to fly as a 

passenger in an airplane in Germany. 

Aero Club and Automobile Club of Berlin honor Orville, 

who was accompanied by Charles R. Flint and Hart O. Berg, 

with dinner at Imperial Automobile clubhouse in Leipziger 

Platz. 

SEPTEMBER 9–OCTOBER 13. Orville instructs Capt. Paul 

Engelhard in flying. 

SEPTEMBER 10. Verein deutscher Flugtechniker honors 

Orville at dinner in Berlin, and Orville and Wilbur are made 

honorary members of the society. 

SEPTEMBER 15. Orville takes trip with Count Zeppelin in the 

Zeppelin dirigible IZ.6 from Frankfurt to Mannheim. Also 

aboard as passengers are Prince August Wilhelm, Princess Viktoria 

Luise, and Prince Philip of Coburg. Katharine is passenger aboard 

airship Parseval. 

SEPTEMBER 17. In presence of Empress of Germany, Prince 

Adalbert, Prince August Wilhelm, and Princess Viktoria Luise, 

Orville flies 54 minutes 34 seconds and rises to height of 565 

feet (172 meters) at Tempelhof Field, near Berlin, a new record. 

24 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
SEPTEMBER 18. Orville flies with student pilot Capt. Paul 

Engelhard at Tempelhof Field, Berlin, for one hour 35 minutes 

46 seconds, a new world’s record for flight with a passenger. 

Wilbur submits affidavit in Dayton in The Wright 

Company v. The Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn H. 

Curtiss patent suit. 

Wilbur leaves Dayton for New York to fly Wright airplane in 

Hudson-Fulton Celebration, which was to open September 25. 

SEPTEMBER 20–27. Wright airplane arrives at Governors 

Island, and Wilbur and his mechanic, Charles Taylor, assemble 

machine in preparation for Hudson-Fulton Celebration flights. 

SEPTEMBER 23. Wilbur meets Guglielmo Marconi, inventor 

of the wireless, who calls on him while engaged in preparations 

for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration flights. 

SEPTEMBER 29. Wilbur flies from drill field at Governors 

Island on a course around the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s 

Island and returns. 

SEPTEMBER 30. Orville reaches an altitude of 902 feet, a new 

record, in flight at Bornstedt Field, near Potsdam, witnessed by 

the German Empress, Princess Viktoria Luise, and Prince 

August Wilhelm. 

Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn H. Curtiss served 

with court order by Judge John R. Hazel in Buffalo in action by 

Wright brothers to restrain them from making Curtiss airplanes, 

Wright Company alleging that these infringed Wright patents. 

OCTOBER 2. Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm is passenger on 

flight of about 15 minutes with Orville, the first member of a 

royal family to ride in an airplane. After the flight the Crown 

Prince presents Orville, as a token of appreciation, with a jeweled 

stick-pin, a crown set in rubies with the Crown Prince’s initial 

“W” in diamonds. 

OCTOBER 4. Wilbur flies over the Hudson River from 

Governors Island to Grant’s Tomb and back, a 20-mile flight in 

33 minutes 33 seconds. On the flight the airplane passes over the 

British warships Inflexible and Drake. More than one million 

New Yorkers witness the flight. 

OCTOBER 5. Wilbur leaves New York for Washington to train 

Signal Corps officers in fulfillment of the Wrights’ contract with 

the War Department. 

OCTOBER 8–NOVEMBER 2. Wilbur instructs first U.S. Army 

fliers at College Park, making 20 solo flights and 35 instructional 

flights with three Army Signal Corps officers, Lts. Benjamin D. 

Foulois, Frederic E. Humphreys, and Frank P. Lahm. 

OCTOBER 9. Wilbur breaks world airplane speed record over 

a 500-meter course in a flight of about 1,300 meters in 58 3/5 

seconds, attaining a speed of 46 miles per hour. 

Wilbur honored at luncheon by faculty of Maryland 

Agricultural College, located near College Park flying field. He 

is accompanied by Army officers at the flying field. 

OCTOBER 15. Orville makes last appearance in Germany 

in spectacular flight of 25–30 minutes before Emperor 

Wilhelm, the Empress, and Princess Viktoria Luise at 

Bornstedt Field. 

OCTOBER 16. Orville and Katharine leave for Paris en route to 

the United States. 

OCTOBER 18. Orville in Paris visits Port Aviation at Juvisy, 

accompanied by Georges Tharel, and congratulates his pupil 

Count Charles de Lambert on spectacular flight from Port 

Aviation to the Eiffel Tower and return, the first airplane flight 

over the city of Paris. 

OCTOBER 19. Lt. Benjamin Foulois gives Wilbur check for 

$20,000 as part payment for Wright machine purchased for 

Signal Corps, balance of $10,000 to be paid on completion of 

training of Lts. Frank P. Lahm and Frederic E. Humphreys. 

OCTOBER 20. Wrights file suit in U.S. Circuit Court against 

Ralph Saulnier of New York, alleging infringement of their patent 

by his importation of Bleriot monoplane into the United States. 

Wilbur requests that his name be deleted from use in stage 

production “Inconstant George,” by John Drew, being presented 

at Empire Theatre in New York. His request is granted and a new 

name substituted on this date. 

Ohio Society of New York elects Orville and Wilbur honorary 

members. 

OCTOBER 23. Wilbur states in Scientific American that future 

development of aviation will be in high-altitude flying because 

of the more favorable atmospheric conditions provided by upper 

air strata. 

Wilbur and Lts. Foulois, Humphreys, and Lahm attend 

informal luncheon and reception in their honor given by 

President Richard W. Silvester and the board of trustees of 

Maryland Agricultural College. 

OCTOBER 27. At College Park, Wilbur flies with Mrs. Van 

Deman, wife of U.S. Army Capt. Ralph H. Van Deman and 

close friend of Katharine Wright, in a flight of four minutes, 

reaching an altitude of about 60 feet. 

OCTOBER 29. Wilbur goes to New York from Washington, 

returning on October 31, to discuss sale of American patent rights. 

The negotiation with New York financiers, initiated by 

Clinton R. Peterkin, formerly with J. P. Morgan & Company, 

led to formation of the Wright Company on November 22. 

NOVEMBER 4. Orville and Katharine arrive in New York from 

Queenstown and are met by Wilbur and Mr. and Mrs. Courtlandt 

F. Bishop. Bishop was President of the Aero Club of America. 

NOVEMBER 5. French consul general in New York, Étienne 

Lanal, presents Wilbur and Orville with the crosses and diplomas 

of the Legion of Honor awarded to them in July by the French 

government. Ceremony is witnessed only by Katharine and 

Wrights’ counsel Pliny W. Williamson. 

NOVEMBER 7. Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine return to 

Dayton. 

NOVEMBER 8. Wilbur and Orville travel to Springfield to consult 

with their patent attorney. 

A Chronology • 25 
NOVEMBER 9. Orville goes to New York on patent business, 

returning to Dayton on November 11. 

NOVEMBER 13. Orville goes to Latonia Race Track, near 

Cincinnati, to witness exhibition flying and meets Glenn H. 

Curtiss for first time since patent suits had been instigated 

against Curtiss. 

Wilbur goes to Washington to obtain an affidavit relating to 

Wright patent suit from Lt. Frank P. Lahm. 

Model of Wright airplane built by Milton Wright, Jr., 

nephew of the Wright brothers, placed on exhibit at Saks & Co. 

in New York. 

NOVEMBER 20. Commission d’Aéronautique, Académie des 

Sciences, in Paris, awards its gold medal for aeronautics to 

Wilbur and Orville. 

The medal was designed by René Boudicon. 

NOVEMBER 22. Wright Company incorporated, with a capital 

stock of $1,000,000 and with Wilbur Wright as president and 

Andrew Freedman and Orville as vice presidents, Alpheus F. Barnes 

is secretary and treasurer. Executive committee is composed of 

Andrew Freedman, chairman, Russell A. Alger, August Belmont, 

Cornelius Vanderbilt, and Wilbur. 

On the death of Wilbur in 1912, Orville succeeded him as 

president, remaining in this capacity until the company was 

sold in 1915. 

NOVEMBER 24. Wilbur and Orville go to New York to attend 

meeting on November 27 to complete the organization of the 

Wright Company, which was formed to manufacture their airplanes, 

and to make arrangements with their attorneys for patent 

infringement suits against the Herring-Curtiss Company. 

NOVEMBER 27. Wrights sell their American patent rights to 

Wright Company for $100,000 cash, 40 percent of the company 

stock, and a 10 percent royalty of every machine built. 

Cornelius Vanderbilt, Robert J. Collier, and Russell A. 

Alger, directors of the newly formed Wright Company, order 

first three airplanes from company. 

Wilbur and Orville give affidavits in New York in The 

Wright Company v. The Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn 

H. Curtiss patent suit. 

The Wright Company subsequently bore the expense of 

prosecuting all suits against patent infringers. 

NOVEMBER 28. Wilbur and Orville return to Dayton. 

NOVEMBER 29. Wright Company files suit against Claude 

Grahame-White, alleging that Farman and Blériot machines 

used by him in the United States for exhibition purposes 

infringes Wright patent. 

NOVEMBER 30–DECEMBER 1. Russell A. Alger and 

Frederick Alger come to Dayton to confer with Wrights on 

organization of Wright Company and construction of airplane 

plant. 

DECEMBER 7. Wilbur goes to New York regarding the setting 

up of Wright Company New York office. 

26 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

DECEMBER 11. Wilbur and Orville give affidavits in Dayton 

in The Wright Company v. The Herring-Curtiss Company and 

Glenn H. Curtiss patent suit. 

DECEMBER 12. Wilbur goes to New York to consult with 

Wright Co. lawyers in Curtiss infringement case. 

DECEMBER 13. Orville goes to Buffalo to attend patent trial 

case. 

DECEMBER 14–15. The Wright Company v. The HerringCurtiss Company and Glenn H. Curtiss patent suit comes to 

trial before Judge John R. Hazel at Buffalo, with Wilbur and 

Orville present in court. 

DECEMBER 16. Wilbur and Orville attend founding meeting 

of Detroit Aero Club. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville and Wilbur return to Dayton. 

1910 

Orville and Wilbur issued aviator’s licenses Nos. 4 and 5 by Aero 

Club of America in accordance with Fédération Aéronautique 

Internationale rules. 

JANUARY. Ground broken for construction of Wright 

Company factory in Dayton. 

JANUARY 3. Preliminary injunction granted to the Wright 

Company by Judge John R. Hazel for the Federal Circuit Court 

in Buffalo, N.Y., restraining Herring-Curtiss Company and 

Glenn H. Curtiss from manufacturing, selling, or using the 

Curtiss airplane for exhibition purposes. 

JANUARY 4. On application of the Wright Company, Louis 

Paulhan, French aviator, is served with injunction restraining 

him from using several flying machines, claimed to infringe the 

Wright patents, which were imported into the United States for 

exhibition purposes. 

Wilbur and Orville submitted affidavits in this case on 

January 5–6. Wilbur submitted additional affidavits on January 

22, February 5, March 15–16, and on March 23. He traveled to 

New York to attend the trial on January 30, returning to Dayton 

on February 7. 

JANUARY 8. Wilbur and Orville leave Dayton to attend meeting 

of Ohio Society of New York on January 10, returning to Dayton 

on January 14. 

JANUARY 10. Wrights honored at dinner in New York given by 

Ohio Society of New York, the topic of the evening being “Ohio 

in Aviation.” Other honored guests are Vice President James M. 

Sherman and Governor of New Jersey John F. Fort. 

In a rare political statement Wilbur predicts that an Ohioan 

will be the next President. 

In interview Orville and Wilbur answer attacks made on 

them for seeking injunctions against foreign and domestic 

aviators, stating that the patent laws of the United States are too 

lax in that they force a patentee to take legal steps to protect his 
patent infringement, instead of having the government take this 

action. 

JANUARY 11. Editors of Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary 

write to Wright brothers regarding aeronautical definitions. 

Orville revises many outdated definitions previously used and is 

designated department editor for “Aviation and Aeronautics” for 

the 1913 edition of the dictionary. He continues in this capacity 

for numerous subsequent editions. 

JANUARY 12. Orville and Wilbur attend dinner in Boston 

honoring Octave Chanute. 

Remarks by Wilbur on this occasion and by Chanute in an 

interview reported in the New York World of January 17 threatened 

to cause a rift in their longstanding relationship. 

JANUARY 17. Wilbur sends telegram to Roy Knabenshue in Los 

Angeles inviting him to come to Dayton to discuss the management 

of exhibition flying business to be organized by Wrights. 

Knabenshue was subsequently placed in charge of the Wright 

Exhibition Company organized in March. 

JANUARY 24. Wrights attend dinner in Dayton honoring 

Comdr. Robert E. Peary. 

FEBRUARY 8. Wilbur and Orville go to Washington to receive 

Smithsonian Institution medals. 

Orville returns to Dayton on February 11. Wilbur continues 

on a trip to the South in search of a site for training aviators during 

the winter months, returning to Dayton on February 25. 

FEBRUARY 10. The first Langley Medal, designed by J. C. 

Chaplain, awarded “for especially meritorious investigation in 

connection with the science of aerodromics and its application 

to aviation,” presented to the Wright brothers by Chief Justice 

Melville W. Fuller on behalf of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Addresses are delivered on the occasion by Alexander Graham 

Bell and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. Wilbur responds for the 

brothers. They are later entertained at a luncheon at the home 

of Dr. Bell. 

FEBRUARY 17. Judge Learned Hand issues temporary injunction 

to Wright Company in suit against Louis Paulhan for his use of a 

Farman flying machine, which, it was claimed, infringed the 

Wright patent, requiring the defendant to file a bond for $25,000 

for one month’s flights and affirming earlier decision rendered by 

Judge John R. Hazel on January 3. 

Wilbur reports that he has chosen Montgomery, Ala., as site 

for training aviators. 

This was later the location of Maxwell Air Force Base. 

FEBRUARY 19. Wilbur arrives in New York to push patent suits 

against aviators infringing the Wright patents. 

FEBRUARY 23. Ligue Nationale Aérienne in Paris awards its 

Aviator Diploma to Wilbur and Orville. 

MARCH. Wrights are extensively involved in The Wright 

Company v. The Herring-Curtiss Company and Glenn H. 

Curtiss patent suit. 

Wilbur and Orville submit depositions in Dayton on March 

7. Wilbur goes to New York on March 7 and submits affidavit on 

March 12. He then goes to Buffalo on March 18 and submits 

affidavit on March 19, returning to Dayton on March 20. 

Wright Exhibition company formed, with Roy Knabenshue 

as manager. 

The company continues in operation until November 

1911. The fliers are paid by the Wright Company. 

Miss Mabel Beck engaged as secretary to Roy Knabenshue. 

Because of her special competence, Wilbur later selects her to 

work with him in connection with Wright patent suits. 

Following his death she became Orville’s secretary, continuing in 

this position until his death. 

MARCH 7. Smithsonian Institution, in letter to Wilbur, invites 

Wrights to deposit one of their machines in the National Museum. 

German-built Wright airplane shown in Riga, Larvia, at 

exhibit organized by Riga student aeronautical group. 

MARCH 19. Wright airplane, intended for use in the Wright 

brothers’ training camp just outside the city of Montgomery, 

Ala., arrives, accompanied by Charles E. Taylor and students 

Walter R. Brookins and J. W. Davis. 

MARCH 24. Orville, accompanied by Spencer Crane, arrives 

in Montgomery, Ala., from Dayton to undertake training of 

civilian fliers. 

In interview in Baltimore, Md., Wilbur states that he favors 

cross-country reliability flight in preference to speed contest. 

MARCH 26. Replying to Dr. Walcott’s letter on March 7, Wilbur 

states that the brothers, in accordance with the preferences of the 

National Museum, could provide a model showing the general 

construction of one of their machines, the original 1903 Wright 

machine, or a model showing the general design of this machine. 

MARCH 26–MAY 5. Orville conducts flight training school in 

Montgomery for five students who were to engage in exhibition 

flying for the Wright Company. 

MARCH 28. Walter R. Brookins, first civilian student of the 

Wrights, makes first flight with Orville at Montgomery, Ala. 

Brookins completed his flight training on May 3. 

Wilbur completes negotiations for purchase of 17-acre tract 

which Wrights named Hawthorn Hill, in the Dayton suburb of 

Oakwood. Plans for a house are started. 

APRIL 6. Orville, awaiting parts for his engine, damaged on April 

2, visits State Capitol, in Montgomery, and meets Alabama 

Governor Braxton B. Comer and other state officials. He is shown 

spot on which Jefferson Davis stood when he was inaugurated 

President of the Confederacy. 

APRIL 8. Wright Company and the Aero Club of America 

conclude agreement by which the latter agrees to sanction 

meets only through proper arrangements with the Wrights. 

This agreement was publicly announced to members of the 

Aero Club of America and to its affiliated clubs in a communication 

dated April 21. 

A Chronology • 27 
APRIL 9. Orville returns to Dayton from Montgomery to 

obtain parts for his damaged machine. 

APRIL 11. Dr. Walcott, replying to Wilbur’s letter of March 26, 

sets forth objects illustrating the Wright inventions which are 

desirable for the National Museum exhibits. Wrights interpret 

the letter to mean that the Smithsonian Institution did not want 

an exhibit that would emphasize the fact of their having flown a 

successful, man-carrying machine in 1903 and make no reply. 

APRIL 21. Aero Club of America announces in special bulletin 

to its membership the details of the Wright-Aero Club agreement 

of April 8. 

MAY–JUNE 8. Orville and the Wright Exhibition Company 

fliers make numerous flights at Simms Station in preparation for 

the air show at Indianapolis, June 13–18. 

MAY 5. Wright training camp completed in Dayton. Wright 

company starts school, with Orville in charge of instruction. 

This school was in operation from 1910 to 1916. 

MAY 7. Wilbur, in letter to the editor of Aircraft, responds to 

statements made by Israel Ludlow and Clément Ader in the may 

1910 issue of the magazine concerning his affidavit in the 

Paulhan infringement suit. He claims Ludlow misrepresented 

the facts in claiming that Ader flew a thousand feet. 

MAY 19. Wright Company and Aero Club of St. Louis enter 

into contract whereby Wright Company licenses aviation 

meet to be held in St. Louis, October 8–18, 1910, and agrees 

to provide five or more aircraft and pilots, under the general 

direction of Roy Knabenshue. 

MAY 21. Wilbur makes flight of one minute 29 seconds at 

Simms Station, his last as a pilot in the United States. 

MAY 25. Orville takes his father, 82 years old, for his first 

airplane ride, a flight of six minutes 55 seconds, reaching an 

altitude of 350 feet. 

Flight made by Wilbur and Orville together, Orville 

piloting, the only occasion when two brothers were in the air 

at the same time. 

MAY 30. Orville and Wilbur and Wright exhibition fliers Frank 

Coffyn, Ralph Johnstone, and Walter Brookins visit 

Indianapolis Motor Speedway in preparation for air show to be 

held in June. 

JUNE 10. Wright airplanes sent to Indianapolis. 

JUNE 11. Wilbur goes to Indianapolis to attend air meet. 

Orville joins him for opening of meet, and they return to 

Dayton on June 19. 

JUNE 13–18. First show of Wright Company exhibition team, 

Indianapolis, Ind., in which Brookins is star and sets new records. 

JUNE 14. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses decision of Judge John 

R. Hazel on January 3 and directs that injunction granted Wright 

Company be dismissed and requirement for bond be canceled. 

28 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JUNE 19. Wilbur goes to New York, seeking modification of June 

14 decision of U.S. Appellate Court, asking that Herring-Curtiss 

Company and Glenn H. Curtiss be required to give bond. 

JUNE 22. Wrights receive honorary doctor of laws degrees from 

Oberlin College. 

JUNE 29. First Wright Model B airplane completed. 

JULY 8–16. Wright Company fliers Walter Brookins, Ralph 

Johnstone, Frank Coffyn, and Duval La Chapelle make 17 

flights in Toronto in fulfillment of contract with International 

Aviation Association. 

JULY 16. Scientific American publishes letter from Wilbur sent 

from Dayton on July 1, in which he disputes statement on June 

25 editorial that “Curtiss was using hinged winged tips in his 

earlier machines, with which he made public flights antedating 

the open flights of the Wrights.” 

JULY 21. Wright Company and Aero and Motor Club of Asbury 

Park, N.J., enter into contract providing that Wright airplanes 

appear at aviation meet to be held at Asbury Park, August 10–13, 

15–20. Wright Company fliers Walter Brookins, Ralph 

Johnstone, Arch Hoxey, Frank Coffyn, and Duval La Chapelle 

were to be present. Wright Company was to receive $20,000 of 

the gross receipts. 

Wrights install and conduct experiments with wheels on 

their machine for the first time at Simms Station, Dayton. 

JULY 24–AUGUST. Griffith Brewer, British balloonist, member 

of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, first Englishman to 

fly with Wilbur at Le Mans on October 8, 1908, and close friend 

of the Wrights, is guest at Wright home in Dayton, the first of 

many annual visits. 

Visits were made in 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1918 

and continued year by year until interrupted by World War II, 

approximately 30 visits altogether. 

AUGUST 10. First public appearance of a Wright airplane with 

wheels under the skids made at air meet at Asbury Park. 

Experimental trials with wheels had been carried out by the 

Wrights as early as July 21. 

AUGUST 11. Wilbur arrives in Asbury Park to witness flights by 

Wright Company exhibition fliers and seeks to determine cause 

of accident on August 10, the opening day of the air meet, in 

which Walter Brookins was injured. 

AUGUST 12. Commissioner of Patents declared interference in 

action against Wilbur and Orville brought by Erastus E. 

Winkley, an inventor, who developed an automatic control for 

sewing machines and conceived the idea that this control could 

be applied to regulating airplane wings and claimed its disclosure 

at an earlier date than that of Wrights. 

AUGUST 15. Wright airplane of new design without front elevators 

arrives at Asbury Park to replace plane damaged on August 10. 

This airplane was flown for the first time on August 19. 
AUGUST 19. Wright Exhibition Company fliers Ralph 

Johnstone and Arch Hoxsey carry out moonlight flights at 

Asbury Park, first public night flights on record. 

SEPTEMBER 21. Wilbur and Orville, together with Clifford B. 

Harmon, president, National Council, Aero Club of America, 

are honored at banquet at Dayton Club given by Dayton 

Aeroplane Club and Dayton Aero Club. 

SEPTEMBER 22. Orville flies from Simms Station to Dayton, 

circles city and returns, the first flight over the city of Dayton. 

Flight is part of an Aviation Day program held during exposition 

week in Dayton. 

SEPTEMBER 23. Katharine flies with Orville at Simms 

Station, Dayton, at an altitude of a thousand feet. 

SEPTEMBER 29. Wilbur, in a special car attached to an Illinois 

Central train, follows Walter Brookins, who flies Wright biplane 

from Washington Park, in Chicago, to the fair grounds in 

Springfield, Ill., a distance of 192 1/2 miles, establishing a new 

American cross-country flying record. The flight is sponsored by 

the Chicago Record-Herald. Stops are made at Gilman, 75 

miles, and at Mt. Pulaski, 136 miles. 

OCTOBER 5. Dayton Aeroplane Club appoints committee to 

develop plans for the erection of a memorial in Dayton to its 

honorary members, Wilbur and Orville. 

OCTOBER 12. Wright Model R airplane, called the “Baby 

Grand,” completed and ready for testing. 

OCTOBER 22. Orville completes and tests new eight-cylinder 

engine, developed for use in the Wright Model R, attaining 

speed of 77 to 78 miles an hour. 

OCTOBER 22–30. Wright airplanes participate in International 

Aviation Tournament at Belmont Park, N.Y. 

OCTOBER 23. Orville, accompanied by Katharine and 

Alexander Ogilvie, leaves Dayton for New York and arrives at 

Belmont Park with Wright “Baby Grand” on October 24. 

Orville and Katharine return to Dayton on November 3. 

OCTOBER 25. Orville, in Baby Grand, attains speed of between 

70 and 80 miles an hour. 

OCTOBER 29. Baby Grand, piloted by Walter Brookins, is wrecked 

in preliminary test in preparation for International Aviation Cup. 

OCTOBER 31. Wilbur and Orville are guests at luncheon given 

by Alexander Ogilvie at Delmonico’s in New York for fliers who 

had participated in the Belmont Park aviation meet, after declining 

an invitation by Aero Club of America to a banquet at Plaza Hotel. 

NOVEMBER. Wright factory in Dayton completed. 

In its early period of operation, this factory produced about 

two airplanes a month. To meet the demands of business a 

duplicate factory building was erected in 1911. 

NOVEMBER 1. With Cornelius Vanderbilt, Wright Company 

director, as passenger, Orville flies at Belmont Park, reaching an 

altitude of 200 feet and circling the course six or seven times. 

This was the first flight for Vanderbilt. 

NOVEMBER 3. Orville reports week financially successful. 

Wrights receive $20,000 for participating in Belmont Park 

meeting and win $15,000 in prizes. Wright Company votes 

Orville and Wilbur $10,000 and declares dividend of $80,000. 

NOVEMBER 5. Wilbur goes to Baltimore to attend aviation 

meet scheduled to open November 2. Meet postponed on 

account of high winds. 

NOVEMBER 7. Orville and Katharine witness departure of Phil 

O. Parmalee, Wright Company pilot, in Wright airplane carrying 10 bolts of silk, consigned to the Morehouse-Martens 

Company, from Dayton to Columbus, first use of a plane to 

carry commercial freight. 

NOVEMBER 13. Orville leaves Dayton for Europe on business 

related to the Wright companies in France and Germany, sailing 

from New York on November 15 on the Kronprinzessin Cecilie, 

arriving in Berlin on November 23. 

NOVEMBER 17. Wright Exhibition Company flier Ralph 

Johnstone killed in crash at Overland Park, Denver. Wilbur, in 

New York, accompanies widow to her home in Kansas City, 

Mo., and attends Johnstone’s funeral there. 

NOVEMBER 24. Orville writes Wilbur from Berlin on this date 

and again on November 27, reporting that the German Wright 

Company is being managed inefficiently and despairs that the 

company will ever be financially successful. The report on the 

French Wright Company is equally unfavorable. 

NOVEMBER 25. Wilbur attends funeral of Octave Chanute in 

Chicago. Chanute had died on November 23, age 79. 

NOVEMBER 29. Wrights file bill of complaint in U.S. Circuit 

Court, Southern District of New York, in suit for $29,000 for 

infringement and accounting against Claude Grahame-White 

by reason of defendant’s use of Farman and Blériot flying 

machines in the United States. 

These machines are alleged to infringe the Wright patent. 

DECEMBER 6. Wright Company institutes suit against the 

Aero Corporation, Ltd., for $15,000 claimed due as bonus for 

participation of Wright machines in Belmont Park aviation meet. 

This suit was dismissed by Justice Daniel F. Cohalan of the 

New York Supreme Court, January 19, 1912, on grounds that 

the Wrights had insufficient cause for action. 

DECEMBER 17. In letter to editor of Aero, Wilbur replies to 

editorial in November 26th issue, which he claimed distorted his 

views, and states that the Wrights believed in “all kinds of flying 

which demonstrate the merits of the machine.” 

DECEMBER 26. Frank H. Russell, manager of the Wright 

Company, reports that the company has granted Ralph 

Johnstone’s widow, who was returning to Berlin, an annuity of 

300 marks per month for a period of 15 years. 

DECEMBER 29. Orville arrives in Dayton following European trip. 

A Chronology • 29 
DECEMBER 31. Wright Exhibition Company flier Arch 

Hoxsey killed in Los Angeles. Wright Company bears cost of 

funeral expenses and contributes money to his mother, Mrs. M. 

C. Hoxsey. 

DECEMBER 31–JANUARY 7, 1911. Wright “Roadster” and 

Wright standard Model B exhibited at New York Aero Show, a 

part of the automobile show. 

1911 

JANUARY. Wilbur’s tribute to Octave Chanute, written shortly 

after Chanute’s death on November 23, 1910, published in 

Aeronautics. 

Wilbur attempts to define Chanute’s place in aeronautical 

history and concludes: “his writings were so lucid as to provide 

an intelligent understanding of the nature of the problems of 

flight to a vast number of persons who would probably never 

have given the matter study otherwise, and not only by published 

articles, but by personal correspondence, and visitation, he 

inspired and encouraged to the limits of his ability all who were 

devoted to the work . . . In patience and goodness of heart he has 

rarely been surpassed. Few men were more universally respected 

and loved.” 

JANUARY 4. Wilbur and Orville go to New York to attend 

annual meeting of the Wright Company, Orville returning to 

Dayton January 8, Wilbur going on to Washington and 

returning to Dayton on January 16. 

JANUARY 5. On Aviation Day at International Automobile and 

Aero Show, Wilbur and Orville visit their exhibit at the Grand 

Central Palace and are greeted by friends and admirers at informal 

reception at the company booth. 

JANUARY 14. Sixth annual banquet of the National 

Geographic Society in Washington honors U.S. Army and the 

invention of the airplane by the Wright brothers. Wilbur makes 

brief address. 

Distinguished guests include Henry Gannett, president of the 

society; Gen. John M. Wilson, former Chief of Engineers, toastmaster; President William Howard Taft, several ambassadors, and 

numerous high–ranking Army officers. 

Wright Company and Burgess Company & Curtiss sign 

contract licensing latter to construct airplanes incorporating 

Wright patents. 

This was the first licensed aircraft manufacturer in the 

United States. 

JANUARY 23. Wright flying school opens in Augusta, Ga., in 

charge of Frank Coffyn, with W. Starling Burgess of Boston and 

George H. Manner of Baltimore as first pupils. 

JANUARY 26. French Wright Company suit against Henri 

Farman, Louis Bleriot, and others opens in Civil Court in Paris. 

FEBRUARY 7. Wilbur attends meeting of directors of Wright 

Company in New York, returning to Dayton February 8. 

FEBRUARY 20–25. Wright model B airplane exhibited at 

Boston Aero Show. 

30 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

MARCH 4. Henry Peartree, Flint & Co. attorney in Paris, 

telegraphs Wrights that it is extremely important that they come 

to France to give testimony in French patent case and notifies 

them on March 8 that the court will hear testimony from them. 

MARCH 9. Wright brothers offer to train one pilot for the U.S. 

Navy, contingent upon the purchase of a Wright airplane for the 

sum of $5,000. 

Navy orders a Wright airplane in July, when appropriations 

for next fiscal year become available. 

MARCH 12. Wilbur leaves Dayton en route to Paris to testify in 

French Wright patent suit, returning to Dayton on August 10. 

MARCH 14. He sails from New York aboard the Kronprinz 

Wilhelm, arriving March 21 in Plymouth. 

MARCH 21. New Wright patent No. 987,662, applied for 

February 17, 1908, granted. 

MARCH 24. Wilbur testifies in Paris before the Third Civil 

Tribunal of the Seine, which was holding hearings in the suit 

brought by the French owners of the Wright patents against 

Henri Farman, Louis Bleriot, and others for infringements. 

MARCH 29. Lt. John Rodgers, U.S. Navy, arrives in Dayton “to 

confer with Wright Brothers for instruction in the art of aviation.” 

MARCH 31. Wilbur writes Orville from Le Mans that poor 

management and business practices of the French Wright 

Company, Compagnie Générale de Navigation Aérienne, have 

hindered the sale of Wright airplanes in France. 

APRIL 23. Wilbur visits widow of Otto Lilienthal in Berlin 

to ascertain her financial status and to view Lilienthal’s old 

flying grounds. 

APRIL 29. French Third Civil Tribunal renders patent decision 

favorable to the Wrights. 

MAY 1. Wright Company and United States Aeronautic company, 

New Haven, sign contract licensing latter to manufacture airplanes 

incorporating the Wright patent. 

MAY 3. Orville attends dinner, sponsored by the Manufacturers 

Club of Cincinnati, honoring Baron Paul d’Estournelles de 

Constant, who was visiting the United States. 

Baron d’Estournelles de Constant was a friend of Wilbur 

when he was flying in France in 1908. 

MAY 4. War Department approves sending the Army’s first 

Wright airplane to the Smithsonian Institution. 

MAY 7. Lt. John Rodgers of the Navy and Lts. Henry H. Arnold 

and Thomas DeW. Milling of the Army, after arriving in Dayton 

to take flying lessons at Wright Flying School, dine with Wright 

family. 

MAY 8. Orville admitted as honorary member of Atlantic City 

Aeronautic Society. 

MAY 20. Miss Sadie I. Fuller of Oshkosh, Wis., brings suit 

against Wright Company in Dayton for $5,000 for alleged injury 
suffered when Wright airplane piloted by Arch Hoxsey swooped 

down on her while she was in grandstand at air meeting in 

Milwaukee on September 18, 1910. 

MAY 28. In letter to August Belmont, Orville states that present 

Wright Company practice is to grant licenses to promoters of air 

meets on a basis of about 20 percent of the amount put up in 

prizes in the case where nothing is paid to the fliers for appearing, 

and on the basis of 10 percent of the gross gate receipts and grandstand receipts in cases where these furnish the entire income for 

conducting the meet. 

JUNE. Wilbur comes to England and stays with Alexander 

Ogilvie for several weeks at Eastchurch on Sheppey Island. 

Ogilvie was practicing flying the Baby Wright airplane in 

preparation for flying it in the Gordon Bennett aviation race, to 

be held in Eastchurch. 

JUNE 3. In statement to press in Dayton Orville declares that, 

despite recent air records established in Europe, America is in no 

danger of losing leadership in world aviation. 

JUNE 13. Wright School of Aviation opens at Belmont Park, 

N.Y., with Arthur L. Welsh, Wright licensed pilot, as instructor. 

JUNE 28. Wilbur writes Orville from Berlin reporting on excessive 

time required in the training of German pilots. He writes, “The 

poor Captain [Paul Engelhard?] cannot understand how you can 

train men in a week at home. He would not believe that I could 

carry two men with 375 turns of the propellers till I took him up 

[April] and did it.” 

This statement contradicts the common belief that the last 

flight by Wilbur as a pilot occurred on May 21, 1910, at Dayton. 

JULY 3. Wrights serve summons on René Barrier, René Simon, 

and St. Croix Johnstone to cease exhibition flying at aviation 

meet in Detroit, Mich. 

JULY 8. Management of aviation meet scheduled under the auspices 

of the Aero Club of Illinois for Grant Park, Chicago, August 13–20, 

refuses demands of Wright Company for 20 percent of gate receipts 

on account of their patent rights. 

JULY 12. Orville and Wilbur elected honorary members of Aero 

Club of New York. 

JULY 15. Orville test-flies Wright hydroplane B-1 at Simms 

Station, first Wright airplane to be delivered to the U.S. Navy. 

The B-1 is delivered at Annapolis, Md., on July 19. 

JULY 26–AUGUST 1. Orville accompanies Lt. Frank P. Lahm 

on series of 10 training flights at Simms Station, Dayton. 

AUGUST 2. Orville goes to New York to attend meeting of 

Executive Committee of Wright Company and stays until arrival 

of Wilbur from Europe on August 9. 

AUGUST 9. Wilbur returns from Europe aboard Oceanic after 

six months’ stay and is met at pier by Orville. 

The Wrights later attend a meeting of the Executive 

Committee of the Wright Company in New York and then 

return to Dayton. 

AUGUST 10. Wright Company enters seven Wright fliers in 

Chicago International Aviation Meet to be held August 12–20, 

the first time Wright flier had taken part in a meet not licensed 

by the Wrights. 

Participating were Walter Brookins, Philip O. Parmalee, J. 

Clifford Turpin, Leonard Bonney, Arthur L. Welsh, Howard 

Gill, and Frank T. Coffyn. 

AUGUST 11. Orville goes to Chicago to attend Chicago 

International Aviation Meet. 

AUGUST 17. Wrights file suit against promoters of aviation 

meet in Chicago alleging that airplanes used infringed their 

patents. 

AUGUST 24–SEPTEMBER 5. Orville accompanies Capt. 

Charles DeF. Chandler, Commanding Officer of the newly 

established Signal Corps flying school at College Park, who was 

on temporary duty at Dayton to receive special instruction with 

the Wright Company, on series of training flights at Simms 

Station, Dayton. 

SEPTEMBER 13–14, 16. Wilbur submits depositions in New 

York in The Wright Company v. The Herring-Curtiss Company 

and Glenn H. Curtiss patent suit. 

SEPTEMBER 15. Wright Company signs agreement with Aero 

Club of St. Louis providing for participation of Wright 

Company in aviation meet to be held in St. Louis, October 

14–22. 

SEPTEMBER 18. Alexander Ogilvie arrives in Dayton from 

England for visit with Wrights. 

OCTOBER 7. Orville leaves for Kitty Hawk, N.C., accompanied 

by his brother, Lorin, his nephew, Horace, and Alexander 

Ogilvie, to conduct gliding experiments, arriving there October 

10. Orville leaves Manteo October 30 and returns to Dayton 

October 31. 

OCTOBER 16–26. Orville makes about 90 glides from Kill 

Devil Hill, Little Hill, and West Hill. 

OCTOBER 18. Orville escapes injury when his glider turns over 

in the air in a 35-mile gale and falls 14 feet to the ground. Both 

left wings and the rear horizontal surface of the glider are broken, 

requiring extensive repairs. The glide is witnessed by John 

Mitchell, Associated Press reporter. 

OCTOBER 23. Orville escapes injury for the second time in a 

week when glider turns over in the air and crashes to the ground, 

breaking vertical and horizontal rudders. 

OCTOBER 24. Orville establishes new soaring time record of 

nine minutes 45 seconds at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in a 50-mile 

wind. 

This time remained a world’s record until exceeded in 

Germany 10 years later. 

OCTOBER 26. Wright Signal Corps 1909 flying machine 

placed on exhibit in National Museum following necessary 

A Chronology • 31 
repairs made at Wright Company factory in Dayton, where it 

had been shipped following use at San Antonio, Tex. 

NOVEMBER 4, 8, 9. Wilbur and Orville experiment with and fly 

a Curtiss machine at Simms Station, Dayton, to gain familiarity 

with the control mechanisms which they claimed infringed the 

Wright patents, then in suit in courts. 

DECEMBER 2. Wrights send widow of Otto Lilienthal, Mrs. 

Agnes Lilienthal, in Berlin, a check for $1,000 as a token of their 

appreciation of Lilienthal’s contribution to aeronautics. 

DECEMBER 12. Judge Learned Hand, in U.S. Circuit Court, 

grants injunction to Wright Company to restrain Claude 

Grahame-White, English aviator, from flying in the United 

States without permission of the Wrights. 

DECEMBER 13. Wright Company brings suit for $50,000 

against Claude Grahame-White to obtain an accounting of 

profits from flights made by him in the U.S. before November 

29, 1910. 

1912 

JANUARY 9–10. Wilbur and Orville give depositions in 

Dayton in E. E. Winkley v. Orville & Wilbur Wright suit. 

Testimony is given on the conception of their patent No. 

415,105, filed February 10, 1908. Several drawings used for 

their patent application and correspondence with Katharine 

Wright and Harry A. Toulmin regarding it are introduced into 

the record. 

JANUARY 15. Wilbur is subjected to direct and cross-examination 

in a suit brought by the Wright Company against the Aero 

Corporation, Limited, December 6, 1910, to recover $15,000 

claimed as balance due the company under an agreement made 

with the corporation before the Belmont Park aviation meet in 

September 1910. 

Wright Company announces that after January 1, 1912, 

and until a patent adjudication has been secured by the Wright 

Company, a 75 percent cash discount will be allowed from the 

per diem royalties for the use of flying machines for exhibition 

purposes. 

JANUARY 20–21. Wilbur visits U.S. Signal Corps Flying School 

at Augusta, Ga., consulting Capt. Charles DeF. Chandler and 

Lts. Henry H. Arnold and Roy C. Kirtland regarding a projected 

new Wright military airplane. 

JANUARY 24. Judgment of $1,700 for complaint decreed by 

U.S. Circuit Court, Southern District of New York, in The 

Wright Company v. Claude Grahame-White infringement suit. 

JANUARY 27. At insistent request of Robert J. Collier, Wilbur 

attends sixth annual banquet of the Aero Club of America, held 

at Sherry’s in New York, and hears “The Sons of an Eagle-Bird,” 

a song written by Arthur Guiterman and dedicated to the 

Wright brothers. 

He returns to Dayton January 31. 

FEBRUARY 14–MARCH 2. Wilbur testifies at length in 

Dayton in The Wright Company v. The Herring-Curtiss 

Company and Glenn H. Curtiss patent suit. 

FEBRUARY 22. German Patent Office invalidates the basic features 

of the German Wright patents because of disclosure in publication 

before filing of patent application. Wrights appeal this decision. 

The disclosures cited were those contained in a report of a 

speech by Octave Chanute published in L’Aéronaute, May 1903, 

and by Wilbur Wright in his 1901 address before the Western 

Society of Engineers, a synopsis of which appeared in 

Automotor, February/March 1902. 

MARCH 14. Wrights address letter to the editor of the Scientific 

American, setting forth the grounds for the German Patent 

Office decision of February 22, nullifying the main claims of the 

German Wright patent. 

The letter was published in the Scientific American, March 

30. Identical letters were sent to Aero, New York (published 

March 23), Aeronautics, New York (published March), Flight, 

London (published April 6), and Fly Magazine, Philadelphia, 

Pa. (published April). 

MARCH 20. Wrights complete and test new six-cylinder motor. 

MARCH 30, APRIL 2,3,4. Wilbur testifies in Dayton in suit 

brought against the Wright Company by Charles H. Lamson in 

1910 for alleged infringement of his kite patent No. 66,427, 

issued January 22, 1901. 

APRIL. Prompted by the erection of a monument to LouisPierre Mouillard at Heliopolis, Egypt, February 25, 1912, 

Wilbur contributes article entitled “What Mouillard Did” to 

Aero Club of America Bulletin, refuting claims that Mouillard 

conceived the use of wing warping and its application to lateral 

control in an aircraft. 

APRIL 5. Orville testifies in Charles H. Lamson v. Wright 

Company suit, telling of early Wright experiments, particularly 

their kite experiments in 1899. 

The case was dismissed in June. 

APRIL 18. Wilbur leaves for New York to arrange a contract 

with Aero Club of America. 

MAY. In article entitled “What Clément Ader Did,” contributed 

to Aero Club of America Bulletin, Wilbur disparages French 

claims for Ader as the first to achieve heavier-than-air flight. 

MAY 2. Wilbur becomes ill on visit to Boston, and on his return 

to Dayton on May 4 doctor diagnoses illness as typhoid fever. 

MAY 4. Wilbur writes to Frederick P. Fish, probably Wilbur’s last 

letter, urging that because of threatening competition the hearing 

of the Herring-Curtiss case be continued and not postponed 

until autumn. 

MAY 9. Orville elected a vice president of the Aeronautical 

Society at Society’s annual meeting in New York. 

MAY 10. Wilbur makes last will and testament, witnessed by 

Ezra Kuhns, lawyer, and Miss Mabel Beck, secretary to Wrights. 

32 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
Wilbur wills $1,000 to his father, $50,000 each to his brothers 

Reuchlin and Lorin and his sister Katharine, and to Orville the 

balance and residue of the estate, estimated to be about 

$126,000. 

MAY 16. Orville goes to Washington to deliver and demonstrate 

new Wright machine for the purpose of winning War 

Department contract. 

MAY 17. Orville instructs Arthur L. Welsh in manner of handling 

of new Wright Type C, M-1, airplane. 

MAY 20. Orville hurriedly returns to Dayton from Washington 

on receipt of news that Wilbur has had relapse. 

MAY 30. Wilbur dies at age 45, following illness extending over 

a period of four weeks; Wright family is at his bedside. 

Tributes were paid him from home and abroad, including 

messages from President William Howard Taft, Gen. Leonard 

Wood, Chief of Staff, Gen. James Allen, Capt. Charles DeF. 

Chandler, and other high-ranking Army officers, and Secretary 

of War Henry L. Stimson. The President’s message reads: “I am 

sorry that the father of the great new science of aeronautics is 

dead, and that he has not been permitted to see the wonderful 

development that is sure to follow along the primary lines 

which he laid down. He deserves to stand with Fulton, 

Stephenson and Bell.” 

MAY 31. Representative Timothy T. Ansberry, of Ohio, introduces 

H.Res. 560, expressing regret of the House on learning of the death 

of Wilbur Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, “who rendered his country 

incalculable service in the science of aeronautics.” 

Board of Directors of Wright Company at special meeting 

adopts resolution of sympathy to Wright family. Pliny W. 

Williamson comes to Dayton to represent the company at 

funeral services. 

JUNE 1. Wilbur’s body lies in state at First Presbyterian Church 

in Dayton, Rev. E. Maurice Wilson conducts the funeral service, 

and burial is in Woodland Cemetery. Honorary pallbearers are 

Robert J. Collier, Charles Jerome Edwards, Russell A. Alger, 

Fred Alger, John H. Patterson, Hon. James M. Cox, Dr. Levi 

Spitler, and Dr. D. B. Conklin. 

JUNE 7. Committee on Memorial to Wilbur Wright, in 

communication to Aero Club of Pennsylvania, recommends 

that the Aero Club of Pennsylvania take steps to create a 

Wilbur Wright Chair of Aerodynamics. 

JUNE 12. Orville, accompanied by Katharine, goes to 

Washington to attend funeral at Adas Israel Congregational 

Cemetery on June 13 of Arthur L. Welsh, Wright Company 

exhibition flier who was killed in an accident at College Park, 

Md., on June 11. 

Welsh was conducting the official Army acceptance tests of 

the Wright Type C, M-1 airplane for the Wright Company and 

was a passenger in the plane being flown by Lt. Leighton W. 

Hazelhurst, who was also killed. 

JUNE 14. Orville and Katharine attend funeral at Arlington 

Cemetery of Lt. Leighton W. Hazelhurst. 

JUNE 15. Orville and Katharine arrive in New York from 

Washington to attend Wright company business meeting on 

June 17 and return to Dayton on June 18. 

JUNE 26. Monmouth County N.J., Circuit Court renders decision 

in favor of the Wright Company in $25,000 suit brought by Morris 

Gersuch, whose arm was broken by a Wright airplane piloted by 

Walter Brookins, when the machine crashed into the grandstand at 

Asbury Park, N.J., aviation meet on August 10, 1910. 

JULY. Announcement is made that the Aeronautical Society of 

Great Britain is opening a subscription fund for the establishment 

of a memorial to Wilbur Wright in “appreciation of his great work 

and in recognition of the support he gave to the Aeronautical 

Society of Great Britain.” This was to take the form of an annual 

lecture called the “Wilbur Wright Lecture.” 

Griffith Brewer was to be in charge of the organization and 

collection of this fund. 

Dayton Wright Memorial Commission recommends that a 

memorial in the form of two Greek columns be erected at 

Huffman Prarie (Simms Station), in Dayton, in memory of 

Wilbur. 

AUGUST 7. U.S. Patent Office examiner of interference awards 

priority of invention to Wright in interference suit brought in 

Patent Office by Erastus E. Winkley, August 12, 1910. 

AUGUST 17. Baron Paul d’Estournelles de Constant initiates 

movement to raise a subscription for the erection of a monument 

at the Auvours training camp at Le Mans to commemorate 

Wilbur Wright’s achievements there in the autumn of 1908. 

SEPTEMBER. Wilbur’s article on Otto Lilienthal published 

posthumously in Aero Club of America Bulletin. 

This was his last article and was written a day or two before 

he was stricken with typhoid fever. He attempts to define 

Lilienthal’s place in aeronautical history and states: “Of all the 

men who attacked the flying problem in the 19th century, Otto 

Lilienthal was easily the most important . . . Lilienthal was the 

real founder of out-of-door experimenting. He was without 

question the greatest of the precursors, and the world owes to 

him a great debt.” 

OCTOBER 27. Wright airplane B-2 delivered to U.S. Navy. 

DECEMBER 6, 8. Orville experiments with his automatic 

stabilizer at Simms Station, Dayton. 

1913 

JANUARY 13. At Simms Station Orville conducts test of his 

automatic stabilizer with plane rudder. 

FEBRUARY 10. Orville, accompanied by Katharine, leaves 

Dayton en route to Europe on business relating to a patent suit 

in Germany. 

This was his last trip to Europe. 

FEBRUARY 12. Orville and Katharine sail for Europe aboard 

Mauretania, arriving in London on February 17, where they are 

met by Griffith Brewer and Alexander Ogilvie. 

A Chronology • 33 
FEBRUARY 18. Orville and Katharine attend Aero Show at 

Olympia, Kensington, London. 

FEBRUARY 19–20. Orville and Katharine are overnight guests 

of Alexander Ogilvie at Sheppey, England. 

FEBRUARY 21. British Wright Company, Ltd. formed, with 

Orville serving as chairman of the board of directors. Orville 

attends meeting of the directors. 

FEBRUARY 22. Orville and Katharine leave London for Berlin, 

arriving there on February 23, and go to Leipzig on February 26 

to attend German Wright patent trial before German Supreme 

Court. 

FEBRUARY 26. U.S. Ambassador Myron T. Herrick gives 

luncheon in Paris attended by numerous members of the AéroClub de France and by the members of the Wilbur Wright Le 

Mans Memorial Committee in charge of arrangements for the 

erection of a memorial to Wilbur at Camp d’Auvours, near Le 

Mans, where he made his first public flights in 1908. A message 

of tribute from President Taft is read. 

German Supreme Court renders decision favorable to the 

Wrights, granting protection to their use of wing warping in 

connection with a rudder. 

FEBRUARY 27. Judge John R. Hazel, of U.S. District Court in 

Buffalo, grants Wright brothers’ petition for order restraining 

Glenn H. Curtiss and others from manufacture and sale of 

alleged infringing machines. 

FEBRUARY 28. Orville holds consultation with Dr. V. 

Schneider on German Flugmaschine Wright. 

MARCH 1. Orville goes to Dresden to Harlan-Werke to discuss 

licensing of Wright airplanes. 

MARCH 9. Orville and Katharine sail for the U.S. aboard 

George Washington after their European trip, arriving in New 

York on March 17 and in Dayton on March 19. 

MARCH 13. French patent decision rendered in favor of 

Wrights. 

MARCH 25–27. Disastrous Miami River flood causes considerable 

damage to the Wright family home and property, including damage 

to their collection of glass plate photographic negatives and to early 

business and aviation records. 

APRIL. Henry County (Ind.) Historical resolution recommending 

that a tablet be placed on wall of building where Wilbur was born. 

MAY 1–3. Orville experiments with his Model CH, the first 

Wright Hydroplane, on the Miami River. 

MAY 21. Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture inaugurated by the 

Royal Aeronautical Society, London, honoring the life and work 

of Wilbur Wright. 

MAY 26. Queen City Aero Club of Cincinnati elects Orville 

honorary member. 

U.S. Patent Office examiner in chief affirms decision of 

August 7, 1912, in interference suit brought August 12, 1910, 

by Erastus E. Winkley against Wright Company. 

JUNE 5. Orville flies up Miami River with three passengers in 

Wright airplane equipped with wooden pontoons. 

JUNE 14. Orville flies hydroplane on Miami River. 

JUNE 18. Orville accepts appointment to serve on the 

Subcommittees on Aircraft Factories and Hydromechanics in 

Relation to Aeronautics, Langley Laboratory of the Smithsonian 

Institution. Capt. Holden C. Richardson served as chairman. 

JULY. New incidence indicator designed by Orville is marketed 

by Wright Company. 

JULY 1. Wright model CH seaplane announced. 

JULY 8. Orville goes to New York to attend Wright Company 

Executive Committee business meeting, returning to Dayton on 

July 11. 

JULY 9. Board of managers of the Franklin Institute in 

Philadelphia elects Orville as nonresident member. 

JULY 10. Orville appoints Grove C. Loening as an engineer 

with the Wright Company, effective July 14. 

Loening remains with Wright Company for one year, 

resigning effective July 15, 1914. 

SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER. Orville conducts experiments 

with new automatic control and completes its development. 

SEPTEMBER 20. Orville Wright flies in a single-propeller 

machine for the first time. 

SEPTEMBER 30. Wright model G aeroboat announced. 

OCTOBER. British Wright Company enters suit for £25,000 

against the British government for infringement of the Wright 

patent. 

OCTOBER 14. Wrights granted patent No. 1,075,533 for a 

device for maintaining automatic stability of an aircraft. The 

patent application was originally filed February 10, 1908. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville attends dinner in his honor given by 

Aero Club of America in New York and is presented with 

“Wright Memorial Book” which had been compiled by the Aero 

Club of America “to commemorate the discovery by Wilbur and 

Orville of the correct principles of maintaining equilibrium in 

the air.” 

The edition was limited to three copies, the first to be 

presented to Orville, the second to be preserved in Aero Club 

of America archives, and the third to be given to the 

Smithsonian Institution. 

Material in the volume relates to the presentation of Aero 

Club of America gold medals to the Wright brothers by 

President Taft on June 10, 1909, including resolutions of 

Congress, photographs of the medals, President Taft’s speech 

of presentation, messages from the governors of 10 states, 13 

34 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
scientific institutions, and numerous editorials and cartoons 

marking the occasion. 

Reichsflugverein, E. V. in Berlin (formerly Verin Deutscher 

Flugtechniker), in meeting attended by numerous aviators, 

engineers, and scientists, observes 10th anniversary of 1903 flight, 

paying homage to Orville, an honorary member of the Society. 

DECEMBER 18. Orville meets Thomas A. Edison for the first 

time when he is a guest of the Edison family at Llewellyn Park, 

Orange, N.J. He later inspects the Edison Laboratories. 

Orville attends dinner marking 10th anniversary of 1903 

flight given in his honor in New York by the Aeronautical Society, 

at which a set of engrossed resolutions and a bronze figure by 

Auguste Moreau are presented to him. 

DECEMBER 19. Léon Bollée, in his will, bequeaths first engine 

used by Wilbur in his 1908 flights at Le Mans, France, to the Le 

Mans Museum. 

DECEMBER 31. Orville demonstrates his automatic stabilizer in 

17 flights at Simms Station at Dayton, Ohio, before committee of 

the Aero Club of America. The committee members are Dr. L.E. 

Custer, dentist, Dr. John C. Eberhardt, optometrist, both from 

Dayton, and Grover C. Loening, aeronautical engineer, of New 

York. In the last and conclusive demonstration Orville makes 

seven successive turns with his hands completely removed from 

the controls of the airplane. 

1914 

JANUARY 5. Orville describes his automatic stabilizer in dispatch 

to London Daily Mail, which published the account on January 6. 

This constituted first published report of the device. 

JANUARY 8. Orville elected honorary member of the Rotary 

Club of Dayton. 

He had been a member since November 1912. 

JANUARY 13. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals of New York 

renders decision in favor of the Wright company in its suit, 

begun in 1909, against the Herring-Curtiss Company and 

Glenn H. Curtiss, recognizing the Wright patent as a pioneer 

patent entitled to very broad construction, and permanently 

enjoining Curtiss from manufacturing or selling airplanes in 

which two ailerons functioned simultaneously to produce different angles on the right and left wingtips. 

JANUARY 21. Alpheus F. Barnes, secretary of the Wright 

Company, visits Orville in Dayton to obtain bill of damages to 

be presented to the Curtiss Aeroplane Company as a result of the 

court decision rendered January 13. 

JANUARY 26. Orville, accompanied by Katharine, travels to 

New York for conference with his business associates in the 

Wright Company, Alpheus F. Barnes, secretary, and Andrew 

Freedman, director. 

FEBRUARY 5. Orville attends meeting of the Dayton Rotary 

Club, where announcement is made that he has been awarded 

the Aero Club of America Trophy for 1913, donated by Robert 

J. Collier, for “the development of his automatic stabilizer.” 

FEBRUARY 11. Orville declares that a trans-Atlantic trip in an 

airplane was impracticable at the time. 

The statement was made in reference to the proposed flight 

by Rodman Wanamaker in a flying boat being constructed by 

Glenn H. Curtiss. 

FEBRUARY 20. Wright Company sends circular letter to 

manufacturers, users, and exhibitors warning of prosecution if 

using Wright-type machine without license. 

This notice followed favorable court decision rendered 

January 13. 

FEBRUARY 25. Orville goes to New York on business involving 

the Wright Company, attending a company meeting on February 

27, going to Washington on February 27, and returning to 

Dayton on March 1. 

FEBRUARY 26. In interview in New York reported in New York 

Times, Orville declares that inventors are poorly protected by 

present patent laws–that patents have little relative value because 

of excessive costs of litigation in courts required to maintain 

claims. He attributes illness and death of his brother to delays of 

the law’s processes relative to patents. 

Subsequently Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane sent 

Orville a letter outlining his intention to revise the patent laws in 

order that American inventors may secure more adequate protection. 

MARCH 6. Committee on Science and the Arts of the Franklin 

Institute in Philadelphia votes to award Orville the Elliott 

Cresson medal “in recognition of the epoch-making work 

accomplished by you at first, together with your brother Wilbur, 

and latterly, alone, in establishing on a practical basis the science 

and art of aviation.” 

SPRING. Orville obtains controlling interest in Wright 

Company through purchase of additional stock, buying the 

shares of all other shareholders in the Wright Company except 

those of his friend Robert J. Collier. 

APRIL 10. National Policemen’s Club elects Orville honorary 

member. 

APRIL 18. Announcement is made that Orville has perfected a 

new type elevator device to supplement the automatic stabilizer 

in use to prevent “dives.” 

APRIL 28. In absence of Orville, Bishop Milton Wright and 

Katharine move from 7 Hawthorn Street in Dayton, occupied by the 

Wright family since 1871, to Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood, Dayton. 

Orville was to live here until his death in 1948. 

MAY 1. Orville is a founding member of Engineers’ Club of 

Dayton. 

MAY 13. Orville elected second vice president of Engineers’ 

Club of Dayton. 

MAY 19. Orville leaves for Philadelphia to deliver lecture before 

the Franklin Institute, returning to Dayton on May 22. 

A Chronology • 35 
MAY 20. Orville delivers lecture on “Stability of Aeroplanes” 

before the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. He receives Franklin 

Institute’s Elliot Cresson Medal. 

MAY 21. Governor of Ohio James M. Cox names Orville as 

member of Ohio State Board of Commissioners of the World 

Peace Foundation, Boston. 

MAY 23. Lincoln Beachey granted first Wright Company 

license, terms being $1,000 a calendar year and $25 for each day 

of paid flying. 

Beachey, under license, flies for first time at Brighton 

Beach, N.Y. 

JUNE 6. Griffith Brewer comes to Dayton to visit with Orville 

and Katharine for three months to write a book on the history 

of aviation. He goes to Hammondsport, N.Y., and observes the 

many changes being made in the Langley Aerodrome before 

tests of the machine by Glenn H. Curtiss. 

JUNE 9. Wright Company releases announcement stating that 

to obtain a license to fly, an owner of an airplane that infringes 

the Wright patent must pay a fee of $1,000 to the Wright 

Company and, in addition, $25 for each day the machine is 

operated or exhibited for profit or prize. 

AUGUST 1. Orville attends exhibition flying by Lincoln 

Beachey and Barney Oldfield at Dayton Fairgrounds. 

AUGUST 21. Orville narrowly escapes drowning when a late 

model hydroplane he was piloting, with U.S. Navy Lt. Kenneth 

Whiting as a passenger, falls into the Miami River near Dayton. 

SEPTEMBER. Orville’s address on “Stability of Aeroplanes,” 

delivered at Franklin Institute on May 20, published in Journal 

of the Franklin Institute. 

OCTOBER 16. British Wright Company is awarded £15,000 by 

the British government “in payment for the use of the Wright 

patent in building aeroplanes patented by them.” 

NOVEMBER 16. Wright Company files bill of complaint 

against the Curtiss Aeroplane Company. In affidavit of this date, 

prepared in Dayton, Orville states that, despite earlier decrees 

and judgments in favor of the Wright Company, the Curtis 

Aeroplane Company is continuing to manufacture, use and sell 

flying machines which infringe the Wright patent. 

DECEMBER 14. Orville confers in New York with Israel 

Ludlow and Arthur W. Johns, associated with the Aero Club of 

America, discussing the movement by the U.S. government to 

secure the purchase of the Wright patents. 

DECEMBER 29. Wrights issued supplementary patent No. 

1,122,348, incorporating improvements on their original patent 

and strengthening their claim to the invention of the airplane. 

The patent application was filed February 17, 1908. 

1915 

JANUARY 14. Orville is scheduled to be guest of honor of the 

Aero Club of America at its ninth annual dinner at the St. Regis 

36 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

hotel in New York but is unable to attend because of illness which 

confines him to bed. The club and its guests vote a resolution of 

sympathy. 

FEBRUARY 24. Glenn L. Martin visits Orville at his home in 

Dayton. 

MARCH 14. Orville’s interview with Earl N. Findley, in which 

Orville discusses the role of the airplane in war, published in 

New York Tribune. 

MARCH 31. Polytechnicum of Chicago confers degree of doctor 

of philosophy on Orville. 

APRIL 24. Orville files affidavit in Dayton in The Wright 

Company v. Curtiss Aeroplane suit and gives extensive testimony 

on Langley flying machine and the 1914 tests on the machine 

conducted at Hammondsport, New York. 

MAY 10. Orville files affidavit in Dayton in The Wright 

Company v. Curtiss Aeroplane suit, states that he has reason 

to believe but has been unable to prove, that knocked-down 

Curtiss aeroplanes were being shipped to England and 

assembled there with the incorporation of a double acting 

aileron control. 

MAY 19. Orville goes to New York to confer with representative 

of the Connecticut Aircraft Company of the issuance of an 

exclusive manufacturing license to the Connecticut Company 

under Wright patents, returning to Dayton on May 23. 

JUNE 4. Lorin Wright travels from Dayton to Hammondsport, 

N.Y., to observe new trials of the Langley Aerodrome being 

conducted there by Glenn H. Curtiss in the interests of an 

upcoming court trial in suit brought against Curtiss by the 

Wright Company. 

Lorin reports his observations of the trials to Orville in a letter 

on this date. 

JUNE 23. Orville receives honorary doctor of science degree 

from Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. 

JULY 12. Orville goes to New York, returning on July 15, 

accompanied by Earl N. Findley of New York Tribune and John 

R. McMahon. 

JULY 13. Orville named by Secretary of the Navy Josephus 

Daniels to serve with Thomas A. Edison and Henry Ford on 

new civilian Naval Board of Invention and Development. 

JULY 14. Orville writes his first newspaper story for the New 

York Tribune, giving his opinion on the problem of aerial defense 

and declaring that it would be folly for the United States to 

engage in war at the present time owing to the unpreparedness of 

the country in aeronautical equipment. 

JULY 22. Orville named vice president of newly organized 

American Society of Aeronautic Engineers. 

JULY 31. Fred C. Kelly’s first interview with Orville on May 10 

published in Colliers. Orville states that the airplane will prevent 

war by making its cost prohibitive. 
AUGUST. Smithsonian Institution publishes in its 1914 annual 

report statement to the effect that the Aerodrome of Samuel P. 

Langley was “the first aeroplane capable of sustained free flight 

with a man.” This inaccurate statement, reflecting adversely on 

the reputation of the Wright brothers, led to the controversy 

between Orville and the Smithsonian Institution which was to 

continue until 1942. 

AUGUST 12. Orville participates in demonstration of new 

transcontinental telephone service between Dayton and 

Panama-Pacific Exposition Building in San Francisco. 

AUGUST 26. Orville, T. Frank Manville, and Frederick Y. 

Robertson sign agreement for all patent rights of Wrights and 

an end of all royalty payments under Wright previous patent 

agreements. 

OCTOBER 15. Wright Company sold to a syndicate headed by 

William B. Thompson, Harry Payne Whitney, T. Frank 

Manville, and other financiers, a primary consideration being 

Orville’s poor state of health and the fact that he wished to 

devote more time to research. 

Orville enters into agreement with Wright Company to 

serve as consulting engineer at an annual salary of $25,000. 

This agreement is terminated on August 11, 1916. 

NOVEMBER 15. Pliny W. Williamson, New York lawyer, files 

suit against Orville, asking $50,000 as commission for bringing 

about sale of the Wright Company. 

DECEMBER 11. Orville has severe pain in his back while driving, 

is brought home in an ambulance, and is bedridden for approximately eight weeks. 

1916 

MARCH 28. Orville named honorary chairman of newly 

formed Dayton branch of National Security League. 

MAY–JUNE. Orville and assistants renovate 1903 Wright airplane, 

preparatory to exhibiting it at the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology. 

The machine, which had not been assembled since the 1903 

flights at Kitty Hawk, had been through two Dayton floods, 

some of the parts were damaged, and much of the fabric was in 

poor condition. 

JUNE–NOVEMBER. Orville builds office and workshop at 15 

N. Broadway in Dayton, which was to be his headquarters for 

the rest of his life. He constructs an aeronautical laboratory 

equipped with a three-foot wind tunnel. 

JUNE 10. Orville departs for Boston to attend exercises at the 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is member of group 

departing from New York on June 11 aboard the S.S. Bunker, 

which arrived in Boston on June 12. 

JUNE 11, 12, 13. Wright 1903 airplane sent from Dayton, 

reassembled by Wright company mechanic James M. H. Jacobs, 

and exhibited at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 

Cambridge, Mass. 

JUNE 12. Orville honored at testimonial dinner at the 

Engineer’s Club in Boston given by the Dedication Reunion 

committee of MIT. Prof. Cecil H. Peabody, head of the 

Department of Naval Architecture presides. Speakers include 

Alexander Graham Bell, James Means, and Orville. Alan R. 

Hawley brings a congratulatory message from the Aero Club 

of America. 

JUNE 14. Alexander Graham Bell and Orville are guests of 

honor, in recognition of their great achievements in applied 

science, at dedicatory exercise for new buildings completed at 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. At National 

Technology Banquet in Symphony Hall, Orville joins 

Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Edison in exchange of 

greetings in demonstration of transcontinental telephone, 

Edison being at his home in Menlo Park, N.J. 

JUNE 16. Under the auspices of the Aeronautical Society of 

Great Britain at the Royal Society of Arts in London, Griffith 

Brewer delivers the Fourth Wilbur Wright Memorial Lecture, 

devoted to the life and work of Wilbur Wright. 

The lecture was subsequently published in the Society’s 

Aeronautical Journal, July/September issue. 

JULY 11–SEPTEMBER 3. Orville, Katharine, and Bishop 

Wright spend vacation on Waubec Island in Georgian Bay, 

Ontario, Canada. 

On September 19 Orville purchased nearby Lambert Island, 

where in later years he annually spent long summer vacations, 

usually July to September. 

AUGUST 7. Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, merger of 

Wright Company and Glenn L. Martin Company, organized 

with Orville serving as chief consultant engineer. 

OCTOBER 25. Henry County (Ind.) Historical Society 

adopts resolution to erect a tablet or marker designating the 

spot near Millville, six miles east of New Castle, Ind. where 

Wilbur was born. 

NOVEMBER 17. Trustees of Oberlin College elect Orville a 

member of the Advisory Committee for the College of Arts and 

Sciences on Physics and Astronomy. 

DECEMBER 16. Wright-Martin Aircraft Corp. acquires Wright 

patents. 

DECEMBER 23. Dr. Charles Walcott writes Orville that the 

National Museum is interested in securing the Wright airplane 

exhibited at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in June. 

1917 

Orville establishes Wright Aeronautical Laboratory and 

engages in fundamental scientific research. In 1917 and 1918 he 

serves as consultant to the government and to private concerns 

on aeronautical matters in connection with the war. 

JANUARY 1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology proposes 

construction of Wright Brothers Memorial Wind Tunnel. 

A public announcement of these plans is made on 

February 24. 

A Chronology • 37 
JANUARY 2. Orville agrees to serve as chairman of a Dayton 

committee to pass judgment on designs of Dayton inventors 

and to aid them in their endeavors to promote their inventive 

projects. 

JANUARY 5. Orville gives paper entitled “Air Routes to the 

National Parks” at National Parks Conference held at the 

National Museum, Washington, D.C., January 2–6. He cites 

advantages of air travel for reaching national parks and the need 

for additional landing facilities in or near them. 

FEBRUARY 2. Orville, in interview declares that in the event 

of war between the United States and Germany he would offer 

his services to the government in whatever capacity he might 

be useful. 

FEBRUARY 7. Orville and Katharine go to New York to attend 

Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition. 

FEBRUARY 8–15. Original Wright 1903 airplane exhibited at 

Pan-American Aeronautic Exposition held at Grand Central 

Palace in New York. 

FEBRUARY 9. Orville is guest of honor at dinner given by Grover 

C. Loening at Delmonico’s in New York, and in one of the few 

speeches he ever made tells of hardships and encouragement he 

and his brother experienced in developing a successful airplane. 

FEBRUARY 25–26. Danish inventor and aviation pioneer Jacob 

C. H. Ellehammer visits Orville in Dayton. 

MARCH. Wright Company closes Dayton plant, comprising 

two building occupying about 4,000 square feet. 

MARCH 10. Orville acquires Scipio, a St. Bernard, which was 

to be Wright family pet for many years. 

MARCH 27. Orville, with Katharine, hears talk at Memorial 

Hall in Dayton by Jeannette Rankin, first woman elected to 

Congress. 

APRIL. In interview with Burton J. Hendrick published in Harper’s 

Magazine, Orville stresses the peacetime uses of the airplane. 

APRIL 3. Bishop Milton Wright, who had lived with his sons 

since his retirement in 1905, dies in Dayton, age 88. Services are 

held on April 5 in Orville’s Oakwood home, and burial is in the 

family plot in Woodland Cemetery. Rev. J. Howe of 

Huntington, Ind., reads the obituary and gives a brief address on 

the life and character of Bishop Wright. 

APRIL 11. Dayton Wright Airplane Co. and Wright Field Co. 

incorporated, Orville serving as director and consulting engineer 

for both companies. 

APRIL 25. Orville commissioned a major in the Aviation 

Section, Signal Officers Reserve Corps. 

APRIL 30. Dr. Robert A. Milliken, Ryerson Physical 

Laboratory, University of Chicago, is guest of Orville on visit to 

Dayton to address Dayton Engineers’ Club. 

MAY 7. Maj. Benjamin D. Foulois and Capt. E. O. Edgar confer 

with Orville in Dayton on the training of aviators and on the 

possibility of establishing a flight training school at Wright Field. 

JUNE 14. Earlham College, Richmond, Ind., confers master of 

science degree on Orville. 

The degree had been voted four years earlier, but Orville 

was unable to attend at that time and degree was not granted in 

absentia. 

JUNE 15. Orville elected honorary member of Aircraft 

Manufacturers Association (subsequently Manufacturers 

Aircraft Association, Inc.). 

JUNE 16. Orville receives doctor of science degree from the 

University of Cincinnati. 

JUNE 20. Council of the Royal Society of Arts, on recommendation of Lord Northcliffe, awards society’s Albert Medal to 

Orville. 

JULY 1. In interview with Earl N. Findley, published in New 

York Times, Orville declares that 10,000 airplanes would end 

the war within 10 weeks. 

JULY 5. Orville attends wedding of his nephew, Milton Wright, 

to Ann Margaret Grosvenor in Louisville, Ky. 

JULY 17. Aerial League of America elects Orville honorary 

member. 

JULY 23. Executive committee of the War Work Council of the 

Y.M.C.A., visiting Dayton and Wilbur Wright Field, breakfasts 

with Orville in Miami Hotel. 

AUGUST 6. At citizens’ meeting in Dayton’s Community Hall, 

Orville speaks out for nonpartisan city government in opposition 

to Republican or Democratic control. 

AUGUST 17. Formation of the Manufacturers Aircraft Association 

providing for an exchange of licenses among aircraft manufacturers 

ends patent litigation between Curtiss and Wright interests. 

SEPTEMBER 4. Board of Governors of National Institute of 

Inventors elects Orville honorary member. 

On July 13, 1918, Orville, questioning the business practices 

of the institution, requests that his name be removed from 

honorary membership list. 

SEPTEMBER 24. Heirs of John J. Montgomery, gliding 

experimenter killed in 1911 when testing one of his machines, 

file suit against Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, holders 

of original Wright patents. 

OCTOBER. Orville engaged in experimental work at his laboratory 

on design of an aerial torpedo, continuing on this project for a 

year or more. 

OCTOBER 23. Harvard Aeronautical Society, Cambridge, 

Mass., elects Orville honorary member. 

OCTOBER 27. Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts of 

England, “in recognition of the value of the contributions of 

38 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
Wilbur and Orville Wright to the solution of mechanical flight,” 

presented to Orville in Dayton by Lord Northcliffe. 

Lord Northcliffe later was a dinner guest of Orville and 

Katharine at the Wright home. Charles L. Flint was their 

guest at lunch. 

1918 

FEBRUARY 2. Orville, in his capacity of second vice president of 

Engineers’ Club of Dayton and representing the board of governors, 

participates in dedicatory exercises for new clubhouse. He accepts 

building from the building committee on behalf of the club. 

FEBRUARY 3. Dinner arranged by Mayor Alfred de Lassence, 

with 200 English-speaking guests attending, commemorates 

first flight by Wilbur at Pau in 1909. 

MAY. Orville consulted by Col. Elbert J. Hall on design of propellers 

to be installed on Bristol aircraft. 

MAY 13. Orville makes last flight as a pilot, flying an early 

1911 model Wright biplane alongside the first De Havilland–4 

airplane, built at Moraine City, Ohio. Orville subsequently is a 

passenger in the DH-4. 

JUNE 6. In interview in Dayton Orville expresses belief that air 

attack on New York City is only remotely possible and that 

attack by planes launched from German submarines is unlikely. 

JUNE 17. Society of Automotive Engineers, as part of its annual 

meeting, holds Orville Wright testimonial dinner, with more that 

1,200 in attendance, at Triangle Park, Dayton. 

JUNE 17–18. Wright 1903 airplane exhibited at midsummer 

national meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers in Dayton. 

JULY. For the first time, Orville spends his summer vacation at 

his summer home on Lambert Island, in Georgian Bay in 

Canada, which he purchased in 1916. 

JULY 8. Air Service Institute of the United States elects Orville 

honorary member. 

OCTOBER 3. Orville testifies in the U.S. Department of Justice 

aircraft industry investigation and answers questions asked by 

Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes regarding his connection with 

aircraft production carried out at Dayton during World War I. 

OCTOBER 27. Special memorial services are held at the grave 

of Wilbur in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton under the auspices 

of the Aero Club of America and the Aero Club of Dayton, with 

Orville and Katharine in attendance. Dr. L. E. Custer lays a 

wreath of bay leaves on the grave. Mayor Jesse M. Switzer pays 

tribute to Wilbur, and Judge Charles W. Justin delivers a eulogy. 

DECEMBER 3. Orville attends annual meeting of Society of 

Automotive Engineers in New York, is elected an honorary 

member of the society and is honored at a dinner at the 

Engineers’ Club of New York. 

DECEMBER 11. In statement submitted to Manufacturers 

Aircraft Association, Orville declares: “A commercial demand 

will be quickly created when safe landing places for the present 

high speed machines are provided at frequent intervals or when 

a type of machine is developed which can safely land on ordinary 

ground. I believe that the failure of the aeroplane for support 

and commercial uses up to this time has been entirely due to the 

lack of facilities for safe landing at any and all times.” 

This statement is released December 20. 

DECEMBER 20. Orville attends testimonial dinner honoring 

his friend Col. Edward A. Deeds, president of the National Cash 

Register Company in Dayton, at the Army and Navy Club, 

Washington, D.C. 

DECEMBER 22. First stone of a monument to be erected by 

Aéro-Club de France to commemorate the historic airplane flights 

of Wilbur laid at Le Mans. Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois and 

Col. Charles DeF. Chandler are present as representatives of the 

American Expeditionary Forces in France. 

Speeches lauding the achievements of the Wright brothers 

are made by René Buon, the Mayor of Le Mans; Senator Paul 

d’Estournelles de Constant, president of the Wright Committee; 

the American ambassador, William B. Sharp; Henry Simon 

Minister of the Colonies, representing the French government; 

Paul Painlevé, former French premier, and one of Wilbur’s first 

passengers in a flight of 1908; and by Baron A. d’Aubigny, 

deputy of Le Mans. Louis D. Beaumont presents a bronze 

wreath on behalf of the city of Dayton. Ambassador Sharp, on 

behalf of the Aero Club of America, presents a commemorative 

bronze plaque. 

1919 

JANUARY 13. Orville appointed to serve on Committee of 

Technical Section, Division of Military Aeronautics, War 

Department to participate in test of Italian Caproni biplane. 

FEBRUARY. Orville contributes article entitled “Sporting 

Future of the Airplane” to U.S. Air Services, declaring that 

reducing the landing speed of the airplane is an essential factor. 

FEBRUARY 3. Orville accepts appointment to serve as a consulting 

engineer on airplane design in the Technical Division of the Air 

Service, to serve without remuneration. 

FEBRUARY 7. Ind. State Representative Luther F. Symons 

introduces House Bill 326, providing for the erection of a 

memorial to Wilbur Wright and appropriating $2,000 to 

purchase the birthplace of Wilbur in Liberty Township, Henry 

County, Ind. The bill passes the House February 28 and the 

Senate March 10 but is not signed and enacted into law. 

FEBRUARY 22. Orville is among leading Dayton business and 

professional men attending dinner honoring his friend Col. 

Edward A. Deeds, president of the National Cash Register 

Company, at Dayton City Club. 

MARCH 1–15. Wright 1903 airplane exhibited at the 

Aeronautical Exposition, New York. 

A Chronology • 39 
MAY 7. At a testimonial dinner given for Capt. Eddie 

Rickenbacker by the Aero Club of Dayton, Orville meets the 

World War I ace for the first time. 

MAY 22. Orville is host to the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur 

Stefansson and entertains at a luncheon in his honor at the 

Dayton Engineers’ Club. 

JUNE 3. Dr. Jan B. Claverie visits Dayton and presents Orville 

with a duplicate of the bronze plaque placed on the Wilbur 

Wright Memorial at Le Mans on September 22, a token of 

esteem from Louis D. Beaumont. 

JUNE 18. Yale University confers honorary master of arts degree 

on Orville, “In recognition of the triumphant consummation of 

a work which a long line of great men from Leonardo da Vinci 

have sought to effect.” He is the guest of Prof. Joseph W. Roe in 

New Haven on June 17 and 18. 

Miss Ivonette Wright, niece of Orville, marries Harold S. 

Miller in ceremony at Orville’s home in Dayton. 

JULY–AUGUST. Orville and a group of World War I coworkers 

take a four-week trip to the West Coast, Orville’s first trip to the 

West. The party consists of Cols. Edward A. Deeds, Sidney D. 

Waldon, Milton F. Davis, and Edwin S. George, Lt. Harold H. 

Emmons, Gordon S. Rentschler, Charles Deeds, Joe Buts, H. 

Marchant, George Spencer, and Dana Mayo. 

Henry Ford was originally scheduled to accompany the 

group but was prevented from doing so by involvement in a legal 

suit. Stops were made at Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, San 

Francisco, and Los Angeles. 

SEPTEMBER 27. Orville accepts honorary membership in 

American Flying Club. 

NOVEMBER 8. Aero Club of Texas confers honorary membership, 

voted some months earlier, on Orville. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville attends city of Dayton luncheon at 

Miami Hotel given in honor of Gen. John J. Pershing on his visit 

to the city. 

1920 

JANUARY 13. Orville submits identical depositions in Dayton in 

behalf of the defendants in two suits by Regina Cleary 

Montgomery v. The United States and in Regina Cleary 

Montgomery et al v. Wright–Martin Aircraft Corporation. The 

chronological evolution of the Wright control system is told at 

great length by Orville in the deposition, one of the best published 

accounts on this subject. 

Orville’s depositions of January 13, 1920, and February 2, 

1921, were subsequently edited by Fred C. Kelly and published 

with the title How We Invented the Aeroplane (New York, 

David McKay, 1953). 

JANUARY 20. John Fritz Medal Board of Award, in annual 

meeting in New York, chooses Orville as the medalist for the 

year 1920. 

40 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JANUARY 26. Orville informed of election as life member of 

Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. 

JANUARY 29. Orville appointed by President Wilson as civilian 

member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. 

He served for 28 years with quite regular attendance at 

annual and semi-annual meetings in Washington until his death 

in 1948. 

APRIL 14. Aero Club of Dayton elects Orville honorary member. 

APRIL 28. U.S.S. Wright, aircraft tender honoring Wilbur, 

launched at Philadelphia with Mrs. Roland M. Comfort of 

Washington, D.C., a longtime friend of Orville, as sponsor. 

MAY 7. Orville presented with the John Fritz Medal, for noteworthy work in the development of the airplane, in auditorium 

of Engineering Societies building in New York City. 

MAY 23. Reuchlin Wright, brother of Wilbur and Orville, dies 

in Kansas City, Mo. Illness prevents Orville from attending 

funeral services. 

JULY 17. Wilbur Wright monument at Le Mans, France, dedicated. 

The work of sculptor Paul Landowski and architect Paul Bigot, 

the 40-foot-high shaft and sculpture were the gift of Commodore 

Louis D. Beaumont of Dayton. Tributes to Wilbur are delivered 

by former American Ambassador to France Myron T. Herrick, 

Lasare Weiller, and others. 

NOVEMBER. Orville, after suffering severe pains, visits Mayo 

Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for treatment of a sciatic leg ailment, 

a result of his airplane accident at Fort Myer, Va., in September 

1908. X-ray examination at this time disclose that apparently in 

the 1908 accident there had been three fractures in the hip bones, 

besides a dislocation of one of them, which had previously been 

unknown to him. Doctors prescribe treatment which considerably 

alleviated the pain. 

1921 

Orville becomes member of American Federation of Arts. 

Orville elected honorary member of National Association of 

Audubon Societies. 

JANUARY. Wright 1903 airplane set up at South Field, Dayton, 

for purposes of obtaining testimony in the Regina Cleary 

Montgomery et al v. Wright–Martin Aircraft Corporation suit. 

FEBRUARY 2. Orville submits identical depositions in behalf of 

the defendants in the suits brought by Regina Cleary 

Montgomery et al. V. Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation. 

MARCH 25. Milton Wright Memorial Home (United Brethren 

Church) Chambersburg, Pa., honoring Bishop Milton Wright, 

is incorporated and commences operations on April 1. 

APRIL 25. Orville attends breakfast at the home of Col. Edward 

A. Deeds honoring the new Chinese minister to the United 

States, Dr. Alfred Sao-ke Sze, who was in Dayton in the interest 

of the China famine fund. 
APRIL 28. Aircraft tender U.S.S. Wright launched at Hog 

Island, Va. 

MAY 9. Carl Akeley, noted explorer, and Griffith Brewer are 

guests of Katharine and Orville at Engineers’ Club in Dayton. 

MAY 19. Orville accepts membership in Dayton Chamber of 

Commerce. 

OCTOBER 20. Griffith Brewer delivers lecture before the Royal 

Aeronautical Society in London supporting Orville’s claims that 

the original Langley machine was not capable of sustained free 

flight and was not successfully flown at Hammondsport, N.Y, 

on June 2, 1914. 

The lecture is subsequently published in U.S. Air 

Services, October 1921, and in The Aeronautical Journal, 

December 1921. 

DECEMBER 16. Aircraft tender U.S.S.Wright commissioned 

in New York, first naval vessel constructed as a seaplane tender. 

When this ship was reclassified as a miscellaneous auxiliary in 

1944, the name was changed to the U.S.S. San Clements. 

DECEMBER 18. In first statement since the end of the war 

issued from the office for the Aeronautical Chamber of 

Commerce of America, Orville tells of the problems overcome 

before the first successful flight in 1903 and states that “Flying 

seems so easy today that one naturally wonders at the long delay 

in its accomplishment.” 

DECEMBER 21. Orville member of reception committee meeting 

Rep. Joseph W. Fordney of Michigan, author of tariff reform 

bill, who had come to Dayton to speak at a Chamber of 

Commerce dinner. 

DECEMBER 29. Orville elected member of the Aeronautical 

Chamber of Commerce of America, Inc. 

He continued this membership and on May 15, 1944, was 

elected to Honorary Life Membership. 

1922 

JANUARY 26. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics publishes its Report 

No. 184, “Air Force and Moment for Dayton–Wright Split-Flap 

Aerofoil.” The split-flap was developed by Orville in cooperation 

with James M. H. Jacobs, an employee of the Dayton-Wright 

Airplane Company in Dayton. 

The report concludes that the split flap is of no value. Ten 

years later the Navy was one of the first to use it. 

FEBRUARY. Orville states in Popular Science Monthly symposium 

devoted to the question “What is the most pressing scientific 

achievement now required in the field of your special interest?” that 

low-speed landing is first need of aviation. 

FEBRUARY 6. Orville attends fourth annual banquet of 

Engineers’ Club in Dayton. 

FEBRUARY 16. In telegram to New York Times Orville 

reports his observation of a rainmaking experiment conducted 

over Dayton in which clouds were sprayed with electrified sand 

particles from an airplane. 

MAY 10. Gyro Club meeting in Dayton Engineers’ Club passes 

resolution recommending change in name of Third Street to 

Wright Avenue in memory of Wilbur Wright and as a testimonial 

to Orville Wright. 

MAY 25. Dayton Mayor Frank B. Hale names Orville to serve on 

commission to plan an appropriate memorial to John H. Patterson, 

founder of the National Cash Register Company in Dayton. 

JULY 6. Orville as a former recipient attends ceremony in 

Engineering Societies Building auditorium in New York at 

which Guglielmo Marconi receives the John Fritz Medal for 

1922. In the evening, he attends a dinner given in Marconi’s 

honor at the Engineers’ Club of New York. 

JULY 13. In poll conducted by New York Times Columbia 

University professor Michael I. Pupin names Orville one of 12 

great Americans. 

SEPTEMBER 26. Wright Aeronautical Corporation new flying 

boat Wilbur Wright, recently purchased from Grover Loening, 

is christened by Katharine Wright in ceremony in New York, 

witnessed by Orville. Following the christening, Orville, 

Katharine, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, explorer, and the poet Percy 

Mackaye are passengers in an initial flight over the Hudson 

River in the flying boat piloted by Frederick H. Becker. After the 

flight Orville and Katharine are among 40 luncheon guests at 

the Columbia Yacht Club. 

OCTOBER 4. Orville attends a dinner at Dayton Engineers’ 

Club honoring Julius H. Barnes, president of the U.S. Chamber 

of Commerce, who was in Dayton as the guest of the Dayton 

Chamber of Commerce. 

OCTOBER 7–14. Orville attends Pulitzer air races in Detroit. 

On October 12 he views new military aircraft and engines at 

Selfridge Field, Mich. 

OCTOBER 16. In letter to Charles J. Glidden, editor of the 

Aeronautical Digest, Katharine writes: “I did no pioneer work in 

connection with the invention of the aeroplane. That pretty 

story was the outcome of someone’s imagination. I had the 

greatest interest in my brothers’ work always but that was all.” 

OCTOBER 26. Henry County Historical Society (Ind.) 

approves project of Phi Delta Kappa fraternity to erect a tablet 

to the memory of Wilbur in Memorial Park in New Castle, Ind. 

DECEMBER. U.S. Air Services publishes article by Orville entitled 

“Possibilities of Soaring Flight” presenting view that the importance 

of soaring flight was being exaggerated as a result of the experiments 

in Europe in 1922, and that the airplane would remain unrivaled as 

a means of transportation. 

DECEMBER 2. Orville is named by Robert Elder, president of 

Dayton Chamber of Commerce, as member of committee of 

distinguished citizens to greet former French Premier Georges 

Clemenceau on his arrival in Dayton on December 3. 

A Chronology • 41 
DECEMBER 18. National Aeronautics Association appoints 

Orville as chairman of a Soaring Flight Committee. The committee 

was to make a thorough study of glider contests and promote such 

contests in the United States. 

1923 

MARCH 20. Orville, as chairman of the Soaring Flight 

Committee of the National Aeronautics Associate, sends circular 

letter appealing for support of the association, which had been 

organized in 1922. 

APRIL 2. Orville is a member of reception committee greeting 

Brig. Gen. Herbert N. Lord, director of the budget, and Mrs. 

Lord on their arrival in Dayton. 

APRIL 15. Memorial tablet erected by Phi Delta Kappa fraternity 

honoring Wilbur Wright unveiled at Henry County Memorial 

Park, New Castle, Ind., in the presence of Orville and Katharine. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lorin Wright also are present. 

The marker was located on the spot where the farmhouse of 

Bishop Milton Wright originally stood. The inscription reads, 

“Wilbur Wright–aeronaut and pioneer of heavier-than-air aviation.” 

Judge Raymond Springer of Connersville, Ind., eulogizes the life of 

Wilbur in the principal address. The occasion was the first visit of 

Katharine and Orville to New Castle. 

APRIL 16–17. Orville is official observer at speed test by Lts. 

John A. Macready and Oakley G. Kelly conducted at McCook 

Field in Dayton, in which Macready and Kelly established world 

records for endurance, distance, and speed. 

MAY 22. Basic Wright patents held by Wright Aeronautical 

Corporation expire. 

JUNE 1. Manufacture of airplanes and experimental aeronautical 

work at Dayton Wright Company discontinued. 

JUNE 2. Orville’s niece, Leontine Wright, is married to John 

Jameson in Orville’s home in Dayton. 

JUNE 14–18. Orville is participant in cruise, organized by 

Detroit Board of Commerce, from Detroit northward into the 

Great Lakes. 

JULY 4. Orville, accompanied by sister Katharine, visits 

Indianapolis to witness national balloon competition. 

OCTOBER 1–3. Orville and Katharine attend International Air 

Races and Aeronautical Exhibition at St. Louis, Mo. They attend 

annual aeronautic banquet, Third National Aero Congress, at 

Hotel Statler on October 1. On October 2 Orville is guest at 

luncheon meeting of the Advertising Club of St. Louis. 

DECEMBER 7. Orville is chief observer and witness of attempted 

world speed record flight by Lt. John A. Macready at McCooks 

Field in Dayton. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville prepares message dealing with 20 

years’ progress in aviation for delivery over radio station WLW 

in Cincinnati. It is read by Dr. D. Frank Garland, of the 

National Cash Register Company in Dayton. 

DECEMBER 17. The 20th anniversary of the first successful powered 

heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk by the Wright brothers is 

observed in impressive ceremonies at Dayton. Orville receives 

congratulatory messages from President Calvin Coolidge, 

Secretary of War John W. Weeks, and Assistant Secretary of the 

Navy Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. A bronze plaque is presented to 

Orville by Frederick Patterson, head of the National Aeronautic 

Association. Foreign representatives coming to Dayton to pay 

homage to Orville include Wing Commander Mario Calderara, air 

attaché at the Italian embassy and the first officer in the world to 

fly, Capt. Georges Thenault, French air attaché, and Commander 

Harold A. Brown, British naval attaché. Also among the guests are 

Vilhjalmur Stefansson, explorer, and Carl E. Akeley, big game 

hunter, close friends of Orville. The visiting dignitaries are guests 

of Orville and Katharine at a luncheon in their home. Later the 

visitors and Orville and Katharine are dinner guests of Frederick 

Patterson before the commencement of the evening ceremonies, 

which are presided over by former Governor of Ohio James M. Cox. 

DECEMBER 18. Board of Directors of Aviation Athletic Club 

of Cleveland elects Orville honorary member. 

1924 

MARCH 10. Orville is named an officer of the Legion of Honor 

and is to receive Cross of Officer of the Legion. Katharine is 

appointed an officer of Instruction Publique. 

Notification is made on April 10 by Gen. George Dumont, 

French military attaché in Washington. Presentation of decoration 

is by General Dumont in Washington on April 24. 

APRIL. University of Dayton Exponent publishes interview 

with Orville by Carl J. Crane in February. Orville says, 

“The usefulness of the airplane lies in its speed and facility 

of locomotion, and not so much in its great size and capacity 

to carry tremendous loads, for we know today that the efficiency 

of the airplane decreases as this size increases. I have the most 

optimistic views, however, that the airplane will find in the near 

future its real application in the economics of the universe much 

the same as the steamship and automobile found their value and 

worthy application.” 

MAY 23. Dayton Section of the Society of Automotive Engineers 

institutes annual award of a medal to be known as “Wright 

Brothers Medal for Meritorious Achievement in Aeronautics” to 

be awarded for the presentation of new development in the form 

of engineering papers. 

The papers submitted did not meet the requirements stipulated 

and no award of the medal was made. 

JUNE 3. Orville is elected president of the Dayton Engineers’ 

Club. 

JUNE 16. Orville receives honorary doctor of engineering 

degree from University of Michigan. 

JULY. Orville is elected honorary member of Detroit Aviation 

Society. 

42 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
JULY 1. Orville is appointed chairman of the Contest 

Committee of the National Aeronautic Association at a meeting 

of the Executive Committee of the association in Dayton. 

He was to continue to serve in this capacity for the years 

1924, 1925, 1926, and 1927. 

AUGUST 12. Orville, with James M. H. Jacobs, is granted 

patent No. 1,504,663 for a split flap later used by the U.S. Navy. 

The flap was developed in 1920 and the patent applied for 

May 31, 1921. 

SEPTEMBER 5. Dayton Chapter of National Aeronautic 

Association votes to start permanent restoration of original 

Wright brothers hangar so that the restoration may be completed in time for the International Air Races to be held in Dayton, 

October 2, 3, and 4. 

OCTOBER 2, 3, 4. Wright 1903 airplane and engine exhibited 

at International Air Races in Dayton. 

This was the last time the plane was exhibited before 

shipment to England in February 1928. Orville attends races 

and serves as chairman of the timing committee for the 

Pulitzer Race. 

OCTOBER 3. Lt. John Macready circles the flying field in a 15­

minute flight in a 1910 Wright model B biplane at a speed of 

about 45 miles an hour, with Orville and Katharine witnessing the 

flight from the grandstand. Orville attends the second annual 

banquet of the National Aeronautic Association. 

Orville is among those greeting and congratulating Lts. 

Smith, Nelson, Wade, Harding, Ogden, and Arnold on arrival in 

Dayton on return from their round-the-world flight. 

OCTOBER 3–5. Commander and Mrs. Mario Calderara, Col. 

Frank S. Lahm, and Col. Frank P. Lahm are house guests of 

Orville and Katharine at their Hawthorn Hill home. 

OCTOBER 23–25. Orville and Katharine are guests of Frank P. 

Lahm at Akron Club in Akron, Ohio. 

NOVEMBER 1. Orville accepts invitation to become a vice 

president of a proposed National Museum of Engineering and 

Industry, which is undertaking to raise a national endowment of 

$10,000,000 for a building to be erected on the mall in 

Washington that would house an Inventors and Engineers Hall 

of Fame. 

NOVEMBER 14. Orville attends dinner given by the Canton 

Chapter, National Aeronautic Association, in honor of Frank S. 

Lahm. 

DECEMBER 13. Orville attends annual banquet of the Ind. 

Society of Chicago. 

DECEMBER 16. In brief message to London Daily Mail 

Orville recalls some achievements of the airplane since pioneer 

days. 

DECEMBER 17. Board of Governors of National Aeronautic 

Association elects Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine honorary 

members of the Association, the first such memberships conferred 

to this date. 

1925
 

JANUARY 20. Orville issued patent No. 1,523,989 for a 

mechanical toy consisting of a device by which an object, such 

as a doll, is thrown through the air and caused to be engaged and 

to be supported by a swinging bar. 

The patent application was filed November 10, 1923. The 

toy was produced and sold by the Miami Wood Specialty 

Company in Dayton, whose president was Lorin Wright. 

FEBRUARY 16–17. Hart O. Berg, former European business 

associate of Wrights, visits Orville in Dayton. 

MARCH 2. Maj. Roy Brown, Wright flying school student in 

1915 and World War I ace, visits Orville at his home, and the 

two reminisce on the state of aviation in 1915. 

APRIL 8. City of Philadelphia awards its John Scott medal to 

Orville “for his inventions in the development of Flying 

Machines.” 

Orville was unable to attend the presentation ceremonies 

held in Weightman Hall, University of Pennsylvania, on 

June 17. 

APRIL 30. In statement given to Dayton News and Dayton 

Journal for release, Orville confirms reports that he will give the 

original Wright airplane to the Science Museum at South 

Kensington, London. 

MAY 2. Orville issues statement contending that the 

Smithsonian Institution label on the Langley plane describing it 

as the first capable of flight is incorrect. 

MAY 4. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Dr. Charles D. 

Walcott releases statement reviewing the trials of the Langley 

Aerodrome at Hammondsport, N.Y., in May and June 1914 and 

reaffirming the correctness of the Smithsonian label describing 

the Langley flying machine as “The first man-carrying aeroplane 

in the history of the world capable of sustained free flight.” 

MAY 14. In a letter to Chief Justice William Howard Taft as 

Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution, Orville asks for an 

impartial investigation of his charges against Dr. Charles D. 

Walcott of the Smithsonian Institution. 

MAY 15. Chief Justice Taft, replying to Orville’s letter of May 14, 

states that he can take no active part in the Wright controversy 

with the Smithsonian Institution. 

MAY 29. Grover C. Loening announces that Orville is agreeable 

to keeping original Wright airplane in the United States provided 

that the Smithsonian Institution truthfully label the Langley 

airplane, that the Institution publish both sides of the Langley 

controversy in its annual report, and that the Wright airplane be 

labeled as the first man-carrying air machine in the world. 

JUNE 10. Dr. Joseph S. Ames, Johns Hopkins University, 

and Rear Adm. David W. Taylor, U.S. Navy, submit to Dr. 

Charles D. Walcott a suggestion for a revised label on the 

Langley airplane. 

A Chronology • 43 
The suggestion was being made in an attempt to arrive at a 

compromise in the controversy between Orville and the 

Smithsonian Institution. 

JUNE 12. Orville rejects offer of Charles M. Manly to conduct 

further tests with the original Langley Aerodrome. 

JUNE 16. Arthur C. Johnson, president of the Ohio 

Archeological and Historical Society, calls on Orville in Dayton 

and invites him to deposit original Wright airplane in society’s 

building in Columbus. 

AUGUST 31. Wilbur Wright Field and new Army Air Service 

Field renamed Wright Field, breaking an Army precedent that 

no flying field was to be named in honor of any living man. 

SEPTEMBER 24. Orville designated as chairman of advisory 

committee for new Guggenheim School of Aeronautics, New 

York University. 

OCTOBER 7. Orville attends aeronautic dinner of the Society 

of Automotive Engineers at Hotel Astor in New York City. 

OCTOBER 8–13. Orville attends New York Air Races, Mitchell 

Field, Long Island. 

OCTOBER 9. Orville attends annual banquet of National 

Aeronautic Association at Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. 

OCTOBER 12. Orville testifies in Washington before the 

President’s Aircraft Board. He urges the development of 

commercial aviation as a means of building up an adequate 

air reserve and advocates, as a step toward the encouragement 

of commercial flying, the establishment by municipalities of 

airports and landing facilities. 

Katharine and Orville are luncheon guests of President 

Coolidge at the White House. 

OCTOBER 23. Building in Dayton housing Wright laboratory 

is sold. 

The operation of the laboratory was not affected. 

OCTOBER 24. Orville witnesses Schneider Cup airplane speed 

races at Bay Shore near Baltimore, Md. 

OCTOBER 28. Orville gives deposition for defendant in Dayton 

in George Francis Myers v. The United States patent suit. 

NOVEMBER 9. Orville is guest of honor at dinner sponsored 

by the Dayton Chapter of the National Aeronautic Association. 

Comdr. John P. Rodgers, trained at the Wright Flying School in 

Dayton in 1911, is the principal speaker. 

NOVEMBER 28. Orville elected honorary member of Berkeley 

Aviation Club, Martinsburg, W.Va. 

DECEMBER 7. Orville participates in meeting of National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in Dayton. He tours 

McCook and Wright Fields with members. 

DECEMBER 12. Orville is among guests of honor at meeting 

of the Gridiron Club at Willard Hotel in Washington. 

President Calvin Coolidge, Vice President Charles G. Dawes, 

44 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

and Col. William Mitchell are among government officials 

attending. 

DECEMBER 17. Dayton Board of Education passes resolution 

to name a projected new school “Wilbur Wright Junior High 

and Elementary School.” 

DECEMBER 24. Announcement is made in Paris of the 

Wilbur Wright cup, a new trophy for speed aviation, with 

competition to be held in France. The new trophy would 

replace the James Gordon Bennett and Commodore Louis D. 

Beaumont Cups. 

1926 

1926–1927. Orville serves as governor at large of the National 

Aeronautic Association. 

JANUARY 18. Orville is one of 10 leaders in aviation, engineering, 

law, and finance named as trustees of the Daniel Guggenheim 

Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc. 

JANUARY 26. Orville elected a member of the Daniel 

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics at its 

organizational meeting. 

On December 7, 1926, he was elected a member of its board 

of directors and served in that capacity until the dissolution of the 

fund in March 1930. 

JANUARY 31. In statement submitted to Dayton Journal, Orville 

declares: “The expenditure of $10,000,000 in aeronautical 

research and experimentation before the last war would have 

saved hundreds of millions that had to be spent to accomplish 

the same result after the war had begun. Economy demands that 

we keep abreast of the world in aeronautical research. While we 

may be able to cut down the amount of actual building, we must 

keep to the front in knowledge of how and what to build if war 

should come.” 

FEBRUARY 6. At 12th anniversary dinner of Engineers’ Club of 

Dayton, honorary life membership is conferred on Orville. 

FEBRUARY 20. Orville is cited as one of the four outstanding 

men of the 20th century by Marion L. Burton, President of the 

University of Michigan. 

FEBRUARY 24. In letter Comdr. Richard E. Byrd consults 

Orville in connection with Byrd’s forthcoming expedition to 

Antarctica. 

MARCH 13. Orville is official observer at altitude record 

attempt by Lt. John A. Macready at McCook Field in Dayton. 

MARCH 19. Orville, as chairman of contest committee of 

National Aerouautic Association, presents Collier Trophy for 

1925 to Dr. S. Albert Reed, aeronautical engineer, in ceremony 

at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. 

APRIL 13. Orville and Katharine are present at groundbreaking ceremonies for Wright Air Field in Dayton. 

Frederick B. Patterson, president of the National Cash 

Register Company, past president of the National Aeronautic 
Association, and chairman of the Dayton Air Service 

Committee, pulls the lever on the steam shovel that lifts the 

first dirt for the building excavations. 

APRIL 15. Orville, together with Comdr. Richard E. Byrd, 

Comdr. John P. Rodgers, and Col. William E. Mitchell, is honored 

as airman at Gridiron Club dinner at Willard Hotel in 

Washington, D.C. 

APRIL 29. In interview Orville declares: “The development of 

the airplane has been far faster than I ever dreamed when my 

brother and I began experimenting with heavier-than-air craft 

years ago. Especially in the past few years, since the war, has air 

power been developing amazingly. 

“In fact I fear that it is growing too fast for it’s own good. I 

know this may sound pessimistic, for the common custom is to 

cheer regardless of the facts. However, I have watched the history 

of the airplane since it’s beginning, and I fear it is growing faster 

than its public.” 

APRIL 29–30. Orville attends National Elimination Balloon 

and Airplane Races at Little Rock, Ark. 

JUNE 1–2. Orville is guest of Harry F. Guggenheim at his 

estate at Port Washington, Long Island, and attends preliminary 

conference meeting of the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the 

Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc. on June 1 and its first regular 

meeting on June 2. 

JULY 27. Preliminary plans announced for the construction of 

a new hotel in Dayton to be named Wilbur Wright. 

AUGUST 21. Cornerstone for Wilbur Wright Elementary and 

Junior High School laid by Lorin Wright, city commissioner and 

brother of Wilbur and Orville, in ceremonies at Dayton. 

Katharine and Orville were at Orville’s summer home in 

Canada and did not attend. Mrs. Howard H. Beck, Wright 

family friend, compiled a biography of Wilbur which was 

placed in the cornerstone. 

SEPTEMBER 8. Orville elected governor-at-large of National 

Aeronautic Association at annual meeting in Philadelphia, being 

reelected and continued in office in subsequent years. 

SEPTEMBER 19. Orville recovers valuable stickpin presented 

to him by Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm in Germany in 

1909, which had been stolen. 

OCTOBER 4. Prof. Theodor von Kármán, of the University of 

Aachen, on a tour of the United States on behalf of Daniel 

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc., is 

luncheon guest of Orville in Dayton. 

NOVEMBER 19. Orville meets with Comdr. Richard E. Byrd, 

American naval officer and polar explorer, who was in Dayton to 

deliver a lecture. 

NOVEMBER 20. Katharine Wright married to Henry J. 

Haskell, associate editor of the Kansas City Star. The ceremony 

is performed at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, by the college 

president, Henry Churchill King. 

DECEMBER. Preparatory to sending Wright 1903 airplane to 

England, Orville commences recovering the plane with new cloth, 

since the original clot was badly worn from having been handled 

so much in setting up the machine at various exhibitions. He is 

assisted in sewing by Miss Mabel Beck, his secretary, and in 

woodwork and assembly by James Jacobs. 

DECEMBER 7. Orville elected to Board of Directors of Daniel 

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc. 

DECEMBER 17. Senator Hiram Bingham, of Connecticut, 

introduces S. 4876, providing for the erection of a monument 

on Kill Devil Hill, at Kitty Hawk, N.C., commemorative of the 

first successful attempt in history at power-driven airplane flight. 

Representative Lindsay Warren, of North Carolina, introduces 

H.R. 15348, authorizing an appropriation of $50,000 for the 

erection of a memorial at Kitty Hawk to commemorate the first 

successful airplane flight by Wilbur and Orville Wright. The bill 

died in committee. 

DECEMBER 19. Orville named chairman of committee of 

National Aeronautic Association which was to award the 1926 

Collier Trophy. 

Orville attends christening of a new light airplane, “Twin60,” developed by the Johnson Aircraft Corporation in Dayton. 

1927 

FEBRUARY 15. Orville attends 13th annual dinner meeting of 

Engineers’ Club of Dayton. 

MARCH. Wright 1903 airplane renovation completed and 

machine assembled at Orville’s laboratory, remaining there until 

packed and crated in January 1928 for shipment to England. 

MARCH 2. President Calvin Coolidge signs act providing for 

the erection of a monument on Kill Devil Hill, at Kitty Hawk, 

N.C., to commemorate the first successful powered airplane 

flight by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903. 

MARCH 16. Orville gives early type of Wright aviation engine to 

Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh, for permanent exhibition. 

APRIL 30. Harry Guggenheim, president of the Daniel 

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, appoints 

Orville chairman of a committee to award $150,000 in prizes in 

a “safe aircraft competition.” 

MAY 2. Western Society of Engineers, Chicago, names Orville 

to receive Washington Award. 

MAY 3. Dr. Michael I. Pupin, Columbia University professor, 

scientist, and inventor, in Dayton to deliver lecture entitled 

“The Message of Science” to Engineers’ Club of Dayton, is guest 

at home of Orville. 

MAY 16. Orville named Honor Scout by National Court of 

Honor of the Boy Scouts of America. 

JUNE 1. Orville presented with Washington Award by the 

Western Society of Engineers “for fundamental scientific 

research and resultant successful airplane flight” at society’s 

A Chronology • 45 
annual meeting and dinner at the Palmer House, Chicago. 

Presentation is made by Paul Westburg, Chicago engineer. 

JUNE 8. Orville participates in ceremony in which a copper box 

containing complete historical data on the life and works of John 

H. Patterson, president of National Cash Register Company, is 

sealed in the base of the memorial being constructed in his honor. 

JUNE 17. Orville, on steps of his laboratory, is among 

Daytonians who watch the Spirit of St. Louis, piloted by Charles 

Lindbergh with accompanying escort of planes, fly over Dayton 

en route to St. Louis. 

JUNE 22. Orville is host to Charles A. Lindbergh at his home 

on Hawthorn Hill in Dayton following receptions for 

Lindbergh in Washington, New York, and St. Louis. The visit 

was in response to an invitation extended by Orville on June 10 

through Maj. Albert Bond Lambert, one of a group which had 

backed Lindbergh on his flight to Paris. At dinner at his home 

Orville is host to Lindbergh, Harry H. Knight, Harold M. 

Bixby, Gen. William E. Gilmore, and Maj. Thomas G. 

Lanphier, as well as Capt. St. Clair Street, who had flown with 

Lindbergh to Dayton. Early the following morning Orville, in 

company of General Gilmore, takes Lindbergh to his laboratory 

to show him the Wright 1903 airplane. 

JUNE 23. Oscar E. Cesare, artist, comes to Dayton to make a 

drawing of Orville. 

An article about this portrait by Cesare subsequently 

appeared in the New York Times, July 17, 1927. 

JULY 23. Orville named chairman of special committee of the 

American Playground and Recreation Association appointed to 

plan a nationwide model airplane contest. 

AUGUST 5. On visit to Dayton Lindbergh places wreath on 

grave of Wilbur in Woodland Cemetery. 

AUGUST 10. Early Wright engine, gift of Orville to the Royal 

Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, is placed on exhibit in its 

Machinery Hall. 

AUGUST 16. Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association (now Kill 

Devil Hills Memorial Society) formed in Elizabeth City, N.C., 

for purpose of erecting monument commemorating the first 

flights of the Wrights at Kitty Hawk, N.C. Its objectives are “to 

preserve and foster the memory of the historic achievements of 

Orville and Wilbur Wright, to sponsor, cosponsor, or otherwise 

arrange an appropriate observance each year at the site and on 

the anniversary date of man’s first successful powered flight.” 

OCTOBER 12. Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, dedicated to Wilbur 

and Orville Wright with impressive ceremonies and flying program, 

with Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis, Assistant Secretary of War 

F. Trubee Davison, and Gen. Mason M. Patrick, head of the U.S. 

Army Air Corps, in attendance. 

OCTOBER 19. Orville attends dinner in Washington given by 

Assistant Secretary of War F. Trubee Davison in honor of Sir 

Phillip Sasson, British Under Secretary of Air. 

46 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

NOVEMBER 2–4. Wilbur Wright Junior High School dedicated 

in Dayton. Orville and brother Lorin are present at the formal 

dedication exercises held at the school on November 4. 

Dedicatory address is by Dr. E. E. Lewis, Department of School 

Administration, Ohio State University. 

NOVEMBER 14. Orville attends National Geographic Society’s 

ceremonies in Washington in which society’s Hubbard Gold 

Medal is presented to Lindbergh. 

1928 

JANUARY 31. Orville ships the Wright 1903 airplane to the Science 

Museum, London, for exhibit there for a period of five years. The 

plane arrived in England February 21 aboard the Minnewaska. The 

plane was sent by him “as a means of self-protection in overcoming 

propaganda in disparagement of us broadcast by the Smithsonian at 

Government expense.” 

FEBRUARY 8. Orville is guest of honor at annual dinner and 

meeting of Miami Valley Traffic Club in Dayton. 

FEBRUARY 12. Emil Ludwig designates Orville as one of four 

greatest living Americans. Orville was chosen because he and 

Wilbur created by methods “so original and bold that they might 

have come from the pages of Homer. The sublime quality in 

Wright is, after all, not lightning flash of genius; it is the 

immensity of perseverance, the sure faith in reaching the sought 

for goal, and the courage to rise again and again.” 

FEBRUARY 21. Sefton Brancker, of the British Air Ministry, 

informs Orville, in letter, of the arrival in England of the 1903 

Wright airplane, shipped in January. 

FEBRUARY 29. Representative John J. McSwain, of South 

Carolina, introduces H.J. Res. 224, to ascertain which was the 

first heavier-than-air flying machine and providing for a commission 

of five persons to hear evidence on this question. The resolution 

passed the House May 16. 

MARCH. In article in U.S. Air Services Orville gives his reasons 

for sending the 1903 Wright airplane to a British museum. He 

says he is doing so “because of the hostile and unfair attitude 

shown towards us by the officials of the Smithsonian 

Institution.” 

MARCH 3. Smithsonian Institution offers to change the label 

on the Langley machine if Orville will state that this is being 

done as a friendly gesture and agrees that it will give proper 

honor to the Wright 1903 airplane if deposited there. Orville 

does not accept this offer. 

MARCH 4. In statement to press Orville says changing of label on 

the Langley Aerodrome would not correct other false statements 

previously made by the Smithsonian Institution. He asks for an 

investigation by an impartial body of the charges that he has made 

against the conduct of the Smithsonian Institution. 

MARCH 15. Board of Regents of Smithsonian Institution passes 

resolution declaring that “to the Wright brothers belongs the 
credit of making the first successful flight with a power-propelled 

heavier-than-air machine carrying a man.” 

MARCH 20. Wright 1903 airplane installed and exhibited for 

the first time in England when new galleries of the Science 

Museum, South Kensington, London, are opened in ceremony 

attended by King George V and Queen Mary. 

During the tour that followed, the King and Queen showed 

special interest in the Wright airplane. 

MARCH 23. War Department Appropriations Act approved on 

this date includes an appropriation of $25,000 to commence 

Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

APRIL 27. Representative Roy G. Fitzgerald, of Ohio, and Charles 

G. Abbot, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, testify in House 

Committee on Military Affairs hearing on the first heavier-than-air 

flying machine, discussing points at issue and introducing into the 

record pertinent statements and documents. 

MAY 2. Shaft, carved by F.A. Berry, marking the spot where 

Wilbur Wright began the assembly of the first glider, unveiled by 

the citizens of Kitty Hawk. Capt. William J. Tate, first host of 

the Wrights at Kitty Hawk, speaks of his early association with 

the brothers in the period 1900–1903. 

MAY 7. Cleveland Board of Education names new junior high 

school under construction “Wilbur Wright Junior High School.” 

MAY 16. Orville and Charles I. Lawrance, airplane engine 

builder, honored at luncheon and reception given by the 

Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. In the afternoon Orville 

attends Medal Meeting of the Franklin Institute and in the 

evening attends dinner given in honor of the medalists. 

MAY 21. Orville among delegation meeting Prof. Arthur H. 

Compton, physicist and Nobel Prize winner, on his arrival in 

Dayton to speak at Engineers’ Club of Dayton. 

MAY 23. Representative W. Frank James, of Michigan, introduces 

H.R. 13990 to authorize the President to present the 

Distinguished Flying Cross to Orville. 

The bill passed the House December 13, 1928. 

JUNE 4. Series of more than 30 metal airfoil models used by 

Wright brothers in their earliest experiments loaned by Orville 

and exhibited at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum 

on the occasion of the dedication of the new Daniel 

Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory in Boston, Mass. 

JUNE 10–12. French air commission headed by Gen. Paul 

Boucabeille, visiting Dayton, honors Wilbur by having tricolor 

cushion of flowers placed on his grave. 

JUNE 13. U.S. Court of Claims dismisses suit brought against 

the government by the heirs of John J. Montgomery, whose 

patents were alleged to have been infringed by Wilbur and 

Orville Wright. 

JUNE 15. Orville, as member, attends meeting of Daniel 

Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics, Inc., at 

home of Harry F. Guggenheim, Port Washington, Long Island. 

JULY 16–17. Mrs. Léon Bollée, widow of Léon Bollée, French 

automobile manufacturer associated with Wilbur during his 

flights in France in 1908, and her daughter Countess Elizabeth 

Jean de Vautibault are guests of Orville in Dayton. 

SEPTEMBER 23. NBC network devotes hour-long program to 

Orville, in which William G. Shepherd, Collier’s staff writer, 

and Representative John J. McSwain, of South Carolina, pay 

tribute to him. 

SEPTEMBER 29. Smithsonian Institution publishes The 

Relations Between the Smithsonian Institution and the Wright 

Brothers by the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Charles 

G. Abbot, in effort to clarify the controversy with Orville and to 

correct errors and statements previously made. 

This publication was announced to the press in a Scientific 

News Service release by the Smithsonian Institution on 

September 30. 

Orville prepares statement for publication which was released 

on September 30 in which he declares that Dr. Abbot’s The 

Relations Between the Smithsonian Institution and the Wright 

Brothers fails to settle the points at issue in the controversy. 

OCTOBER. Orville serves on executive council of Hoover-forPresident Engineers’ Committee, organized for the purpose of 

aiding in the election of Herbert Hoover. 

OCTOBER 24. Orville—with Thomas A. Edison, Henry Ford, 

Harvey S. Firestone, Charles M. Schwab, George Eastman, and 

Julius Rosenwald—is honored as an industrial pioneer of 

America at dinner given at Hotel Astor in New York by 

Conference of Major Industries. 

OCTOBER 28. President Calvin Coolidge designates Orville as 

a delegate from the United States to the International Civil 

Aeronautics Conference to be held in Washington, D.C., 

December 12–14, 1928. 

NOVEMBER 8. Acting as secretary of the National Aeronautic 

Association’s Committee of Awards, Orville presents second 

Gordon Bennett International Balloon Trophy to Assistant 

Secretary of War F. Trubee Davison, who accepts it in behalf of 

the Army Air Corps. 

The trophy had been won by American balloon teams for 

the last three years. 

NOVEMBER 28. Nomad Club in Dayton honors Orville at 

testimonial dinner in commemoration of the 25th anniversary 

of first flight at Kitty Hawk, December 17, 1903. 

DECEMBER 4. Representative Lindsay C. Warren, of North 

Carolina, introduces H.J. Res. 332, to appoint a congressional 

committee to attend the exercises celebrating the 25th anniversary 

of the first airplane flight made by Wilbur and Orville. 

DECEMBER 10. Orville is guest of honor of the city of Dayton in 

25th anniversary celebration. In evening ceremony he is presented 

with an engraved, framed tribute on parchment, written by Howard 

Egbert of the National Cash Register Co., as a testimonial of 

appreciation from the people of Dayton. 

A Chronology • 47 
Numerous delegates to the International Civil Aeronautics 

Conference to be held in Washington December 12–14 come 

to Dayton to pay homage to Orville. A wreath is placed at the 

grave of Wilbur, and delegates visit Orville at his home in the 

afternoon. 

DECEMBER 12. President Calvin Coolidge pays tribute to 

Wright brothers in address at opening session of the International 

Civil Aeronautics Conference in Washington, D.C. 

Orville is honored dinner guest of German Ambassador and 

Madam Friedrich W. von Prittwits at German Embassy in 

Washington, D.C., and meets German delegates attending the 

International Civil Aeronautics Conference. 

DECEMBER 12. Two-cent and five-cent U.S. postage stamps 

issued in commemoration of the International Civil Aeronautics 

Conference at Washington, D.C., December 12–14, 1928, and 

the 25th anniversary of the first airplane flight by the Wright 

brothers, December 17, 1903. The two-cent stamp pictures the 

first Wright biplane in flight. 

DECEMBER 13. Orville attends showing of motion picture on 

the history of aviation at Washington auditorium, Department 

of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 

Orville escorts Lindbergh to platform at Chamber of 

Commerce Building in Washington to receive the Harmon 

Trophy. 

DECEMBER 14. Orville attends dinner for delegates to the 

International Civil Aeronautics Conference at Mayflower Hotel 

in Washington, D.C. 

DECEMBER 15. Lietuvos Aero Klubas [Lithuanian Aero Club] 

elects Orville honorary member. 

Orville honored at public reception in Senate. He is 

brought to the Senate by Senator Hiram Bingham, of 

Connecticut, and is introduced to the Senate by Vice President 

Charles G. Dawes. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville among more than 200 notable figures 

making boat trip from Washington to Norfolk aboard steamer 

District of Columbia en route to Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

This was his first trip to Kitty Hawk since 1911. 

DECEMBER 17. In anniversary statement Orville says, “In 

twenty-five years flight has been extended from one minute to 

more than 65 hours; from one half mile to more than four 

thousand miles; and from a few feet above the ground to more 

than one half mile above it . . . The great strides made in aviation 

in the last two years would indicate that we have not yet even 

approached the limit of the possibilities.” 

Group pilgrimage from Washington to Kitty Hawk honors 

Wrights on 25th anniversary. Ceremonies include laying of the 

cornerstone of the national memorial to the Wrights at the top 

of Kill Devil Hill and the unveiling by Senator Bingham of a 

granite monument erected by the National Aeronautic 

Association on the spot from which the Wrights made their 

December 1903 flights. 

Royal Aeronautical Society holds dinner honoring Wrights 

at Science Museum in London, with tables arranged around the 

Wright 1903 airplane on exhibit there. The dinner is presided 

over by the president of the Society, Air Marshal Sir W. Sefton 

Brancker. 

DECEMBER 18. Congress votes to present the Distinguished 

Flying Cross to Orville and to Wilbur posthumously. 

DECEMBER 20. Board of Governors of Kitty Hawk Aviation 

Yacht & Hunt Club of North Carolina elects Orville life 

member. 

DECEMBER 21. President Calvin Coolidge signs bill awarding 

Distinguished Flying Cross to Orville and Wilbur. 

DECEMBER 27. Orville is guest of honor at luncheon of 

Dayton Rotary Club and is presented with a scroll commemorating the occasion. Tribute is paid to Orville by Capt. John A. 

Macready and Howard Egbert. 

DECEMBER 30. Plans for a Wilbur Wright memorial at his birthplace in New Castle, Ind., and the establishment of an aviation hall 

of fame there, initiated by Capt. Benjamin B. Lipsner, are approved 

by a group of New Castle business and professional men. 

A Wilbur Wright Memorial Commission was subsequently 

organized. 

DECEMBER 31. Twentieth anniversary of Wilbur’s recordbreaking flight which won the Michelin Cup at Le Mans, 

France, is commemorated in memorial service at his birthplace 

in New Castle, Ind. Special Wilbur Wright memorial letters are 

mailed from New Castle to officials and visitors attending the 

ceremony. 

1929 

JANUARY 30–FEBRUARY 1. John J. Ide, European representative 

of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in 

Dayton for an inspection tour of Wright Field, is guest of 

Orville. 

FEBRUARY 4. New Castle, Ind., honors memory of Wilbur 

with community banquet, Ind. Governor Harry Leslie is among 

guests, and Capt. Benjamin B. Lipsner, pioneer air mail pilot, 

delivers principal address. 

FEBRUARY 11. Ind. State Representatives Herbert H. Evans 

and Charles M. Trowbridge introduce House bill 321 to create 

the Wilbur Wright Memorial Commission, to authorize the 

commission to accept and maintain the birthplace of Wilbur 

Wright, to accept appropriations which may be made by the federal 

government for this purpose, and to make an appropriation. 

The bill was passed by the Ind. House and Senate and 

signed by Ind. Governor Ed Jackson on March 7. 

FEBRUARY 27. Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded Wilbur 

and Orville by Act of Congress, December 18, 1928, presented 

to Orville Wright by Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis in 

Washington with high officers of the Army and other branches 

of government in attendance. The citation reads: “Mr. Orville 

Wright, by his vision, perseverance, courage, and skill, in 

collaboration with his brother Wilbur Wright, designed, 

48 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
constructed, and operated the airplane, which at Kitty 

Hawk, N.C., on December 17, 1903, made the first successful 

flight under its own power and carrying a human operator, 

thereby making possible the achievements which are now stirring 

the emotions and pride of the world.” 

MARCH 3. Katharine Wright Haskell dies of pneumonia at her 

home in Kansas City, Mo. Orville and brother Lorin are present 

at her death. 

The body was brought to Dayton on March 5 and funeral 

services were held at the home of Orville on March 6. Burial was 

in the family plot in Woodland Cemetery beside her brother 

Wilbur. 

MARCH 13. Ohio State Senator Miles S. Kuhns of Dayton 

introduces S.J. Res. No. 23 in Ohio Senate paying tribute to 

Wright brothers. 

The resolution was approved by the Ohio Senate on March 

19 and by the House March 21. 

APRIL 3. Orville and Wilbur tended first official recognition by 

the state of Ohio as coinventors of the heavier-than-air flying 

machine in ceremony at Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Governor 

Myers Y. Cooper presents Orville with a testimonial voted by the 

Ohio General Assembly on April 1. 

APRIL 9. Society of Automotive Engineers awards for the first 

time the Wright Brothers Medal, which is to be given annually 

to the author of the best paper dealing with aerodynamics, 

structural theory, or research presented during the year at a 

meeting of the society. 

APRIL 16. Dayton Kiwanis Club donates and dedicates bronze 

tablet showing a life-size profile of the Wright brothers, designed 

by Chester E. Nicodemus of the Dayton Art Institute, to the 

Wilbur Wright Junior High School. 

The inscription reads: “In commemoration of the achievement 

of Wilbur and Orville Wright—First to Fly.” A luncheon at which 

Orville was the guest of honor preceded the ceremony. 

APRIL 22. Orville guest of Ohio Federation of Women’s Clubs 

at All-Dayton program and dinner at Memorial Hall in Dayton. 

MAY 1. Daniel Guggenheim Medal Board of Award votes to 

award the Daniel Guggenheim Medal to Orville “for design and 

construction, with his brother now deceased, of the first successful 

engine-propelled airplane.” 

MAY 29. Orville attends third aeronautic meeting of American 

Society of Mechanical Engineers in St. Louis, Mo. 

OCTOBER 21. Orville is among scientists and inventors invited by 

Henry and Edsel Ford to opening of Ford Museum and Greenfield 

Village in Dearborn, Mich., which also marks 50th anniversary of 

the invention of the electric light by Thomas A. Edison. 

At banquet for invited guests Orville is seated next to Will 

Rogers and Edsel Ford. 

NOVEMBER 15. Orville attends launching at Wilmington, 

Del., of the Lotusland, diesel yacht built for his friend Col. 

Edward A. Deeds. 

NOVEMBER 22. Wilbur Wright Junior High School in 

Cleveland dedicated, with Orville as honor guest. 

DECEMBER 17. Rivanna Garden Club of Charlottesville, Va., 

erects marker at birthplace of Susan Koerner Wright, mother of 

Wrights, at Hillsboro, Loudon County, Va. 

1930 

JANUARY 9. Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of 

Aeronautics in New York announces that Orville has been 

awarded the first Daniel Guggenheim Medal. 

FEBRUARY 18. Secretary of War Patrick Hurley approves findings 

of the Jury of Award of the American Institute of Architects, which 

selected the design of Robert P. Rodgers and Alfred E. Poor as the 

winner from 36 offered in the competition to design the Wright 

Memorial to be erected at Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

The architects are awarded a prize of $5,000. 

FEBRUARY 24. Senator Simeon D. Fess, of Ohio, introduces S.J. 

Res. 144, providing for the creation of a commission to prepare 

plans for a monument in the city of Washington commemorating 

the achievements of Orville and Wilbur Wright in the development 

of aviation. 

FEBRUARY 25. Orville given honorary membership in 

Exchange Club of Dayton and in National Exchange Club 

and is honored at dinner attended by high federal and state 

government officials, aviation pioneers, and National 

Exchange Club officers. 

APRIL 3. Pro. Charles B. Martin, lecturer for the Cleveland Art 

Museum, is guest of Orville on his visit to Dayton to lecture at 

the Dayton Art Museum. 

APRIL 8. The first Daniel Guggenheim Medal presented to 

Orville “for design and construction, with his brother now 

deceased, of the first successful engine-propelled airplane” in 

ceremony at Chamber of Commerce Building in Washington. 

The presentation is made by Dr. William Durand, president of 

the Daniel Guggenheim Medal Board. 

APRIL 16. Dayton Exchange Club honors Wrights in program 

at Wilbur Wright Junior High School in Dayton. Presentation 

of an official air marker, painted on the roof of the school, is 

made by the Exchange Club. 

MAY 14. Orville attends inaugural exercises for Dr. William C. 

Dennis of Earlham College, Richmond, Ind. 

In Richmond he was the guest of a relative, Mrs. David W. 

Dennis. 

MAY 21. Orville is guest of honor at dinner at fourth annual 

convention of Aeronautic Division, American Society of 

Mechanical Engineers, held in Dayton, May 19–22. 

JUNE 10. Orville awarded honorary doctor of science degree by 

Ohio State University “in recognition of your vision and your 

engineering accomplishments which have made flying practicable 

for mankind.” 

A Chronology • 49 
JUNE 19. Orville attends commencement exercises in 

Cambridge, which are in part of the Harvard University 

Tercentenary celebration and receives honorary doctor of laws 

degree from Harvard. 

SEPTEMBER 27. Wright Memorial Bridge, connecting North 

Carolina mainland and Kill Devil Hill on Carolina banks, 

completed and opened to traffic. 

OCTOBER 9–10. Orville is cross-examined and gives extensive 

testimony on the early Wright experiments and early Wright airplanes in deposition filed in Dayton in His Majesty, the King, 

Plaintiff v. Myers Canadian Aircraft Co., Ltd., et al., and George 

Francis Myers, Defendants. 

NOVEMBER. Cornerstone of monument at Pau, France, honoring 

first flight at Pau by Wilbur on February 3, 1909, is laid by French 

fliers Dieudonné Costes and Maurice Bellonte. 

NOVEMBER 18. Orville accepts membership in the Advisory 

Committee of the Aeronautical Division of the Museums of the 

Peaceful Arts, New York. 

DECEMBER 9. Orville is among prominent national and international celebrities attending banquet in Dayton honoring Edward 

Canby, founder and vice president of the Dayton Scale Company. 

1931 

JANUARY 20. Orville attends 17th anniversary banquet of 

Engineers’ Club of Dayton honoring Col. Edward A. Deeds and 

Charles F. Kettering. 

JANUARY 30. Orville invited to serve as member of Advisory 

Committee of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering, 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

FEBRUARY 4. Maj. Gen. John A. DeWitt, quartermaster general, 

turns first shovelful of dirt marking beginning of excavation for 

Wright Memorial on Kill Devil Hill, N.C. 

APRIL 16. Life-size portrait of Bishop Milton Wright, prepared 

by Don Wallace, Dayton photographer, from an original photograph, unveiled and presented to Wilbur Wright Junior High 

School, Dayton, in presence of Orville and Lorin Wright. 

MAY 17. Orville is honorary chairman of the committee for the 

entertainment of the Air Corps officers and distinguished guests 

attending the Army Air Corps field exercises in Dayton. 

He was among the distinguished officers and civilians 

attending the press dinner at the Van Cleve Hotel on May 16. 

JUNE 15. Orville receives honorary doctor of laws degree from 

Earlham College, Richmond, Ind., in recognition of his services 

in the promotion of aeronautics. 

AUGUST 19. Tribute is paid to Orville on his 60th birthday in 

special radio program over station WEAF and associate NBC 

stations. The program is sponsored by the Vacuum Oil 

Company. 

50 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

AUGUST 20. In interview with A. D. Kean, of Toronto Daily 

Star, Orville declares “that the flying game, in my opinion, has had 

a little too much publicity—it has made things too prosperous for 

many of us—money came too fast for proper development of 

things aeronautical and made it too easy for great expectations to 

be formed in the public mind. But things are now shaping for 

steadier control and development. I still predict great achievements, 

but in ways that will render more perfect stability and greater 

control of the aviation industry.” 

OCTOBER 19. Following death of Edison on October 18, 

Orville sends message of sympathy to Mrs. Edison stating that 

“In the passing of Mr. Edison the world has lost one of its greatest 

citizens of all time.” 

1932 

JANUARY 30. Wright brothers’ monument, Pau, France, dedicated, 

commemorating the first flights of Wilbur at Pau in 1909 and the 

training of the first French aviation officers there. The monument, a 

slender shaft, was the work of the eminent Pau sculptor Ernest 

Gabard and shows the likenesses of Wilbur and Orville and a 

representation of one of their first machines in flight. Addresses 

were delivered by Paul Tissandier and U.S. Ambassador Walter 

Edge. The trowel and hammer used in laying the cornerstone of 

the memorial were later presented to Orville, the gift of the 

Mayor of Pau. 

FEBRUARY 2. Orville attends funeral services in Canton, Ohio, 

for Frank S. Lahm, friend of long standing and passenger with 

Wilbur at Le Mans on November 18, 1909. 

FEBRUARY 4. Gen. H.C. Pratt, Materiel Division, U.S. Army 

Air Corps, Wright Field, acknowledges receipt from Orville of a 

Wright four-cylinder engine. 

FEBRUARY 18. Orville selected as one of 13 of the most prominent 

inventors and scientists in the United States to be guests of the 

National Commission at the opening of the new Patent Office in 

Washington on April 11. 

MARCH 28. International Civitan Distinguished Services 

Medal presented to Orville by the Dayton Civitan Club. The 

only two prior recipients of this medal were Gen. John Pershing 

and Thomas A. Edison. 

APRIL 7. In statement released by Science Service, Washington, 

D.C., in answer to the question what the world needs most, 

Orville says, “I would say that the ‘most needed invention’ is a 

motor which economically converts the latent energy in matter 

into motive power, or economically derives power directly from 

rays of the sun.” 

MAY 26. Orville pays visit to Kill Devil Hill, N.C., crossing the 

Wright Memorial Bridge for the first time. 

JULY 21. Hudson Motor Car Co., in Detroit, presents Orville 

with new Exxes Terraplane automobile, which had been christened 

by Amelia Earhart. 
The Wright Brothers Monument at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of the 

National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, image number SI 2003-11332) 

The car was named Terraplane because it was the first to 

incorporate principles of airplane construction in automobile 

manufacture. 

OCTOBER 15. Wright Memorial at Kill Devil Hill, North 

Carolina, completed. 

NOVEMBER 15. The Misses Elizabeth C. and Octavia Chanute 

deposit in the Library of Congress papers of their father, Octave 

Chanute, in which were included the letters written to him by 

Wilbur and Orville. 

NOVEMBER 19. Wright Memorial, Kill Devil Hill, Kitty 

Hawk, N.C., dedicated. The 60-foot granite memorial is 

unveiled by Ruth Nichols, noted aviatrix, and accepted by 

Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley. Orville is guest of honor and 

accepts the monument on behalf of himself and his deceased 

brother, Wilbur. Addresses are delivered by Lindsay C. Warren, 

Member of Congress from North Carolina, J.C.B. Eringhaus, 

governor-elect of North Carolina, and Secretary of War Hurley. 

A letter of congratulations dated November 18 from President 

Herbert Hoover is read. The monument inscription reads: “In 

commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers 

Wilbur and Orville Wright. Conceived by genius. Achieved by 

dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith.” 

It has been stated that Orville was the only man ever to 

see a U.S. national monument erected in his honor during his 

lifetime. 

DECEMBER 5. Orville named first honorary fellow of the 

Institute of Aeronautical Sciences in New York. 

1933 

FEBRUARY 6. Board of Managers of Franklin Institute, on 

the recommendation of its committee on science and the arts, 

awards Orville the Franklin Medal. “In recognition of the 

valuable investigations carried out by him and his brother 

Wilbur, from which they obtained the first reliable scientific 

data concerning the principles of flight and the design of aeroplanes, upon which they constructed the first heavier than air 

machine which flew by its own power under human control.” 

APRIL 29. In letter to Lenox R. Lohr, general manager, A Century 

of Progress Exposition, Chicago, Orville declines invitation 

A Chronology • 51 
extended on July 2, 1931, to exhibit the original Wright 1903 

airplane at the International Exposition to be held in Chicago 

in 1933. 

MAY 8. Capt. William J. Tate, representing the Kill Devil Hills 

Memorial Association, attends dinner at Engineers’ Club in 

Dayton and presents Orville with silver-plated spade used in 

breaking ground for the Wright Brothers Memorial on February 

4, 1931. 

Orville honored at testimonial dinner given by Aeronautical 

Committee of Dayton Chamber of Commerce. 

MAY 17. In Orville’s absence due to illness, Franklin 

Institute Secretary and Director Dr. Howard McClenahan 

accepts Franklin Medal, awarded to Orville on February 6, 

from Franklin Institute president. A certificate of honorary 

membership is also awarded. 

JUNE 11. Orville attends special memorial service at Euclid 

Avenue United Brethren Church in Dayton honoring Wright 

Field men who had given their lives in service. 

AUGUST 10. Administrative supervision of Kill Devil Hills 

Monument National Memorial area transferred from War 

Department to the National Park Service. 

DECEMBER 11. Gov. Miriam A. Ferguson, of Texas, proclaims 

December 17 as National Aviation Day in Texas in honor of the 

Wright brothers. 

DECEMBER 15. Council of Royal Aeronautical Society in 

London elects Orville honorary fellow. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville is guest at dinner in Philadelphia 

sponsored by the Franklin Institute in one of numerous nationwide celebrations commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 

flight of Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

National Aeronautic Association pays homage to the Wright 

brothers in elaborate banquet at the Mayflower Hotel, 

Washington, D.C., at which Association President Senator 

Hiram Bingham reads messages from President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt and Orville Wright. Several guests pay tribute to 

Wrights in short speeches, which are broadcast by the National 

Broadcasting Company over a nationwide network. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville attends dedication of the Aviation 

Section of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. In the museum 

is a wall mural, painted by William Heaslip, depicting the first 

flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk. Speakers Amelia Earhart, Dr. 

Howard McClenahan, and Frank H. Russell, the first manager 

of the Wright Company, laud the Wright brothers. 

Delegation consisting of Senator Hiram Bingham, Gen. 

Frank Hitchcock, Mrs. “Jack” Stearns Gray and others, places 

laurel wreath on the Wright exhibit at the National Museum as 

a tribute from the women of America. The wreath is accepted by 

Dr. Charles G. Abbot, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 

DECEMBER 18. Orville is guest of honor at dinner at Miami 

Hotel in Dayton. Speakers included Col. Edward A. Deeds, 

Ohio Gov. George White, former Gov. James M. Cox, and Gen. 

Henry C. Pratt, Wright Field. 

52 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

In Le Mans, France, French observe 25th anniversary of 

Wilbur’s historic airplane flights at nearby Camp d’Auvours. 

Wilbur’s first two French pupils, Marquis Charles de Lambert 

and Col. Paul N. Lucas Girardville, recount their experiences as 

Wright students. 

Dr. Charles G. Abbot, secretary of the Smithsonian 

Institution, announces that a committee of three is to be 

appointed to investigate the controversy between the 

Smithsonian Institution and Orville. Col. Charles A. Lindbergh 

is suggested as one of the intermediators. 

DECEMBER 19. Orville issues statement that he is pleased to learn 

that the Smithsonian Institution is willing to accept his proposal 

made in 1925 that an impartial committee be appointed to 

investigate the points at issue in the controversy between the 

Smithsonian Institution and himself. He states further that Dr. 

Abbot’s proposal to have Lindbergh serve as one of the members 

of the committee meets with his hearty approval. 

1934 

MARCH 13. Orville is named by Secretary of War George H. 

Dern to a special committee of aeronautical experts to investigate 

the carrying of mails by U.S. Army, but he declines to serve 

because ill health does not permit him to travel. 

MARCH 31. In interview with Fred C. Kelly, published in magazine 

Today, Orville declares that sport, not capitalism, furnishes the 

true incentive to human achievement, citing his own experience 

in the development of the airplane. He foresees drift toward 

some form of socialism in the United States. 

APRIL 3. National Institute of Social Sciences, New York, votes 

Orville gold medal, to be awarded him the second time on 

February 21, 1940. Since did not attend either ceremony and it 

was not given in absentia, Orville never received the medal. 

APRIL 11. Wright model EX (Vin Fiz), formerly in Carnegie 

Museum in Pittsburgh, transferred to the National Museum in 

Washington, where it is renovated and exhibited. 

JUNE 9. Orville accepts honorary membership in Carolina Aero 

Club, Greensboro, N.C. 

OCTOBER. Orville appointed member of Oakwood Library 

Board of Trustees, serving in this capacity, and for 11 years as 

vice-president, until his resignation on December 19, 1946. 

OCTOBER 8. Louis Blériot, pioneer French aviator, attending 

National Aeronautic Association meeting in Washington, 

October 11–13, flies over Kitty Hawk, N.C., and drops wreath 

bearing inscription “Louis Blerior to Wilbur Wright” over 

Wright Memorial. 

NOVEMBER 24. December 17th, anniversary date of first 

successful heavier-than-air flight, designated National Aviation 

Day by Eugene I. Vidal, director of Bureau of Air Commerce, 

Department of Commerce. 

DECEMBER 6. Orville appointed member of Society of 

Automotive Engineers’ Aircraft Activity Committee for 1935. 
DECEMBER 17. In observance of 31st anniversary of Wrights’ 

1903 flights, Marshall Earl Reid flies Wright model B airplane, 

given to the Franklin Institute by Grover Bergdoll, from 

Camden Airport. 

Eugene I. Vidal personally delivers to Orville, at his home in 

Dayton, a letter of congratulation from President Franklin D. 

Roosevelt on the anniversary of the first successful Wright flight. 

Mr. Vidal is accompanied by Maj. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulois, 

Army Air Corps Chief, and Rear Adm. Ernst J. King, chief of 

the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. 

DECEMBER 23. Mrs. Mabel Hammer Ashton, daughter of 

William J. Hammer, consulting engineer and early friend of the 

Wright brothers, visits Orville at his home in Dayton. 

1935 

JANUARY 5. Orville is one of five chosen as members of an 

advisory board administering the James Cabot Professorship of 

Air Traffic Regulation and Air Transportation at Norwich 

University, Northfield, Vt. 

JANUARY 16. Wright model B airplane, produced 1910–1911, 

formerly owned by Wright-trained Grover Bergdoll of Philadelphia, 

placed on exhibition in Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. 

JUNE 10. Orville receives honorary doctor of laws degree from 

Huntington College, Huntington, Ind. 

OCTOBER 16. Orville plants a tree, which is dedicated to him, 

in the Dawes Arboretum in Columbus, Ohio. 

A bronze tablet was later erected there to commemorate 

this event. 

DECEMBER 12. James V. Piersol, aviation editor of the Detroit 

News, calls on Orville in Dayton on behalf of Henry and Edsel 

Ford in first of exploratory talks leading to purchase by Henry 

Ford of the original Wright brothers’ home and workshop in 

Dayton, which were later transported to Greenfield Village, 

Dearborn, Mich. 

DECEMBER 17. Rear Adm. Ernest J. King, Eugene I. Vidal, 

Dr. George W. Lewis, and Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover come 

from Washington to Dayton to deliver to Orville letter from 

President Franklin D. Roosevelt extending greetings on the 32d 

anniversary of the Kitty Hawk flights in 1903. 

1936 

FEBRUARY 20. On the death of Gen. William Mitchell, whom 

he had known for more than 25 years, Orville pays him tribute 

saying, “He forced the attention of the military and government 

personnel to the value of the airplane, at a time when no one else 

could have done it.” 

FEBRUARY 26. Orville elected honorary member of International 

Mark Twain Society, Webster Groves, Mo. 

MARCH 11. Du Pont radio program “The Cavalcade of 

America,” in program No. 23, “Perseverance,” portrays the early 

struggles of the Wright brothers. 

APRIL 14. Poet Carl Sandburg, after his lecture program in 

Dayton, calls on Orville at his home. 

APRIL 27–29. National Academy of Sciences, at annual meeting 

in Washington, elects Orville member. 

MAY 29. Jacob Wilk, Warner Bros. Pictures, comes to Dayton 

to see Orville regarding a motion picture dealing with the 

Wright Brothers. 

JUNE 27. Orville visits Dearborn, Mich., and is guest of the 

Fords and of Fred I. Black, in charge of Ford’s Industrial 

Museum in Dearborn. 

JULY 2. Henry Ford purchases building formerly occupied by 

Wright Cycle Company and the laboratory used by the Wrights 

in designing and building their successful airplane, with a view 

to restoring them and moving them to Greenfield Village in 

Dearborn, Mich. 

OCTOBER 27. Henry and Edsel Ford visit Dayton to view 

building in Dayton formerly occupied by the Wright Cycle 

Company, which had been purchased by Ford on July 2, and to 

discuss plans for dismantling the building. 

The Fords, Fred I. Black, director of the Greenfield Village 

museum, I.B. Rock, publisher of the Dayton Journal-Herald, James 

M. Cox, publisher of Dayton Daily News, and William E. Scripps, 

of the Detroit News, are luncheon guests at the Wright home. 

NOVEMBER 5. Old Wright workshop torn down and removed 

to Dearborn, Mich. 

NOVEMBER 12. Orville visits and inspects the Glenn I. Martin 

Company factory in Baltimore, Md. 

NOVEMBER 23. Orville attends centennial celebration of 

American patent system in Washington. 

DECEMBER 10. Eugene I. Vidal, director of Bureau of Air 

Commerce, proclaims December 17, 1936, as National 

Aviation Day. 

DECEMBER 17. President Roosevelt and Henry Ford are 

among those sending congratulatory messages to Orville on the 

33rd anniversary of first powered flight. 

Similar messages were received from Henry Ford by Orville 

in 1937, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945. 

Executive Committee of National Advisory Committee for 

Aeronautics, of which Orville is a member, holds its meeting at 

home of Orville in Dayton. 

1937 

JANUARY 9. Orville is among guests paying tribute to his friend 

Charles F. Kettering, vice-president and director of General 

Motors Corporation and general director of the General Motors 

Laboratories, at civic testimonial dinner in Dayton. 

A Chronology • 53 
View of the Wright Cycle Co., at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Dearborn, MI. Photograph dated 1937. (Photo 

courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, image number SI 2003-11327) 

JANUARY 20. Orville accepts membership on committee to 

celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Lindbergh flight on May 

20, 1937. 

JANUARY 28–FEBRUARY 6. American Legion, at National 

Aviation Show in Grand Central Palace in New York, solicits 

signatures for petition to be submitted to Board of Regents of 

Smithsonian Institution asking retraction of priority accorded 

Aerodrome of Samuel P. Langley as first machine capable of 

sustained flight. 

APRIL 27. Robert H. McIntyre, treasurer of Ind. Wright 

Memorial Commission, seeks to enlist support of Congress in 

appropriating funds for the construction of a national shrine, 

memorializing Wright brothers’ invention of the airplane, at the 

birthplace of Wilbur near New Castle, Ind. 

MAY 14. Orville is among guests attending dinner commemorating completion of Thomas-Hochwalt Laboratories 

in Dayton. 

JUNE 15. Bronze busts of the Wright brothers by Dayton 

sculptor Seth M. Velsey installed in rotunda of the Army 

Aeronautical Museum, Dayton. 

JUNE 21. Orville accepts honorary membership in Wright 

Brothers Chapter of the National Aeronautic Association of 

North Carolina. 

Orville prepares and signs his last will and testament. 

JUNE 25–26. Orville attends commencement exercises at 

Edison Institute in Dearborn, Mich., on June 25 and is guest of 

Ford family at Dearborn Inn. 

OCTOBER 28. Orville visits Dearborn, in connection with 

restoration of Wright workshop in Greenfield Village. 

54 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
NOVEMBER 16. Senator Robert R. Reynolds, of North 

Carolina, introduces S.J. Res. 237 in Congress providing for 

an appropriation of $50,000 to develop a suitable site at 

Kitty Hawk, N.C., to house and exhibit the 1903 Wright 

airplane. 

DECEMBER 17. Institute of Aeronautical Sciences inaugurates a 

new annual lecture series, endowed by Edmund C. Lynch in 

honor of his brother, Vernon Lynch, to be known as the Wright 

Brothers Lecture, with speakers from abroad and the United States 

to alternate in giving the lecture. Orville attends first lecture given 

at Columbia University in New York. 

In interview at Columbia University, reported in New York 

Times on December 18. Orville foresees great progress in aviation 

in next decade. 

In evening he attends Institute’s “Honors Night” meeting at 

Biltmore Hotel. 

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom presents 

Orville with scroll on 34th anniversary of Kitty Hawk first flight. 

1938 

JANUARY 26. Some of the Wright brothers’ original calculations 

in aerodynamics are released for the first time, with Orville’s 

permission, in paper entitled “Wright and Prandtl: Some Early 

Wind Tunnel Tests Interpreted in the Light of Prandtl’s 

Induction Theory,” prepared by William F. Gerhardt, Wayne 

University, Detroit, and presented at annual meeting of the 

Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, New York. 

APRIL 8. A special cachet to be used in connection with the 

dedication of the restored Wright home and workshop in 

Greenfield Village on April 16 is authorized by the Post 

Office Department. 

APRIL 10. Ford Motor Company “Sunday Evening Hour” 

radio program, a talk entitled “Fathers of Flight” by William J. 

Cameron, broadcast by CBS, is devoted to the Wright Brothers. 

APRIL 16. Wright brothers’ home and shop in Greenfield 

Village, Dearborn, restored by Henry Ford as a memorial to the 

Wright brothers, is dedicated on the 71st anniversary of Wilbur 

Wright’s birth. Dedicatory exercises are held on the grounds of 

the Wright home and shop, with Orville and distinguished 

guests from the United States and abroad in attendance. 

The dedicatory address is by William J. Cameron of the Ford 

Motor Company. Charles F. Kettering, president and director of 

General Motors Corporation, acts as roastmaster at dinner closing 

the celebration. The speakers, friends and associates of Orville 

Wright, are Dr. George W. Lewis, director of aeronautical research 

for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Col. Frank 

P. Lahm, first military air passenger of the Wrights, Walter R. 

Brookins, first American civilian student, and Griffith Brewer, 

first English airplane passenger with Wilbur in 1908. 

APRIL 28. Oil painting of Katharine Wright presented to 

Wilbur Wright Junior High School in Dayton. 

The portrait was to complement a similar one of Bishop 

Milton Wright presented at an earlier date. 

MAY 19. Orville, at Dayton Airport, greets special airplane carrying 

pouches of air mail making commemorative flight from Kitty Hawk, 

N.C., to Dayton in honor of the Wright brothers, conducted as part 

of 20th anniversary of the inauguration of regular air mail service and 

as part of First National Air Mail Week, May 15–21. 

SEPTEMBER 12. Wright Brothers Memorial Wind Tunnel, 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass., is “dedicated 

as a memorial to the methods of controlled experiment consistently 

applied by the Wright brothers in their historic conquest of the air.” 

Speakers at the dedication include Dr. Godfrey I. Cabor, 

Griffith Brewer, Dr. George W. Lewis, and MIT president Karl 

T. Compton. 

SEPTEMBER 22, Miami Conservancy Court in Dayton 

approves plan for a park in Dayton development near Wright 

Field as Wright brothers’ memorial. 

Orville presented in Dayton with honorary membership in 

Ligue Internationale des Aviateurs by its president, Charles 

Kerwood. 

SEPTEMBER 28. Wright 1903 airplane on exhibit in Science 

Museum in London removed, dismantled, and packed for safekeeping as precaution against possible war damage. 

On October 27 the airplane was again placed on exhibit in 

belief that danger of damage was slight. 

OCTOBER 12. Orville receives certificate of membership in 

Order of Daedalians, society composed of pilots of World War I 

and earlier. 

DECEMBER 3. Orville represents the American Association for 

the Advancement of Science at the inauguration of Rev. John H. 

Elbert as president of the University of Dayton. 

DECEMBER 5. U.S. Court of Claims decision rendered 

against the plaintiff in suit brought June 2, 1923, against the 

United States government by George Francis Myers, alleging 

infringement of his patent No. 1,226,985 for a flying machine, 

granted May 2, 1917. 

Orville had submitted depositions in Dayton on October 

28, 1925, February 28, 1927, and October 14, 1935, relating to 

Wright brothers’ patents and in support of government’s case. 

DECEMBER 8. Father John M. Sailer, pastor of St. Ages 

Church in Dayton, proposes at Catholic Noontide Club that a 

chapel be built at Kitty Hawk as a memorial to the Wrights. 

DECEMBER 17. Public observance of 35th anniversary of the 

first successful airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., is held at the 

National Cash Register auditorium in Dayton. Henry Ford is 

guest of Orville at small dinner party at his home. Other guests are 

Fred I. Black, Charles F. Kettering, and Col. Edward A. Deeds. 

In interview at his laboratory in Dayton, Orville states, 

“Our laboratory experiments made the first flight possible” and 

“Today’s most important advances in the airplane itself again are 

coming from the study of aerodynamics.” 

A Chronology • 55 
1939
 

JANUARY 3. Orville made honorary life member of National 

Inventors Association, but, in letter of January 14, Orville 

declines because it was in general practice to do so when he 

knew little about the organization conferring the honor. 

JANUARY 19. Representative Thomas A. Jenkins, of Ohio, 

introduces H.J. Res. 123, providing for the completion of the 

unfinished frieze in the Capitol rotunda depicting the history of 

aviation, including the invention of the airplane by the Wright 

brothers. 

JANUARY 26. Representative J. Hardin Peterson, of Florida, 

introduces H.J. Res. 134, designating August 19, Orville’s birthday, as Aviation Day. 

Similar bills were introduced by Representative Jennings 

Randolph, of West Virginia, H.J. Res. 147, on February 2; 

Representative William A. Ashbrook, of Ohio, H.J. Res 229, on 

March 25; and Senator Claude Pepper, of Florida, S.J. Res. 111, 

on April 3. 

FEBRUARY 14. Wright Library, located in Katharine Wright 

Park in the Oakwood section of Dayton, and honoring Orville, 

Wilbur, and Katharine, dedicated, with Orville in attendance. 

Orville served as vice president of the library board. 

FEBRUARY 20. Dayton civic and business leaders, including 

Orville, call on Brig. Gen. Augustine W. Robins to express regret 

at his leaving Dayton and wish him well in his new assignment 

as chief of the Air Corps Primary Training School at Randolph 

Field, Tex. 

MARCH 4. Orville named honorary member of Aerial Nurse 

Corps of America. 

MARCH 24. Orville attends luncheon in Dayton honoring 

Brig. Gen. George H. Brett, new chief of Air Force Materiel 

Division, Wright Field. 

APRIL 15. Orville attends spring dinner meeting of Gridiron Club 

at Willard Hotel in Washington, leaving Dayton by automobile on 

April 14. 

APRIL 16. Harry and Douglas Corrigan and Dr. John C. 

Wynkoop among those paying their respects to Orville on his 

visit to Washington. 

APRIL 18. Orville, accompanied by Earl N. Findley and Capt. 

William J. Tate, visits Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

APRIL 20. Orville attends semiannual meeting of the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in Washington. Following 

this meeting Orville confers with fellow member Charles A. 

Lindbergh on Orville’s controversy with the Smithsonian 

Institution. 

MAY 15. Orville, at Engineers’ Club of Dayton, joins in personal tribute to Dr. Arthur E. Morgan, creator of Miami Valley 

flood prevention system. 

56 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

JUNE 9. Orville is passenger on 30-minute flight over Dayton 

in Douglas DC-4 aircraft, piloted by Benny Howard. 

Fellow passengers are Maj. Carl A. Cover, vice president of 

the Douglas Aircraft Co., and William F. Mentzer, chief engineer for United Airlines. 

JUNE 12. Orville attends commencement exercises at Earlham 

College at which Herbert Hoover is given honorary degree. 

Orville marches in procession with Herbert Hoover and the 

president of Earlham College, David Worth Dennis. 

JUNE 30. Senator Claude Pepper, Florida, introduces S. 2735 

granting Orville honorary pilot certificate No. 1. 

The bill passed the Senate August 1, 1939, the House June 

6, 1940, and was approved by President Roosevelt June 13, 

1940. 

AUGUST. Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences in New York 

announces receipt of collection of aeronautical materials of Hart 

O. Berg, business associate of the Wrights, including valuable 

and rare photographs, books, and clippings, which provide documentary material on the early work of the Wright brothers. 

AUGUST 19. Designated National Aviation Day by proclamation of President Roosevelt on July 25. 

AUGUST 20. Weekly Dayton municipal band concert at Island 

Park is dedicated to the Wright brothers in recognition of 

Orville’s birthday and National Aviation Day on August 19. 

AUGUST 28. Orville elected honorary member of the 

Minnicog Yacht Club, Georgian Bay, Ontario. 

SEPTEMBER 9. National Federation of Post Office Clerks, at 

annual meeting in Houston, Tex., confers honorary membership 

on Orville “in recognition of his illustrious achievements as the 

first pilot of an airplane in successful flight.” 

OCTOBER 6. Newly organized post of the Regular Veterans 

Association in Fairfield, Ohio, adopts name of Wright Brothers 

Post No. 140 in honor of Wilbur and Orville. 

NOVEMBER 6. Orville bequeathed, by will of his cousin Mrs. 

Emma Zeller Dennis, a white china tea set and a chest of drawers belonging to his grandfather. 

The heirlooms were subsequently presented to the Edison 

Institute, Dearborn, Mich. 

NOVEMBER 16. Dr. Vannevar Bush, chairman of National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, in Dayton to attend 

annual meeting of NACA, is guest at home of Orville. 

NOVEMBER 20. Vilhajalmur Stefansson, Arctic explorer, in 

Dayton on a lecture tour, is house guest of Orville. 

DECEMBER 1. Lorin Wright, older brother of Orville and 

president of Miami Wood Specialty Company, dies in Dayton, 

age 77. 

DECEMBER 4–8. Air Line Pilots Association, at annual convention, votes Orville honorary life membership. 
Association President David I. Behncke planned to present 

membership certificate personally to Orville in Dayton but, 

unable to do so, sends it to him on November 15, 1940. 

1940 

FEBRUARY 25. Orville made honorary life member of Dayton 

Exchange Club. 

FEBRUARY 27. Orville is among those honored at National 

Pioneers Banquet sponsored by the National Association of 

Manufacturers at Waldorf Astoria Hotel, N.Y., and is awarded a 

Modern Pioneer Plaque designed by the noted sculptor René 

Chambellan. 

MARCH 5. Orville accepts appointment to serve on National 

Committee to Sponsor the Sesquicentennial of the Founding of 

the Patent Office. 

APRIL 16. On second anniversary of dedication of the restored 

Wright brothers’ home and workshop in Dearborn, Henry Ford, 

in telegram to Orville, expresses his further appreciation at having the two buildings in Dearborn as a memorial to the achievements of the Wrights. 

Similar messages were received from Henry Ford by Orville 

in 1941, 1943, 1944, and 1945. 

MAY 18. Orville accepts honorary chairmanship of organization 

in Dayton with purpose of enrolling 1,100 men for Army Air 

Corps training. 

MAY 27. Senator Robert R. Reynolds, of North Carolina, introduces S.J. Res. 265, authorizing issuance of an airmail National 

Aviation Day stamp to be placed on first-day sale on August 19, 

1940, at Kitty Hawk, N.C., as representing the state in which 

the first successful airplane flight was made. 

JUNE 8. Orville is among Dayton civic leaders honoring Mrs. 

Julia Carnell at dinner at the Dayton Art Institute, of which she 

was a benefactor. 

JULY. Wright 1903 airplane removed for second time from 

place of exhibit in Science Museum in London and placed in 

storage for duration of war to protect against war damage. 

JULY 10. Representative Harry R. Sheppard, of California, 

introduces H.J. Res. 584, providing for the return of the Wright 

1903 airplane to the United States, to be placed on permanent 

exhibit under such conditions as may be jointly approved by 

Orville Wright and the Congress. 

JULY 27. Secretary of Commerce Harry I. Hopkins designates 

Orville as member of National Inventors Council. 

AUGUST 19. Wilbur and Orville Wright Memorial, in Dayton, 

on Wright Brothers Hill, overlooking the site of Huffman 

Prairie, where the Wrights experimented with their airplanes of 

1904 and 1905, is dedicated. Dedicatory address is delivered by 

publisher and former Ohio Governor James M. Cox, a personal 

friend of Orville. Unveiling of the monument is by Leontine 

Jameson and Marianne Miller, grandnieces of Orville. Tablets on 

the monument pay tribute to the Wrights and list the names of 

119 pioneer flyers who learned to fly under the Wright brothers. 

Edward P. Warner, vice chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board 

presents Orville with Honorary Pilot’s Certificate No. 1. 

AUGUST 27. Representative Robert I. Mounton, of Louisiana, 

introduces H.J. Res. 595, authorizing the participation of the 

United States in the celebration of a Pan American Aviation Day, 

to be observed annually on December 17. 

Similar resolutions were introduced by Representative 

Charles A. Plumley, of Vermont, on August 29, H.J. Res. 597, 

and by Senator William H. Smathers, of New Jersey, on 

September 6, S. J. Res. 295. The resolution passed the Senate on 

September 30, the House on October 2, and was signed by 

President Roosevelt on October 10. 

OCTOBER 16. President Roosevelt visits Dayton and is 

accompanied by Orville on a tour of the area. 

NOVEMBER 18. The President proclaims December 17, 

1940, and each December 17 thereafter, as Pan American 

Aviation Day. 

1941 

APRIL 25. Orville meets with Archibald McLeish, Librarian of 

Congress, in Washington to discuss Wilbur’s letters to Octave 

Chanute in the Chanute collection of the Library of Congress, 

requesting that Wilbur’s letters be excluded from public inspection. 

The request was denied on legal grounds. 

JUNE 12. Orville is honored guest at ceremonies dedicating 

Wright Aeronautical Corporation’s new Wright Plant in 

Lockland, Ohio, suburb of Cincinnati. 

AUGUST 19. Orville observes 70th birthday at his summer 

home on Lambert Island, Georgian Bay, Canada. 

OCTOBER 23. Orville visits National Inventors Council 

headquarters in the Department of Commerce building in 

Washington. 

NOVEMBER 29. Orville is among 150 industrial civic leaders 

attending luncheon at Dayton Country Club who pledge 

money for purchase of land to afford access to Dayton 

Municipal Airport Administration building. 

1942 

MAY 7. Orville presented in Dayton with honorary membership 

certificate by the National Federation of Post Office Clerks. 

The membership had been conferred on him on September 

9, 1939, at the Federation’s annual meeting. 

MAY 27. Fred C. Crawford, president of Thompson Products, 

Inc., Cleveland, sends Orville original painting by Charles H. 

Hubbell entitled “Wright Biplane-1903” appearing in 

Thompson Products calendar for 1941 in which early airplanes 

are depicted. 

JUNE 27. Orville declares that Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, early 

Wright Flying School student, was unduly persecuted by the War 

A Chronology • 57 
Department and was maligned by newspapers at the instigation 

of the U.S. Army. 

Orville attends exercises in commemoration of the 70th 

anniversary of the birth of Negro poet Paul Laurence Dunbar at 

Dunbar’s home in Dayton. 

OCTOBER 21. Orville attends dinner given by Curtis C. 

Schiffeler, manager of the Hotel Raleigh in Washington, D.C., 

to meet Chief Justice and Mrs. Harlan Stone. 

OCTOBER 24. Smithsonian Institution brochure The 1914 

Tests of the Langley “Aerodrome” is published, containing 

apologies and retractions of former statements and marking the 

end of the Smithsonian-Wright controversy. 

NOVEMBER 20. Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, 

confers honorary life membership on Orville. 

1943 

MAY. Orville Wright Air Scout Squadron organized in Dayton. 

MAY 13. Orville attends dedication of new National Advisory 

Committee for Aeronautics’ Aircraft Engine Research 

Laboratory (now Lewis Research Center in Cleveland). 

First authorized biography of Wright brothers, Wright 

Brothers, by Fred C. Kelly, published by Harcourt Brace and 

Co., New York. 

MAY 24. Orville given the Copernican citation “for pioneering in 

aviation” by the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York at program 

commemorating 400th anniversary of the death of Polish 

astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. He is unable to attend ceremony. 

AUGUST 20. Orville accepts two scale models of Wright aircraft 

presented to Dayton Art Institute by Air Scouts, division of Boy 

Scouts of America. 

AUGUST 24. Orville, as member, attends meeting of National 

Inventors Council in Cleveland. 

OCTOBER 5. Gov. J. Melville Broughton, of North Carolina, 

proclaims December 17 as Kitty Hawk Day and as a day of tribute 

to the Wright brothers. 

OCTOBER 7. President Roosevelt invites Orville to come to 

Washington on December 17 to be honored at dinner on the 

occasion of the 40th anniversary of the first flights by the Wright 

brothers in 1903. Orville accepts in a letter to the President 

dated October 16. In a following letter dated November 16 

Orville accepts the President’s suggestion that announcement of 

the future return of the 1903 Wright airplane from England be 

made at this dinner. 

OCTOBER 20. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 

first successful airplane flights by Wilbur and Orville, 

Representative Harry P. Jeffrey, of Ohio, submits H.J. Res. 175, 

expressing the “gratitude of the nation.” Senator Robert P. Taft, 

of Ohio, submits similar resolution, S.J. Res. 90, in Senate on 

October 21. Favorable reports are submitted by Representative 

Donald I. O’Toole, November 16, and by Senator Clyde S. 

Bailey, December 3. President Roosevelt signed the resolution 

on December 17. 

NOVEMBER 2. Orville, en route to his laboratory is slightly 

injured in accident in Dayton when his automobile is struck 

by another. 

Interview by Fred C. Kelly published in Dayton Daily News 

and New York Herald Tribune, in which Orville reminisces, 

deploring the role of airplane in war and stressing the benefits of 

flying. 

NOVEMBER 3. Orville is honored guest at dinner given by the 

Lawyers Club of Dayton in celebration of the 50th anniversary of 

admission to bar of Ezra M. Kuhns, secretary of general counsel 

for the National Cash Register Company, Dayton. 

DECEMBER. U.S. Air Services publishes 40th anniversary issue 

honoring Wright brothers. 

The issue included “Our Life at Kitty Hawk” by Orville, 

consisting of excerpts of letters written at Kitty Hawk by 

Orville and Wilbur to their sister, Katharine, in Dayton, and 

contributions by Dr. George W. Lewis, Grover Loening, Gen. 

Henry H. Arnold, Col. T. DeWitt Milling, Maj. Gen. 

Benjamin D. Foulois, Glenn I. Martin, Gen. Frank P. Lahm, 

Thomas R. Reed, Comdr. Allan F. Bonnalie, Maj. Al Williams, 

Capt. William J. Tate, and Gov. J. Melville Broughton. 

DECEMBER 8. Orville writes Col. E.E.B. Mackintosh, director 

and secretary of the Science Museum, London, of his decision to 

have the Kitty Hawk airplane returned to the United States and 

informs him that the public announcement of this fact is to be 

made by President Roosevelt on December 17. 

DECEMBER 13. Gov. John W. Bricker proclaims week of 

December 17 as Ohio Aviation Week. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville, together with Dr. William S. Farren, 

of England, is honored at dinner at Shoreham Hotel in 

Washington, D.C. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville attends private luncheon of National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in Washington and later 

attends regular meeting of NACA. 

Member of Cabinet and other high-ranking government 

officials, military, diplomatic, and aviation representatives join 

in tribute to Orville at dinner at Statler Hotel in Washington, 

D.C., in observance of 40th anniversary of 1903 flight. Orville 

is presented with plaque sent by Dayton Chamber of 

Commerce “for his world leadership in aviation, not only in its 

infant years, but during the four decades of its development, for 

his scientific attainments, and for his exemplification of the 

higher ideals of citizenship.” 

President Roosevelt, in message read at dinner, announces 

that the Wright 1903 airplane will be returned to the United 

States from England after the war. A reception for Orville is held 

before the dinner. 

Orville presents Robert J. Collier Trophy to his former 

student Gen. Henry H. Arnold for outstanding achievement in 

aviation in 1943. 

58 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
“Working for Wings,” photo-story of aviation cadet training 

at Santa Ana Army Air Base, Santa Ana, Calif., dedicated to 

Orville and Wilbur. 

DECEMBER 19. Orville receives honorary doctor of engineering 

degree from the University of Dayton in “recognition of his 

achievements in aeronautical science and of his service.” 

DECEMBER 29. A two-ton marble monument commemorating 

early Wright flights is unveiled at Maxwell Air Force Base, 

Montgomery, Ala. On the site of the Wright brothers first civilian 

pilot training school. 

1944 

Orville constructs cypher machine for automatic selective 

coding of messages. 

JANUARY 8. Representative Harry P. Jeffrey, of Ohio, presents 

Orville with copy of joint resolution passed by House of 

Representatives on November 24 and by Senate on December 3 

to commemorate the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air 

flying machine in 1903. 

APRIL 4. Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America confers 

honorary life membership to Orville. 

APRIL 26. Orville is passenger on Army C-69 Lockheed 

Constellation demonstration flight over Dayton, originating 

from Wright Field, and handles the controls for a short period. 

JUNE 16. Orville among aviation leaders attending meeting of the 

Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences at Engineers’ Club in Dayton. 

JULY 21. Orville attends ceremonies marking the production of 

the 50,000th airplane engine carburetor manufactured by 

Chandler Evans Corp. in Dayton. 

AUGUST 4–5. Orville participates in meeting of the Institute of 

Aeronautical Sciences in Dayton. 

AUGUST 24. Keel of U.S.S. Wright laid. 

NOVEMBER 30. Orville receives certificate of life membership 

in Rotary Club of Dayton. 

DECEMBER 16. Orville, interviewed in Dayton by James V. 

Piersol, declares that airpower always will be the backbone of the 

international policy of nations. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville attends meetings of the National 

Aeronautic Association and the Institute of the Aeronautical 

Sciences in Washington. On this occasion, as a previous recipient 

of the Robert J. Collier Trophy, he was presented with a certificate 

of award for the year 1913. 

1945 

MARCH 29. Orville attends graduation ceremonies of Army Air 

Force Engineering School in Dayton. 

APRIL 3. Orville gives to Huntington College, Huntington, 

Ind., books and publications of a religious nature which had 

belonged to his father. 

JULY 14. Wright 1903 airplane reassembled at South 

Kensington Science Museum following return of plane from 

underground storage for safekeeping during World War II. 

AUGUST 1. Orville participates in review in Dayton of officers 

and troops from Wright and Patterson Fields marking 38th 

birthday celebration of Army Air Force. 

AUGUST 30. Orville visits Hudson Motor Car Company factory 

in Detroit and views first 1946 model Hudson automobile to come 

off assembly line. 

SEPTEMBER 1. Aircraft carrier U.S.S. Wright, named for 

Wilbur, launched and christened at Camden, N.J., by Mrs. 

Harold S. Miller, niece. Miss Marianne Miller, her daughter, is 

maid of honor. 

It was commissioned February 9, 1947. 

OCTOBER 12–13. Orville views Air Technical Service 

Command Fair at Wright Field, Dayton. 

OCTOBER 20. Orville rides with Gen. George C. Kenney, U.S. 

Army Air Force, in parade honoring General Kenney on his 

return to Dayton from the Far East. Orville later attends banquet 

in General Kenney’s honor. 

DECEMBER 17. Orville is guest of honor at luncheon at Wright 

Field in observance of 42d anniversary of Wright brothers’ flight 

at Kitty Hawk. He later tours Wright Field’s radar and aircraft 

design laboratories and visits the Wright brothers’ memorial in 

the field’s museum building. 

1946 

JANUARY 30. Orville among civil and military dignitaries honoring 

Lt. Gen. Nathan F. Twining, commanding general of Army Air 

Force Air Technical Service Command in Dayton. 

JANUARY 31. Orville participates in dinner marking anniversary 

of Dayton District Development Committee. 

APRIL. President Harry S. Truman signs the certificate of the Award 

of Merit to Orville for distinguished service with the National 

Advisory Committee for Aeronautics during World War II. 

Due to delays, the award ceremony was not scheduled to 

take place until two years later, when plans were made for Orville 

to come to Washington on January 15 for the presentation. But 

his health would not permit, and he died without personally 

receiving the award. 

MAY 17. Orville elected honorary member of the National 

Council of the Boy Scouts of America. 

JUNE 24. Orville is luncheon guest of Deane W. Malott, chancellor 

of University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kans. 

Orville was in Lawrence to attend wedding of his grandniece, 

Margaret Steeper, on June 23. 

JULY 18. Orville is guest of the Dayton Rotary Club and meets 

Dr. Carroll A. Hochwalt and hears him discuss the results of the 

Bikini atomic bomb tests. 

A Chronology • 59 
JULY 20. Orville receives Air Scout encampment delegation at 

his home and is given official copy of program of encampment 

at Wright Field. 

AUGUST. Ohio General Assembly adopts H.R. No. 136, 

introduced by Ohio State Representative John Poda, extending 

felicitations to Orville on his 75th birthday. 

AUGUST 16. In prepared statement Orville decries injection of 

socialism and capitalism into Paris Peace Conference negotiations. 

AUGUST 19. On his 75th birthday Orville is honored at luncheon 

given by close friends and associates in Dayton. At his laboratory he 

later is presented by Maj. Gen. Lawrence C. Craigie, of the Air 

Materiel Command, with a plaque on behalf of the Army Air Force 

commemorating his contributions to aeronautics. 

AUGUST 29. Orville is among distinguished guests honoring 

his friend, Charles F. Kettering, research director of General 

Motors Corp., at program in Central Park, Loudonville, Ohio, 

on his birthday. 

SEPTEMBER 25. Gael Sullivan, second assistant postmaster general, 

presents Orville with new five-cent airmail stamp album in 

ceremonies in Dayton marking the arrival of first “flying postoffice.” 

OCTOBER 1. Orville attends meeting of Engineers’ Club in 

Dayton and hears talk by Charles F. Kettering on the future of 

science and engineering. 

DECEMBER 9. Original Wright brothers’ wind tunnel balances, 

misplaced when moved December 6, 1916, discovered in attic of 

Orville’s laboratory in Dayton. 

DECEMBER 12. War Department and Navy Department send 

Orville certificate of appreciation for patriotic service in aiding 

the prosecution of the war as a member of the National 

Inventors Council. 

DECEMBER 17. President Harry S. Truman sends a congratulatory telegram to Orville “on behalf of your fellow countrymen” 

on the 43d anniversary of first successful airplane flight at Kitty 

Hawk, N.C. Dayton friends greet him at his office, and 200 

fighter planes fly over Wright Memorial in salute. 

Lt. Gen. Nathan F. Twining places memorial wreath on 

grave of Wilbur in observance of this occasion. 

1947 

JANUARY 6. Representative Thomas A. Jenkins, of Ohio, 

introduces H.J. Res. 36, providing for the utilization of a part 

of the unfinished portion of the historical frieze in the Capitol 

rotunda to portray the history of aviation, including the portrayal 

of the achievements of Wilbur and Orville Wright. 

JANUARY 21. Vilhajalmur Stefansson spends afternoon visiting 

Orville in Dayton at his laboratory. 

JANUARY 28. In special ceremony Gen. Henry H. Arnold 

places wings autographed by Orville at highest point on the 

60 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

Fliers’ Wall at the international shrine for aviators at the Mission 

Inn, Riverside, Calif. 

FEBRUARY 9. U.S.S. Wright (CVL 49) commissioned at U.S. 

Naval Base, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Harold S. Miller, niece of 

Wilbur, is sponsor. 

FEBRUARY 14. In letter to Dr. Henry B. Allen, secretary of the 

Franklin Institute, Orville states that he has arranged for the 

Wright brothers’ original airfoils and 1901 wind tunnel balances to 

become the property of the Franklin Institute, but to be retained 

by Orville for such time as he has a personal use for them. 

APRIL 8. Orville pays tribute to Henry Ford, his friend of many 

years, on his death on April 7. Orville declares, “He did more to 

promote the welfare of the American people, and particularly 

the working class, than any man who ever lived in this country. 

The present great wealth of this country has come indirectly 

from Mr. Ford through his development of mass production.” 

APRIL 9–10. Orville attends funeral services held in Detroit for 

Henry Ford and is seated with the Ford family. 

MAY 3. As a special guest Orville attends ceremonies on day 

honoring Col. and Mrs. Edward A. Deeds at Denison 

University, Granville, Ohio. 

JUNE 9. Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio, confers honorary 

doctor of science degree on Orville. 

JULY 7. Orville, in interview, criticizes wide publicity given to 

reports of flying saucers and states that he believes “there is no 

scientific basis for the existence of this phenomenon.” 

AUGUST 27. Wright Field officials announce that a replica of 

an early Wright brothers’ glider, carefully constructed under the 

supervision of Orville in the 1930’s, apparently had been 

destroyed during World War II to provide needed space for the 

expanded labor force required during the war. 

SEPTEMBER 20. Orville participates in Earlham College’s 

centennial celebration, Richmond, Ind., and serves as honorary 

chairman of the college’s “Second Century” building campaign. 

OCTOBER. Gertrude Stein’s Four In America, published 

posthumously, includes an essay on Wilbur Wright. Miss Stein’s 

interest in Wilbur stemmed from seeing the monument erected 

in his honor in Le Mans. 

OCTOBER 10. Orville suffers heart attack on way to meeting at 

National Cash Register Company in Dayton and is taken to 

Miami Valley Hospital. Following a brief stay he returns to his 

home on October 14. 

NOVEMBER 1. Marble bust of Wilbur, the work of the 

Italian sculptor Pier Gabriele Vangelli and the gift of Italian 

airplane designer Cianni Caproni, unveiled in ceremony at 

Centocelle Airport, near Rome, where Wilbur first flew on 

April 15, 1909. 

It was planned that reproductions of the bust would be given 

at a later date to the U.S. Air Force and to the City of Dayton. 
DECEMBER. Louis P. Christman, under direction of Orville, 

commences preparation of set of drawings of Wright 1903 

motor which he completes after Orville’s death. 

The drawings were subsequently given to the Smithsonian 

Institution by Educational and Musical Arts, Inc., which operated 

the Carillon Park Museum in Dayton which houses the restored 

1905 Wright airplane. 

DECEMBER 7. Orville visited by George Truman and Clifford 

Evans, private fliers, who stopped in Dayton on the final leg of 

their round-the-world flight. 

DECEMBER 23. Wright No. 3 horizontal airplane motor, on 

loan to Edison Institute since April 1, 1938, returned to Orville 

in Dayton. In letter to Edison Institute on November 18, 

Orville, had stated, “The No. 3 motor was of no historical 

importance, since it was never used except for experimental 

purposes in the shop.” 

DECEMBER 26. Orville receives scroll, painted and prepared 

by Clayton Knight, from Air Service Post No. 50, American 

Legion, signed by prominent aviators attending Frank Hawks 

Memorial Trophy Award dinner in New York on December 17 

commemorating Wright brothers’ first flight. 

1948 

JANUARY 27. Orville enters Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton 

for treatment following second heart attack at his laboratory. 

JANUARY 30. Orville, age 77, dies of heart attack at Miami 

Valley Hospital. 

FEBRUARY 1. President and Mrs. Harry S. Truman are among 

those sending messages of sympathy to Wright family following 

death of Orville. Tributes to him are paid by his friends Charles F. 

Kettering, inventor, and Col. Edward A. Deeds, chairman of the 

board, National Cash Register Company, and by leading citizens, 

top-ranking officials at Wright Field, and representatives of the 

organizations in which he was active: Institute of the Aeronautical 

Sciences, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and 

National Aeronautic Association. 

FEBRUARY 2. Funeral services for Orville are conducted at the 

First Baptist Church in Dayton, of which he was a member, and 

he is eulogized by the pastor, Rev. Dr. Charles L. Seasholes, who, 

according to the Dayton Daily News, termed Mr. Wright a 

genius, yet “a man who was just one of folks like us—middle-class, 

mid-Western American, with simple, devout parents, and simple 

and modest way of life.” 

A large and distinguished group of persons pay homage and 

tribute to Orville at the funeral. Gen. Carl Spaatz, U.S. Air 

Force, heads a group of Washington officials attending the 

funeral, including Dr. Alexander Wetmore, secretary of the 

Smithsonian Institution, John F. Victory, secretary of the 

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and Dr. Francis 

W. Reichelderfer, chief of the U.S. Weather Bureau. Burial is in 

Woodland Cemetery in Dayton in the family plot near his sister 

Katharine and his brother Wilbur. 

FEBRUARY 5. Orville’s will admitted to probate, and Harold S. 

Miller and Harold W. Steeper, both nephews by marriage, 

named as coexecutors of the estate. 

The will provides that the original Wright airplane should 

remain in possession of the Science Museum, South 

Kensington, London, unless he had written to the museum 

before his death requesting its return. The Franklin Institute 

receives the original metal airfoils used by Wilbur and Orville 

in their wind tunnel research in 1901–1903. All of Orville’s 

bronzes and all gold or other medals are willed to the Dayton 

Art Institute. All correspondence, files, and papers held by 

Orville at his death are to be turned over by the executors to 

such institution or institutions as they see fit. Oberlin College 

is bequeathed $300,000. The major part of the residual estate is 

willed to surviving relatives and several former employees. 

FEBRUARY 18. The coexecutors of the Orville Wright estate 

announce that in accordance with Orville’s wishes the original 

Wright 1903 airplane deposited in the Science Museum in 

London will be returned to the United States and placed in the 

custody of the National Museum in Washington. 

FEBRUARY 20–23. Orville’s laboratory at 15 North Broadway 

in Dayton, where he conducted many of his experiments, is 

dismantled and equipment and machinery removed. 

APRIL 24. Wright Skyway between Los Angeles and Washington 

dedicated and bronze tablet erected at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. 

SEPTEMBER 12–16. Diary of Orville Wright, describing first 

successful flight in 1903, is shown publicly for the first time in 

Library of Congress exhibit commemorating Air Force Day 

and centennial of American Association for the Advancement 

of Science. 

SEPTEMBER 16. Dayton probate court records reveal Orville 

leaves estate valued at $1,023,903. 

OCTOBER 18. In ceremony at the Science Museum, London, 

Wright 1903 airplane is removed from exhibit and handed over 

to Mr. Livingston Satterthwaite, American civil air attaché, who 

received it on behalf of the American government for return to 

the United States. 

NOVEMBER 11. National Cash Register Company purchases 

Wright home in Dayton for $75,000 and redecorates it as guest 

house for company’s distinguished visitors but leaves Orville’s 

library intact as a shrine to the Wright brothers. 

NOVEMBER 22. Crated Wright 1903 airplane arrives at the 

Smithsonian Institution in Washington from England. 

The airplane had been placed aboard the Mauretania, which, 

due to a strike, docked in Halifax. The plane was transferred to 

the Navy carrier Palau, which delivered it to Brooklyn, from 

whence it was transported to Washington by Navy truck. 

DECEMBER 15. Orville Wright estate distributed. 

DECEMBER 17. Formal presentation of the Wright brothers’ 

1903 airplane to the Smithsonian Institution following its 

return to America from the Science Museum in London, where 

A Chronology • 61 
it had been exhibited since 1928, is made in the Arts and 

Industries Building of the National Museum. The ceremonies 

are opened by Dr. Alexander Wetmore, secretary, Smithsonian 

Institution. Greetings are extended by Chief Justice of the 

United States and Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution Fred 

M. Vinson. A message from President Harry S. Truman is delivered 

by his Air Force aide, Col. Robert M. Landry. The Wright airplane 

is presented to the nation by Milton Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, 

nephew of Orville, on behalf of the estate of Orville Wright and 

accepted by Chief Justice Vinson. The formal acceptance address is 

delivered by Vice-President-Elect Alben W. Barkley, a regent of the 

Smithsonian. The British ambassador, Sir Oliver Franks, delivers a 

talk on “Britain and the Wright Brothers.” 

First presentation of the Wright Memorial Trophy, founded 

by Dr. Godfrey Lowell Cabot to be awarded annually by the 

National Aeronautic Association for “significant public service 

of enduring value to aviation in the United States,” is made at 

dinner of the National Aeronautic Association in Washington. 

The trophy is a miniature silver replica of the Wright brothers’ 

1903 powered airplane mounted on replica of commemorative 

boulder at Kitty Hawk that marks takeoff point for the Wrights’ 

first flights. 

The recipient, Dr. William F. Durand, was unable to attend. 

DECEMBER 25. Collier’s publishes special commemorative 

section dedicated to the Wright brothers. 

The issue included Orville’s diary account of the December 

17, 1903, first flight; “My Story of the Wright Brothers,” by 

Charles E. Taylor, Wright mechanic; and a painting of the 

Wright brothers by Arthur Lidov from a portrait photograph by 

Hollinger & Company, 1907, donated by Orville to the 

Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. 

Melbourne Brindle presents his painting “The Kitty Hawk 

Plane,” originally done for Collier’s and reproduced in its 

December 25 issue, to the National Air Museum. 

Group of heirs of the Orville Wright estate purchase the 

original Wright wind tunnel from the estate and present the 

tunnel to Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. 

1949 

APRIL. Wright brothers are honored in ceremony in Italy at 

Centocelle Airport in observance of the 40th anniversary of 

Wilbur’s first flights there when training Italy’s first military flier, 

Lt. Mario Calderara. Italian government represented by Manillo 

Zerbinati, president of Aero Club d’Italia, and Giovanni Pedace, 

secretary general of Pionieri dell’Aeronautica society; American 

Ambassador James C. Dunn accepts copy of bust of Wilbur 

unveiled at Centocelle November 1, 1947, for United States. 

MAY 27. Wright Papers received in Library of Congress following 

shipment from Dayton in accordance with agreement between 

the executors of the Orville Wright estate, Harold S. Miller and 

Harold W. Steeper, and the Librarian of Congress, Luther H. 

Evans, executed on May 5, 1949. 

Public announcement is made by the Library of Congress 

on June 5. 

JUNE 30. Oberlin College establishes Wilbur-Orville Wright 

Memorial Fund in the Library of Congress to support the editing 

of the important scientific correspondence, technical writings, 

diaries, notebooks, and related papers of Wilbur and Orville 

deeded to the Library by the Orville Wright Estate. 

Original Oberlin College–Library of Congress agreement 

somewhat altered by subsequent agreement executed June 5, 1952. 

DECEMBER 7. In flight sponsored by the Air Force 

Association in commemoration of first Wright flight, Thomas 

G. Lanphier, Jr., wartime ace, carrying message from President 

Truman calling for use of air power as a force for peace, dated 

November 23, completes record-breaking round-the-world trip 

via regular scheduled commercial airlines from LaGuardia 

Airport, N.Y., and return. 

DECEMBER 17. Commemorative six-cent airmail stamp honoring 

the Wright brothers is issued by the Post Office at Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

The Wright 1903 airplane is shown in flight. 

1950 

JANUARY 27. Bronze bust of Wilbur by Oskar J.W. Hansen 

presented to the Smithsonian Institution by Mr. and Mrs. Elmer 

F. Weiboldt of North Garden, Va. 

APRIL 17. Max P. Baker, technical Advisor to the Orville 

Wright estate, presents paper entitled “The Wright Brothers as 

Aeronautical Engineers” at national aeronautic meeting of the 

Society of Automotive Engineers, New York, giving details on 

the Wrights’ 1901 wind tunnel experiments. 

The paper is subsequently published in SAE Quarterly 

Transactions, January 1951, with discussions entitled “Wright 

Brothers and Aerodynamics,” by Francis H. Clauser; “Design, 

Structural Features of Wright Brothers Airplane,” by Alexander 

Kartvelli; and “Powerplants Built by Wright Brothers,” by Opie 

Chenoweth. 

JUNE. Original Wright 1905 airplane, the assembly and restoration 

of which had been started under the supervision of Orville before 

his death, is displayed to the public for the first time in a building 

specially constructed to house it in Carillon Park, Dayton. 

Wilbur and Orville Wright Laboratory of Physics established 

at Oberlin College. 

1951 

APRIL 25. Reproduction of Wright 1903 airplane engine made 

by the De Havilland Technical School is presented to the Science 

Museum, South Kensington, London. 

JUNE 15. Miracle at Kitty Hawk: The Letters of Wilbur and Orville 

Wright, edited and selected by Fred C. Kelly, published by Farrar, 

Straus and Young, New York. 

The selected letters, fewer than 600, were written during the 

period April 1, 1881–October 9, 1946. 

62 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1952
 

JUNE 5. Library of Congress and Oberlin College execute 

new agreement, superseding that of June 30, 1949, for the 

publication of the Wright papers. The agreement provides for 

a two-volume chronological edition of all the papers relevant 

to the evolution of the airplane and the principles of flight 

discovered by the Wrights. 

NOVEMBER 12. President Harry S. Truman writes letter to 

Thomas W. S. Davis, acting chairman, air coordinating committee, 

directing the air coordinating committee to make plans for 

observing the 50th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ successful 

1903 flight. 

DECEMBER 16. Gov. Thomas E. Dewey proclaims year-long 

period of celebration in New York to mark golden anniversary of 

the first heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers. 

1953 

National Committee to Observe the 50th Anniversary of 

Powered Flight is organized, James H. Doolittle, chairman. 

FEBRUARY 3. Indiana State Representative Clem Conway 

introduces H.J. Res. 15, designating the Wilbur Wright birthplace as a state memorial. 

The resolution passes the House on February 8 and is 

signed by Ind. Governor George M. Craig on March 9. 

FEBRUARY 13. Senator Pat McCarran, of Nevada, introduces 

S.J. Res. 42, providing for the proper participation of the U.S. 

government in a national year-long celebration, from December 

17, 1952, to December 17, 1953. 

A companion resolution, H.J. Res. 193, was introduced in the 

House on February 18 by Representative Carl Hinshaw, of California. 

MARCH 11. Library of Congress announces availability of new 

improved print of the only photograph of the Wright brothers’ 

first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on December 17, 1903. 

The print was made from the original glass-plate negative by 

the Library’s Photoduplication Service with the aid of modern 

photographic equipment and techniques and shows details that 

were not visible in any known previous printing. The negative is 

one of 300 glass-plate negatives in the collection of Wilbur and 

Orville Wright materials given to the Library in 1949 by the 

Orville Wright estate. 

MARCH 25. Representative Peter F. Mack, Jr., of Illinois, introduces 

H.R. 4217, providing for the issuance of a special airmail postage 

stamp in commemoration of the anniversary. 

APRIL 16. Millville, Ind., residents observe Wilbur’s birthday 

anniversary at gathering at his birthplace. 

MAY 22. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs Congressional 

resolution calling for “proper participation” by the federal government in a national celebration. 

MAY 29. Commemorative six-cent airmail stamp issued by 

Post Office Department and placed on sale at Dayton, Ohio, 

in conjunction with the convention and exhibition of the 

American Air Mail Society. 

The central design of the stamp is a facsimile of the emblem 

created for the 50th Anniversary of Aviation, showing in silhouette 

the first Wright airplane and a modern plane in powered flight. 

JUNE 18. Gov. William B. Ulmstead, of North Carolina, 

appoints North Carolina 50th Anniversary Commission to assist, 

cooperate, and participate in the appropriate observance of the 

golden anniversary. 

JULY. Aero Digest publishes 50th anniversary of powered flight 

commemorative issue. Includes “Wright Brothers: World’s First 

Aeronautical Engineers,” by M. P. Baker; “Wright Flier,” by Robert 

McLarren; and “Wright Chronology,” by Arthur Renstrom. 

JULY 15. Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle dedicates a full-scale 

reproduction of the Wright brothers’ 1903 airplane built 

cooperatively by 24 West Coast manufacturers and assembled 

by the Northrop Aeronautical Institute. The model is installed on 

permanent exhibition in the W. F. Durand Aeronautical Museum 

of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (now American 

Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) in Los Angeles. 

OCTOBER 13. Pioneers and leaders in aviation from Belgium, 

France, England, Germany, Holland, Brazil, Portugal, Canada, 

Mexico, and the United States, led by Adm. Richard E. Byrd, 

retrace steps of Wilbur and Orville to Kill Devil Hill, where they 

made their first successful flights. 

OCTOBER 25. Italian fliers drop a laurel wreath from a helicopter 

on a bust of Wilbur Wright in front of the main air base building at 

Centocelle Air Base near Rome. 

NOVEMBER 2–8. New York City Mayor Vincent R. Impelliteri 

designates first week in November as “50th Anniversary of 

Powered Flight Week,” with daily ceremonies and events. 

A daily air show is staged at the Battery, November 2–5, 

and at Mitchell Air Force Base on November 6–7. A Navybuilt reproduction of the Wright 1903 airplane is displayed at 

Union Square. 

NOVEMBER 13. Library of Congress opens exhibit on history 

of aviation, including photographs and selections from papers of 

the Wright brothers. 

Dr. Jerome C. Hunsaker, professor of aeronautical engineering, 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, professor of aeronautical 

engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, speaks on a 

half-century of aviation development at the autumn general 

meeting of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. 

DECEMBER. Air Force magazine announces it is establishing 

Aviation Hall of Fame, with Wilbur and Orville as the two first 

nominations. 

DECEMBER 1. Kill Devil Hills Monument National Memorial 

renamed Wright Brothers National Memorial. 

DECEMBER 3. The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright published by McGraw-Hill Book Company. 

A Chronology • 63 
The publication was sponsored by Oberlin College on the 

Wilbur-Orville Wright Memorial Fund and edited by Marvin W. 

McFarland and staff of the Aeronautics Division of the Library of 

Congress. It was based on the Wright papers deposited in the 

Library of Congress on May 27, 1949, by the Orville Wright 

estate. This work, long out of print, was reprinted and published 

by the Arno Press on June 23, 1972. 

DECEMBER 7. Life publishes summary by Ernest 

Havemann of selected letters from The Papers of Wilbur and 

Orville Wright, dealing with their early flights, especially the 

flights of December 17, 1903. The account is accompanied 

by color reproduction of the painting by John T. McCoy, Jr., 

depicting the first flight. 

DECEMBER 10. New York Public Library opens exhibit of 

materials covering 200,000,000 years of flight by insect, 

bird, and man in celebration of 50th anniversary of Wright 

brothers’ flight. 

DECEMBER 14–17. Nationwide celebration of 50th anniversary 

concludes with a four-day observance at Kill Devil Hill, sponsored 

by the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Society, the National Park 

Service, Air Force Association, and the North Carolina 50th 

Anniversary Commission. 

DECEMBER 14. “Pioneers & Private Flyers Day” opens the 

Wright Brothers National Memorial exercises. Address of welcome 

is by Frank P. Lahm, President, Kill Devil Hills Memorial Society. 

Wreaths are placed on the memorial by representatives of Dare 

County and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the 

Civil Air Patrol stages memorial flight over the monument. The 

recently reconstructed Wright brothers’ camp at Kill Devil Hills is 

dedicated, with address by Elbert Cox, regional director, National 

Park Service, and the Wright buildings opened to the public. A 

glider salute and flag and wreath ceremony is conducted by the 

Soaring Society of America. 

DECEMBER 15. “Industry Day” at Kitty Hawk is observed by 

the placing of wreaths on the Wright memorial by representatives 

of the Air Transport Association and the Aircraft Industries 

Association. United States Marine Corps conducts memorial 

flight. United States, United Nations, and International 

Goodwill flags are raised in flag ceremony. 

DECEMBER 16. “Defense Day” at Kitty Hawk is observed by 

placing of wreaths on the Wright Brothers National Memorial 

by representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Elizabeth 

City, N.C., and the Air Force Association. U.S. Air Force stages 

memorial flight, followed by airpower fly-by by Marine Corps, 

Army, and Air Force and flight perfection display by the USAF 

Thunderbirds. 

Dayton observes the anniversary by placing wreaths on the 

Wright Brothers Memorial in the presence of an honor guard 

from the military base, the Civil Air Patrol, the Ohio Air 

National Guard and reserve units, climaxed by a flying wreath 

formation of planes going over the memorial. In the evening a 

dinner is held at the Dayton Art Institute, at which Air Force 

Secretary Harold E. Talbert and Gen. Nathan F. Twining, Air 

Force Chief of Staff, are among the speakers. 

DECEMBER 17. “Anniversary Day” concludes four-day exercises 

held at Wright Brothers National Memorial. U.S. Coast Guard 

conducts wreath flight and U.S. Navy a memorial flight. In 

re-enactment of first flight Billy Parker, of Philips Petroleum 

Co., in 1912 pusher plane flies over site where Orville Wright 

flew the first 120 feet in aviation’s first 12 seconds. James H. 

Doolittle, chairman of National Committee to observe the 50th 

Anniversary of Powered Flight, and Representative Carl 

Hinshaw, chairman, Joint Congressional Committee, deliver 

addresses at Wright memorial luncheon at Nags Head, N.C. 

Aero Club of Washington sponsors anniversary dinner at 

Statler Hotel in Washington attended by leaders in aviation and 

the aviation industry, at which President Dwight D. Eisenhower 

and radio entertainer Arthur Godfrey are among those paying 

tribute to the Wright brothers. 

Representative Ralph Harvey, of Ind., delivers memorial 

address at ceremony in Millville, Ind., birthplace of Wilbur, in 

observance of golden anniversary of flight by Wright brothers. 

Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia, opens exhibition of 

material deeded to it by Orville Wright, comprising all original 

wind-tunnel apparatus, model airfoils, test data, and drawings of 

the Wright brothers’ early airplanes and engines, some airfoil 

models and aircraft models tested for the Wright Company at 

McCook Field during 1919, 1920, and 1921, as well as some of 

Orville’s later experimental devices. 

Dayton Art Institute opens six-week art exhibit entitled 

“Flight, Fantasy, Faith, Fact.” 

Exhibits included the institute’s collection of medals, citations, 

and degrees conferred on the Wrights for their achievements. 

1954 

NOVEMBER 26. James G. Crowther includes the Wright brothers 

in his book Six Great Inventors (London, Hamish Hamilton, 1954), 

stating that “For the purpose of this book, the Wright brothers have 

been regarded as one composite inventive personality. Their 

achievement was the result of mutual inspiration and discussion, 

and their respective contributions cannot be separated.” 

DECEMBER 17. Bronze and granite marker unveiled on 

Governors Island by Early Birds to commemorate historic flights 

to and from Governors Island, the first by Wilbur on September 

29, 1909. A bronze propeller cast from a wooden one used on the 

first military airplane built by the Wrights in 1909 is mounted on 

one side of the monument. 

1955 

JANUARY 16. CBS television program “You Are There” 

reconstructs events of December 17, 1903. 

FEBRUARY 9. Orville Wright School, Dayton, Ohio, dedicated 

at ceremonies presided over by Mrs. Richard Fullerton, president, 

Orville Wright Parent-Teacher Association. 

NOVEMBER. In poem published in Atlantic Monthly entitled 

“Kitty Hawk,” Robert Frost pays tribute to Wright brothers. 

64 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
NOVEMBER 1. Wilbur elected to Hall of Fame for Great 

Americans at New York University. 

1957 

APRIL 10. Ohio State Senators Lowell Fess and Theodore M. 

Gray introduce S. 23, to authorize the department of public 

works to direct the Ohio Historical Society to obtain a painting 

of the Wright brothers. 

A painting by Dwight Mutchler was subsequently commissioned and installed in the Ohio State Capitol in 

Columbus on December 17, 1959. 

DECEMBER 17. As part of the 54th anniversary ceremonies of 

the Wrights’ first flight, Conrad L. Wirth, director of the National 

Park Service, breaks ground for the beginning of construction of 

a new visitor center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial at 

Kitty Hawk, N.C. 

1958 

JULY 6. Le Mans, France, commemorates Wilbur’s first flight at 

the Hunaudiéres race course, near Le Mans, on August 8, 1908, 

and holds exhibit of memorabilia relating to this event. 

SEPTEMBER 3. Department of the Army, Department of the Air 

Force, and Military District of Washington hold program commemorating 50th anniversary of first airplane flight from a military 

installation by Orville at Fort Myer, Va., and the first major air 

accident to military personnel, occurring on September 17, 1908. 

A monument is dedicated to Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, who was 

killed in an accident on that date while a passenger with Orville. 

1959 

MARCH 2. Senator James E. Murray of Montana, introduces S. 

1212, providing for revision of boundaries of Wright Brothers 

National Memorial at Kitty Hawk. Representative Herbert C. 

Bonner, of North Carolina, introduces companion bill, H.R. 

5488, in House on March 10. 

AUGUST 31. Representative Joseph W. Martin, Jr., of 

Massachusetts, introduces H.J. Res. 513, designating December 

17, 1959, as “Wright Brothers Day.” Resolution passes House 

September 3 and Senate September 9. 

SEPTEMBER 21. President Dwight D. Eisenhower proclaims 

December 17, 1959, as “Wright Brothers Day.” 

DECEMBER 17. “Wilbur and Orville Wright and Their 

Accomplishments,” by Dwight Mutchler, unveiled and dedicated 

in Columbus, Ohio. The oil painting was authorized by the Ohio 

General Assembly, May 1957, to be hung in the Ohio State 

Capitol Building. 

1960 

Orville is nominated for election to Hall of Fame for Great 

Americans at New York University. 

JANUARY 1. Access to the Wright Papers in the Library of 

Congress, previously withheld by stipulation of deed of gift, 

granted to the general public. 

JANUARY 19. Representative Martin, of Massachusetts, introduces 

H.J. Res. 559, designating the 17th day of December in each year 

as “Wright Brothers Day.” 

MAY 17. National Luchtvaart Museum, Schiphol Airport, 

Netherlands, opened to the public. A replica “Wright Flyer” is 

among aircraft displayed. 

DECEMBER 17. Visitor Center and Administration Center at 

Wright Brothers National Memorial dedicated by National 

Park Service. 

1961 

JANUARY 6. Representative Martin introduces H.J. Res. 109, 

designating the 17th day of December, 1961, as “Wright 

Brothers Day.” 

1962 

National Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, established 

October 6, 1962, names Orville and Wilbur Wright as first two 

recipients of National Aviation Hall of Fame Award. 

1963 

MARCH 21. Representative Martin introduces H.J. Res. 335, 

designating 17th day of December of each year as “Wright 

Brothers Day.” 

MAY 3. Charles H. Gibbs-Smith, aeronautical historian long 

associated with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 

delivers lecture on Wright brothers before Royal Institution 

of Great Britain. The substance of the lecture was subsequently 

published with title The Wright Brothers: A Brief Account of Their 

Work, 1899–1911 (London, H.M.S.O., 1963; revised 1969). 

DECEMBER 17. Bronze memorial plaque, the work of Capt. 

Ralph S. Barnaby, gift of the Soaring Society of America, 

honoring the Wright brothers, unveiled at Wright Brothers 

National Memorial, Kitty Hawk, N.C. The presentation is 

made by Floyd Sweet, past president of the Society. Plaque 

consists of the likenesses of Wilbur and Orville in bas-relief 

with the caption “They Taught Us To Fly.” The gliders which 

the Wrights flew at Kitty Hawk in 1901, 1902, and 1911 are 

depicted on the background of the plaque. 

House Joint Resolution 335, passed by House on October 

7 and by the Senate on December 6, approved and proclaimed 

by President Lyndon B. Johnson, designating the 17th day of 

December of each year as “Wright Brothers Day.” 

Reproduction of the Wright original 1903 “Flyer,” a project 

of the National Capital Section of the American Institute of 

Aeronautics and Astronautics, presented to the Wright National 

Memorial Museum at Kill Devil Hill. 

A Chronology • 65 
1964
 

APRIL 8. Two oil portraits of Wilbur and Orville, painted by 

Efrem Melik, of New York, presented to National Air Museum, 

Smithsonian Institution, by Flight Safety Foundation, New York. 

AUGUST 20. Representative Ralph Harvey, of Ind., introduces 

H.R. 12459, authorizing the establishment of the Wilbur 

Wright National Monument in the State of Ind. 

NOVEMBER 13. President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims 

December 17, 1964, as Wright Brothers Day. 

1965 

One-eighth scale model of Wright brothers’ 1903 airplane 

presented to National Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, by 

Eugene Kettering, chairman of the Board of National Aviation 

Hall of Fame. Model is to be displayed in the James M. Cox 

Dayton Municipal Airport until completion of a National 

Aviation Hall of Fame building. Model is the work of Joseph D. 

Fallo, Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 

Dayton, and is based on detailed drawings in the Air Force 

Museum of the Wright airplane prepared by Louis P. Christman. 

JUNE 21. Orville is recommended as one of five nominees 

under consideration for election to Hall of Fame for Great 

Americans at New York University. 

OCTOBER 28. Orville is elected to Hall of Fame for Great 

Americans at New York University. 

1966 

JANUARY 31. The U.S. Air Force: A Pictorial History in Art, by 

James J. Haggerty and Warren R. Smith, is published by Books, 

Inc., New York, reproducing three Wright paintings from the 

Air Force Art Collection: “The Wright Brothers’ First Power 

Flight,” by Harvey Kidder, “Lieutenant Lahm’s First Flight (with 

Orville),” by Richard Green, and “The Wright Brothers at Fort 

Myer,” by John McCoy. 

DECEMBER 17. Wreaths are laid at foot of Wright Brothers 

Memorial at Kitty Hawk in observance of 63rd anniversary of 

Wright brothers’ historic 1903 flight. A group of F-102 Delta 

Dagger aircraft fly over monument in salute. 

1967 

Wright State University, located northeast of the city of Dayton 

and named for the Wright brothers, established as a public, stateassisted general university, to be responsive to the needs of the 

Miami Valley, the State of Ohio, and the Dayton area. 

APRIL 10. Representative Richard L. Roudebush, of Ind., 

introduces H.R. 8305, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior 

to accept and administer the birthplace of Wilbur Wright as a 

national monument. 

APRIL 16. One-hundredth anniversary of birth of Wilbur. 

MAY 7. Commemorative tablets and busts of Orville by Paul 

Fjelde and of Wilbur by Vincent Glinsky installed in the Hall 

of Fame for Great Americans at New York University. A 

Wright brothers medal designed by Paul Fjelde also is issued 

in commemoration of the event. 

DECEMBER 6. President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims 

December 17, 1967, as Wright Brothers Day. 

DECEMBER 17. F–102 Dagger aircraft of the 196th Fighter 

Group, South Carolina National Guard, fly over Wright 

Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk in observance of 64th 

anniversary of Wright brothers’ 1903 flights. 

1968 

APRIL. Library of Congress publishes Wilbur & Orville 

Wright: A Bibliography Commemorating the Hundredth 

Anniversary of the Birth of Wilbur Wright, April 16, 1867, 

listing more than 2,000 printed and audiovisual research materials 

on the Wright brothers. 

DECEMBER 16. President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaims 

December 17, 1968, as Wright Brothers Day. 

DECEMBER 17. Museum of antique aircraft, Wings and 

Wheels, Santee Exhibitions, Inc., opened at Santee, S.C., to 

mark 65th anniversary of Wright brothers’ 1903 flight. Replica 

“Kitty Hawk Flyer” is among aircraft displayed. 

1969 

DECEMBER 11. President Richard M. Nixon proclaims 

December 17, 1969, as Wright Brothers Day. 

1970 

Aviation Hall of Fame, Dayton, commences project to 

develop mosaic reproduction of Wright brothers’ first powered 

flight. The mosaic, 60 by 20 feet, is to consist of more than 

163,000 one-inch square tiles manufactured in Italy. Each tile 

bears a symbol related to the history of flight. Accompanying 

the mural are two pylons, each two feet square and eight feet 

high. Each pylon is dedicated to one of the Wright brothers 

(Wilbur and Orville) and is surfaced with 6,800 portrait tiles. 

The mosaic is to be set into the lobby of the Dayton 

Convention and Exhibition Center. Unveiling is scheduled for 

December 15, 1972. 

DECEMBER 10. President Richard M. Nixon proclaims 

December 17, 1970, as Wright Brothers Day. 

1971 

JUNE 22. World premiere showing of film “The Wright 

Brothers: Orville and Wilbur” at the American Film Institute 

Theatre in Washington. 

The film was produced by Arthur and Evelyn Barron and 

Amanda C. Pope for the NET Playhouse Biography Series in 

cooperation with South Carolina Educational TV. 

66 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
AUGUST 19. Centennial of birth of Orville is observed as 

National Aviation Day and with appropriate ceremonies in 

Dayton. At a commemorative luncheon Grover Leoning 

reminisces on his association with Orville and the Wright 

Company as an aeronautical engineer, 1913–1914, and Mrs. 

Ivonette Miller relates anecdotes revealing personal qualities 

of her uncles, Orville and Wilbur. Gen. Jack Merrell, of the 

Air Force Logistics Command, places a wreath at the Wright 

Memorial. Wreaths also are placed on the graves of the 

Wright brothers in Woodland Cemetery. 

A Chronology • 67 
68 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
FLIGHT LOG
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

1900 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright 1900 Glider 

Wilbur arrived at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on September 13, 

followed by Orville on September 28, to commence 

active experiments with a fullsize glider of their own 

design. In the first experiments the Wrights sought to 

measure the lift, the drift, and the center of pressure of 

the glider and to calculate control and the lifting ability. 

William J. Tate, resident of Kitty Hawk, was present and 

assisted in many of their experiments. Relatively few precise flight data on the 1900 flights were recorded. Total 

time in the air was only about two minutes. However, 

these flights provided the Wrights with their first confirmation of their flight theories. 

Three 

different 

days 

WW & 

OW 

5–10 sec 2–3 ft The first day’s experiments were attempted with a man 

aboard. Then the glider was flown as a kite, 2 to 4 hours 

each time 

Oct 10 20 ft Glider flown as kite. Glider was upset by wind and 

wrecked on Hill of the Wreck. Three days were required 

for repairs. 

Oct 17 Glider flown as kite. 

Oct 18 30 ft ca. 15-20 ft Glider flown as kite. 

1901 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright 1901 Glider 

Using a machine similar to that constructed for their 

1900 experiment but with the area of the wings increased 

from 165 square feet to 290 square feet, the Wrights, 

returning to Kitty Hawk in 1901, broke all previous 

records for distance in gliding. Detailed and specific 

records of all the 1901 experiments were not maintained 

and the exact number of flights is not known. An estimated 50-100 flights were made, with the glider being 

tested in free gliding flights and as a kite, sometimes 

empty and sometimes loaded with a bag of sand. The 

flights ranged from about 20 feet to nearly 400 feet. 

Wilbur and Orville were assisted in their experiments by 

George A. Spratt, of Coatsville, Pa., and by Edward C. 

Huffaker, of Chuckey City, Tenn., both recommended by 

Octavo Chanute, who also spent a week at their camp 

and witnessed some of the their flights. The year’s results 

were in general discouraging and not up to their expectations; but the trials demonstrated that some of the most 

widely accepted laws, those regarding the travel of the 

center of pressure and the pressures on airplane surfaces, 

based primarily on the calculations of Otto Lilienthal, 

were mostly, if not entirely, incorrect. 

Jul 27 

1 WW 50 ft About 17 gliders were made. It was not possible to get a 

free flight on many attempts. On the last flight the 

machine turned over. 

2 WW 20 ft 

3 WW 20 ft 

A Chronology • 69 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

4 WW 40 ft 

5 WW 50 ft 

6 WW ca. 300 ft 

7 WW 18 sec 370 ft 

8 WW 18 sec 300 ft 

9 WW 250 ft 

10 WW 19 sec 315 ft Best glide of day. 

Jul 29 Four attempted flights were unsuccessful. Glider 

subsequently flown as kite. One experiment conducted 

with man aboard. 

Jul 30 Glider flown as kite. 

Jul 31 Number of trials made. No free flights. 

Aug 8 

1 WW 6.2 sec 147 ft The records of August 8 and 9 are from the diary of 

Octave Chanute, who was present at the tests conducted 

on these days. 

2 WW 4.3 sec 110 ft 

3 WW 7.2 sec 137 ft 

4 WW 5.1 sec 93 ft 

5 WW .7 sec 

6 WW 12.1 sec 265 ft 

7 WW 12.3 sec 265 ft 

8 WW 10.7 sec 

9 WW 12.5 sec 366 ft 

10 WW 12.9 sec 

11 WW 389 ft 

12 WW 13.8 sec 325 ft 

13 WW 12 sec 260 ft 

Aug 9 

1 WW 13 sec 280 ft Kite test also made. 

2 WW 9.5 sec 225 ft 

3 WW 13.5 sec 225 ft 

4 WW 14.5 sec 230 ft 

5 WW 17.5 sec 280 ft 

Aug 13 

1 150 ft 

2 250 ft 

3 200 ft 

4 200 ft 

70 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
FLIGHT TIME REMARKS 

1901–1902 

DATE PILOT DISTANCE ALTITUDE 

Aug 14 Kite test and successful glides made. 

Aug 15 

1 5-1/4 sec 44 ft Glides and kite test made. 

2 4-3/4 sec 33 ft 

Aug 16 7-1/3 sec 39-1/2 ft Glides and kite test made. 

Aug 17 Experiments for year 1901 terminated. 

1902 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright 1902 Glider 

On their third visit to Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1902 the 

Wrights made 700-1,000 glides increasing their record 

for distance to 622-1/2 ft., for time to 26 seconds, and 

for angle of descent to 5 degrees for a glide of 156 ft. 

Orville has stated that the flights of 1902 demonstrated 

efficiency of their system of control for both longitudinal 

and lateral stability and also the fact that their tables of 

air pressure derived from their wind-tunnel tests would 

enable them to calculate in advance the performance of 

their flying machine. 

Sep 19 Glider first flown as kite, then about 25 glides made, 

none entirely free. Daniel Tate assists brothers in glides 

on this and subsequent days. 

Sep 20 

1 WW 11 sec ca. 200 ft Nearly 50 glides made September 19 and 20. 

2 WW 140 ft Wilbur made free glide. 

Sep 22 Glider flown as kite. 

Sep 23 OW 160 ft Orville made first free flight. Altogether about 75 glides 

were made, varying in length from 150 to 225 ft and in 

duration from 10–12 seconds. Machine damaged in 

landing at end of day, requiring delay in experiments for 

several days to make necessary repairs. 

Sep 29 

1 OW 

2 OW 

3 OW 

4 OW 

5 OW 

6 WW 

7 WW 

8 WW 

9 WW 

10 WW 

11 WW 

12 WW 

13 WW 

10-1/4 sec 

6-1/2 sec 

6-3/5 sec 

6-2/5 sec 

9 sec 

8-3/5 sec 

150 ft 

198 ft 

216 ft 

25 ft 

40 ft 

98 ft 

25 ft 

25 ft 

25 ft 

90 ft 

100 ft 

140 ft 

132 ft 

A Chronology • 71 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

14 WW 123 ft 

15 WW 7 sec 150 ft 

16 WW 5-1/5 sec 112 ft 

17 WW 8 sec 160 ft 

18 WW 9-1/2 sec 150 ft 

19 WW 9-1/4 sec 159 ft 

20 WW 6 sec 120 ft 

21 WW 13 sec 230 ft 

22 WW 12-4/5 sec 212 ft 

23 OW 180 ft 

24 OW 111 ft 

25 OW 5-1/4 sec 120 ft 

Sep 30 Lorin Wright, who arrived at Kitty Hawk on the 

morning of September 30, witnessed Wright gliding 

experiments carried out between this date and October 10. 

1 OW 183 ft 

2 OW 8-1/5 sec 191 ft 

3 WW 7-2/5 sec 145 ft 

4 WW 5 sec 78 ft 

5 WW 5-1/4 sec 125 ft 

6 WW 8 sec 150 ft 

7 WW 7 sec 150 ft 

8 WW 5-3/4 sec 132 ft 

9 WW 25 ft 162 ft 

per sec 

(ca. 6-1/2 sec) 

Oct 1 

1 WW 

2 WW 

3 WW 

4 WW 

5 WW 

6 OW 

7 OW 

8 OW 

9 OW 

10 OW 

72 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 

101 ft 

7-1/5 sec 150 ft 

9-4/5 sec 180 ft 

3-3/5 sec 93 ft 

8-2/5 sec 165 ft 

129 ft 

133 ft 

8 sec 142 ft 

150 ft 

8-3/5 sec 162 ft 

George A. Spratt arrived in afternoon and witnessed 

Wright gliding experiments between this date and 

October 17. 
FLIGHT TIME REMARKS 

1902 

DATE PILOT DISTANCE ALTITUDE 

11 WW 310 ft 

12 WW ca. 25 sec 320 ft 

13 OW 9 sec 183 ft 

14 OW 5-1/4 sec 123 ft 

15 OW 9-1/4 sec 176 ft 

16 OW 9-1/2 sec 202 ft 

17 WW 11-4/5 sec 226 ft 

18 WW 312 ft 

19 WW 238 ft 

20 WW 18 sec 287 ft 

21 OW 7 sec 156 ft 

22 WW 11-1/2 sec 205 ft 

23 WW 10-1/5 sec 210 ft 

24 OW 7 sec 156 ft 

Oct 2 Only a partial record of glides was kept. 

1 WW 16 sec 252 ft 

2 WW 22 sec 328 ft 

3 WW 320 ft 

4 WW 351 ft 

5 OW 217 ft 

6 OW 216 ft 

7 WW 24-1/2 sec 506 ft 

8 WW 24-1/2 sec 504 ft 

9 WW 23-1/2 sec 550 ft 

Oct 3 No records were maintained for glides made in the morning 

and only a few for those made in the afternoon. 

1 OW 279 ft 

2 OW 14-1/4 sec 315 ft 

3 WW 12-1/5 sec 189 ft 

4 WW 318 ft 

5 WW 8 sec 168 ft 

6 WW 13-1/4 sec 255 ft 

Oct 8 Octave Chanute and Augustus M. Herring, who had 

arrived at Kitty Hawk on October 5, were present at 

glides made on October 8, 9, and 10. 

1 WW 3 sec 45 ft 

2 WW 12 sec 180 ft 

3 WW 9-1/2 sec 180 ft 

4 WW 10-1/4 sec 135 ft 

A Chronology • 73 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

5 WW 11-2/5 sec 225 ft 

6 WW 12-4/5 sec 235 ft 

7 WW short glide 

8 WW 13-1/5 sec 237 ft 

9 WW short glide 

10 WW 9-2/5 sec 162 ft 

11 OW 8-2/5 sec 148 ft 

12 OW 8-1/2 sec 151 ft 

13 OW 9-3/5 sec 170 ft 

14 OW 9 sec 165 ft 

15 OW 7 sec 160 ft 

16 OW 6 sec 155 ft 

Oct 9 

1 

2 OW 

6-1/2 sec 

6 sec 

ca. 110 ft 

120 ft 

Oct 10 Many glides were undertaken on this date, but there are 

no available data on the time and distance of the glides. 

The first photograph of a Wright glide in a turn was 

taken on this date. 

Oct 15 Several attempts at gliding were made in the morning 

and two flights were made after dinner. 

Oct 17 Data unavailable on glides made on this date, but 

Orville did most of gliding before dinner and Wilbur 

made five or six glides after dinner for the purpose of 

obtaining pictures. 

Oct 20 

1 OW 360 ft 

2 WW 300 ft 

3 OW 335 ft 

4 WW 300 ft 

5 OW 12 sec 300 ft 

6 WW 21-4/5 sec 551 ft 

7 WW 24-4/5 sec 552 ft 

8 WW 24-1/2 sec 525 ft 

9 WW 22 sec 548 ft 

10 OW 24-1/4 sec 505 ft 

11 OW 18 sec 406-1/2 ft 

12 OW 16-1/2 sec 335 ft 

74 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1902–1903
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Oct 21 

1 WW 13-1/5 sec 150 ft 

2 OW 10 sec 63 ft 

Oct 23 

1 WW short glide 

2 OW 15-1/2 sec 336 ft
 

3 
WW 17 sec 351 ft
 

4 
OW 16-1/4 sec 426 ft 

5 WW 18-3/5 sec 394 ft 

6 OW 16 sec 380 ft 

7 WW 17 sec 418 ft 

8 OW short glide 

9 WW 26 sec 622-1/2 ft This glide set a new duration and distance record. 

10 OW 24 sec 540 ft 

11 WW 24-1/5 sec 540 ft 

12 OW 509 ft 

13 OW 21-2/5 sec 615-1/2 ft 

Oct 24 OW 255-1/2 ft	 Glides on this date averaged about 200 ft A number of 

glides were witnessed by passengers aboard a steamer 

cruising nearby. In the last 10 days of practice Wilbur 

and Orville made more glides than in all the preceding 

weeks. In two days they made about 250 glides in winds 

ranging from 9–16-3/4 meters per second. 

1903 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright 1902 Glider, Sept. 28–Nov. 12 Wright 1903 Machine, Dec. 12–17 

Following their gliding experiments of 1900, 1901, 1902, 

Wrights returned to Kitty Hawk for the fourth time, 

arriving September 25, to attempt to fly a larger and 

improved biplane, which they had designed and to which 

they added a small gasoline motor with two pusher type 

propellers. Airplane parts and engine arrived at Kitty 

Hawk October 8, were assembled and ready for testing 

November 5, and first trial occurred December 12. 

Sep 28 Wrights made between 60–100 glides during the day, 

using the 1902 glider which had been left in the Wright 

camp when Wilbur and Orville departed in 1902. 

Approximately 12 to 15 glides exceeded 26 seconds. 

Average of all glides was more than 20 seconds. 

1 WW 30-2/5 sec 

2 WW 26-2/5 sec 52 ft 

Oct 3 About 30 or 40 glides made. Five or six glides ranged 

from 32 to 35 seconds. Performance of the glider was 

improved by changes made in the vertical rudder and the 

twisting of the wings. 

1 WW 43 sec ca. 450 ft 

2 OW 34-1/2 sec ca. 450 ft 

A Chronology • 75 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Oct 5 About a dozen glides were made from a steep incline. 

Glides ranged from 10 to 15 seconds each. Distance 

traveled was between 75 to 100 ft. 

Oct 8 Few glides made. 

Oct 10 Wilbur and Orville each made two glides. In Orville’s 

last glide a strong gust of wind forced him rapidly up, 

and in coming down glider broke at one end and struck 

Wilbur on head. 

Oct 19 

1 OW 26-3/5 sec 520 ft Six or seven glides were made. 

2 WW 21-3/5 sec 558 ft 

3 OW 21-3/5 sec 603 ft 

4 WW 20-2/5 sec 491 ft 

Oct 20 Wilbur and Orville each made a glide from Big Hill. 

Subsequently they made about 25 or 30 glides of about 9 

seconds each from Small Hill. 

1 OW 

2 WW 

Oct 21 Wrights made 15 to 20 glides. Five glides in morning 

averaged 400 feet. Later glides ran from 30 to 43 seconds, 

and the final 8 to 10 glides each increased in time and set 

new records. Many of the glides were made at heights 

from 40 to 60 feet, highest attained to date. 

1 WW 43-3/5 sec 

2 OW 43-3/4 sec 

3 OW 45 sec 

4 WW 45-2/5 sec 

5 OW 49 sec 

6 WW 56 sec 

7 OW 56-3/5 sec 

8 OW 1 min 

1/2 sec 

9 WW 59 sec 

Oct 26 

1 OW 

2 WW 

3 WW 

About 20 gliding attempts made. Former time record of 

1 minute 1/2 second, made on October 21, was exceeded 

six times. Glides covered a distance of from 450 to 500 

feet. Some glides reached an altitude of 60 feet. Gliding 

experiments, October 26-27, were witnessed by George 

A. Spratt, who had arrived at Kitty Hawk on October 23. 

He departed on November 6. 

1 min 

5-1/2 sec 

1 min 

4-1/5 sec 

1 min 

7-3/5 sec 

76 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1903–1904
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

4 WW 1 min 

7-2/5 sec 

5 OW 1 min 

11-4/5 sec 

6 WW 1 min 

9-1/2 sec 

Oct 27 Several glides were made by Wilbur and Orville, primarily 

for purposes of taking pictures. Height of glides not over 

20 to 25 feet. 

Nov 7 Four or five glides were made. Further glides not 

attempted because of irregular speed and direction of 

wind. Octave Chanute, who had arrived at Kitty Hawk 

on November 6, witnessed glides on this day. 

Nov 12 Glider used to test starting truck and rails for the new 

1903 machine, starting successfully five times out of six. 

After four or five glides were made, machine was returned 

to camp because the dilapidated condition of the 

machine rendered it unsafe fro further experiments. 

Dec 12 New Wright machine ready for trial, but there was 

insufficient wind. Machine was run along track, and in 

40-ft run last 15 feet covered in 1-1/2 sec 

Dec 14 WW 3-1/2 sec 105 ft ca. 15 ft In first trial machine plunged to ground immediately 

after takeoff and was damaged in landing-one front 

skid, front rudder, and rudder frame broken, requiring 

two days’ time for repairs. Five men (Robert Westcott, 

John T. Daniels, Thomas Beacham, W.S. Dough, and 

Benny O’Neal) from the Kill Devil Life Saving Station 

were present at the trial. 

Dec 17 

1 OW ca. 12 sec 120 ft ca. 8-10 ft The four flights were witnessed by John T. Daniels, W. 

S. Dough, and A. D. Etheridge, from the Kill Devil Life 

Saving Station. W. C. Brinkley of Manteo, and Johnny 

Moore from Nags Head. In an article entitled “How We 

Made the First Flight” in Flying December 1913, 

Orville described this flight as “the first in the history of 

the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised 

itself by its own power into the air in full flight, had 

sailed forward without reduction of speed and had finally 

landed at a point as high as that from which it started.” 

2 WW ca. 12 sec ca. 175 ft 

3 OW ca. 15 sec ca. 200 ft ca. 12-14 ft 

4 WW 59 sec 852 ft Elevator damaged on landing. Shortly after, at camp, the 

machine was overturned by a gust of wind and wrecked, 

preventing further flights. 

1904 Huffman Prairie, Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio Wright 1904 Machine 

At Huffman Prairie, at a field of 100 acres located about 8 

miles from Dayton, the Wrights made 105 starts, the total 

flying time being about 50 minutes, enabling them to 

practice controlling and maneuvering their powered 

machine. The 1904 machine was similar in dimensions to 

the machine of 1903. The weight was increased and a new 

power plant was added similar to the 1903 motor but having 

A Chronology • 77 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

a 1/8-inch large bore. Modifications were introduced during 

the year as experiments progressed and changes were deemed 

desirable to improve the performance of the machine. 

May 26 OW ca. 25 ft ca. 6-8 ft Several pine spars were broken in landing, requiring 

postponement of further flights until repairs were made. 

The start of this flight was witnessed by Bishop Milton 

Wright, John G. Feight, Mr. and Mrs. Frank B. Hale, 

Mrs. William Werthner, a press reporter, and several others. 

Rain and lack of wind prevented attempted flights on 

May 23 and May 25. 

Jun 10 WW ca. 60 ft Machine struck ground because of faulty steering. 

Machine was damaged, preventing further trials until 

repairs were made. 

Jun 21 

1 ca. 100 ft 

2 ca. 100 ft 

3 OW 225 ft 

Jun 23 

1 264 ft 

2 Tail damaged in landing. 

Jun 25 Machine struck ground while turning at full speed and was 

damaged, preventing further trials until repairs were made. 

July Two trials made. 

Aug 2 No systematic flight records were kept for 1904 by the 

Wrights before this date. The first flight on this date is 

recorded in Wilbur Wright’s Diary E as No. 14 for the year. 

1 WW 160 ft 

2 WW 370 ft End bow broken when machine landed near fence. 

Aug 4 

1 10-2/5 sec 195 ft 

(down track) 

2 20 sec 272 ft 

(from start 

on track) 

Aug 5 

1 OW 4-3/4 sec 60 ft 236-ft track used. 

2 OW 2-3/4 sec 356 ft 

(last 80 ft 

on track) 

Aug 6 

1 WW 8-1/4 sec 600 ft 145-ft track used. 

(down track) 

2 OW 7-3/4 sec 235 m 

3 WW 17-3/5 sec 210 m 

Aug 8 1 WW Wing struck ground before leaving track. 

78 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1904
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Aug 10 

1 

2 

OW 

WW 

17-2/5 sec 

20-3/5 sec 

205 m 

640 ft 

145-ft track used. 

Rudder and propeller broken. 

Aug 13 

1 

2 

3 

4 

OW 

WW 

OW 

WW 

50-2/5 sec 

26 sec 

32-2/5 sec 

200 ft 

705 m 

425 m 

475 m 

195-ft track used. 

Aug 16 1 OW 432 ft 160-ft track used. Machine turned downward and was 

damaged when it landed on front rudder, breaking support. 

Aug 22 

1 

2 

3 

4 

WW 

OW 

WW 

WW 

44 sec 

7 sec 

48-1/2 sec 

400 ft 

635 ft 

175 ft 

630 ft 

160-ft track used on first three flights. 

195-ft track used. 

Aug 23 

1 

2 

OW 

WW 

30-2/5 sec 

15-3/5 sec 

525 m 

160 m 

Katherine Wright witnessed flight. 

Aug 24 

1 

2 

WW 

OW 

39-1/5 sec 

7-1/2 sec 

530 m 

201 ft 

145-ft track used. Machine was overturned and rudder 

frame broken when struck by gust of wind. Orville suffered 

body bruises and injured hand. 

Sep 7 

1 9 sec 89 m Catapult starting device first used on this date to aid in 

takeoff on their limited flying field and to make them 

more independent of weather conditions. Flight witnessed 

by Katharine Wright and Melba Silliman. 

2 7 sec 200 ft 

3 WW 39-1/4 sec 610 m 

Sep 9 

1 8-4/5 sec 79 m 

2 WW 13-3/4 sec 496 ft 

3 WW 18 sec 205 m 

Sep 13 

1 WW 10-4/5 sec 140 m 

2 WW 12-3/5 sec 135 m 

Sep 14 1 WW 23-2/5 sec 370 m 

Sep 15 

1 WW 59-3/5 sec 845 m First turn in air made, Wilbur making half circle. 

A Chronology • 79 
2 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

WW 54 sec 835 m 

Sep 20 

1 WW 1 min 

5-3/5 sec 

1005 m 

2 WW 1 min 1505 m 

35-4/5 sec 

A complete circle was made for the first time. Flight 

witnessed by A. I. Root of Medina, Ohio, and Wright 

mechanic Charles E. Taylor. 

Sep 26 

1 OW 8 sec 70 m 

2 OW 29-1/5 sec 375 m 

Sep 27 

1 OW 18-3/5 sec 209 m 

2 OW 11 sec 105 m 

3 OW 8 sec 75 m 

Sep 28 

1 OW 6-3/5 sec 56 m 

2 WW 12 sec 115 m 

Sep 30 1 OW 36 sec 565 m Mr. Harshmann and Mr. Miller witnessed flight. 

Oct 1 

1 OW 56 sec 810 m 

2 OW 55 sec 870 m Wing tip of machine touched ground and skidded and 

front rudder struts were broken. 

Oct 4 

1 OW 12-1/2 sec 440 ft 

2 OW 45-2/5 sec 681 m 

Oct 11 1 OW 1 min 1010 m 

6 sec 

Oct 13 

1 OW No start. 

2 OW 59 sec 850 m (?) 

Oct 14 

1 OW 1 min 1,220 m 

22-1/4 sec 

2 OW 1 min 1,505 m 

38 sec 

3 WW 1 min 1,495 m 

27-3/5 sec 

Oct 15 1 OW 23-4/5 sec 420 m Flight made in presence of Octave Chanute. Machine 

landed at speed of 45 to 50 miles an hour, skewed around, 

and was damaged requiring extensive repairs. 

Oct 26 1 WW 34 sec 465 m Machine struck ground, breaking upper spar, skids, 

and propeller. 

80 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1904 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Nov 2 1 OW 1 min 1,290 m Four other Wright trials on this date were unsuccessful. 

26-2/5 sec Tail broken at start of fifth trial. 

Nov 3 1 WW 1 min 

27-2/5 sec 

1,325 m Two prior trials were unsuccessful. Wing struck ground, 

breaking propellers and tear lower spar. 

Nov 9 

1 OW 18 sec 255 m Second flight was best and longest of the year, witnessed 

by Brown and Reed of the Dayton, Springfield & Urbana 

Railway Co. 

2 WW 5 min 

4 sec 

Almost four rounds of field. 

3 OW 11-2/5 sec 115 m 

Nov 16 

1 OW 56-4/5 sec 820 m 

2 OW 40-1/5 sec 535 m 

3 OW 19-1/4 sec 650 ft 

(over ground) 

4 WW 3 min 

10-3/4 sec 

2-1/4 rounds 

of field 

Nov 22 1 150-200 ft Five starts were unsuccessful due to improper gasoline 

regulation. Charles W. Furnas and Amos I. Root were 

among the witnesses. 

Nov 25 

1 OW 25-1/5 sec 335 m 

2 WW 45-3/5 sec 635 m 

3 OW 45-2/5 sec 690 m 

4 WW 59 sec 840 m 

5 OW 1 min 

3 sec 

890 m 

Dec 1 

1 OW Unsuccessful start. 

2 OW 8-4/5 sec 85 m 

3 OW 5 min 

8 sec (?) 

4,515 m 

Dec 5 1 WW Flight terminated after propeller was broken to pieces 

when it struck truck shortly after machine left track. 

Dec 6 1 WW Gasoline shut off by mistake. 

Dec 7 1 WW 7-1/5 sec 100 m 

Dec 9 

1 WW Gasoline shut off by mistake. 

2 WW Front rudder broken. 

A Chronology • 81 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

1905 Huffman Prairie, Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio Wright 1905 Machine 

A total of 50 flights were made during the year, with a 

total flying time of about 3 hours 40 minutes. The 

Wrights successfully achieved banking, turning, and 

circling and made figures of eight. The flights were 

made over a circular course of about three-fourths of a 

mile to the lap. The design of the 1905 machine was 

similar to that of the 1903 and 1904 machines. The 

horizontal control and rudder areas were enlarged and 

the whole structure increased in strength. Modifications 

were introduced in the course of year’s experiments, 

including three different sets of propellers, the “bent 

end” type proving most successful. 

Jun 23 1 OW 9-1/2 sec 272 ft Left wing was struck in landing, and four ribs were 

cracked at rear left corner. 

Jun 24 

1 WW 5-9/10 sec 160 ft 

2 OW Pilot scraped right wing tip all the way down the track 

and failed to get a start. 

3 WW 3-1/2 sec 136 ft Machine suddenly turned to left and struck left wing 

tip. Rear spar of left lower wing was broken and end b 

ow was cracked. 

Jun 30 On last flight, machine dropped very hard when power 

was shut off by mistake, breaking rear center and front 

center spar and two uprights. Engine was torn loose and 

several wires were broken. Further experiments were 

delayed for two weeks. 

1 OW 6-3/5 sec 240 ft 

2 WW 3 sec 96 ft 

3 OW 13-1/2 sec 664 ft 

4 WW 19-1/2 sec 744 ft 

Jul 14 1 OW ca. 12 sec 568 ft Machine damaged in landing when it suddenly turned 

downward, breaking front skids, front rudder, upper 

front spar and about a dozen ribs, and lower front spar 

and one upright. Orville was thrown out through the 

broken top surface but suffered no injury. Repairs and 

heavy rains delayed further experiments several weeks. 

Aug 24 

1 WW 31-3/5 sec 480 m 

2 WW Speed insufficient to get start. 

3 WW 45-3/5 sec 690 m 

Aug 28 

1 WW 31 sec 505 m 

2 WW 49-4/5 sec 841 m Rear ends of skids broken in landing. 

3 WW 1 min 1,250 m Complete circle made and landing made at starting 

184/5 sec point. George Feight and six farmer witnessed the flight. 

82 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1905
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Aug 30 1 OW 12 sec 170 m Rear end of four ribs broken in landing. 

Aug 31 

1 WW 1 min 

5-1/5 sec 

1041 m Flight witnessed by Torrence Huffman and three children 

and by Alfred W. Morley and two daughters. 

2 WW 34-3/5 sec 543 m 

3 OW 14-4/5 sec 95 m 

Sep 6 

1 OW 40-1/5 sec 620 m 

2 OW 4 min 

54 sec 

4,730 m Field was circled 4 times, and landing was made at 

starting point. 

Sep 7 

1 OW 52-1/2 sec 756 m 

2 OW 2 min 

48-3/5 sec 

2,700 m Two complete circles of field were made. 

3 WW 4 min 

45-3/5 sec 

4,751 m 

Sep 8 1 OW 2 min One complete circle of the field and a figure eight 

46-1/5 sec were made. 

Sep 9 

1 OW 9 sec 80 m 

2 WW 10-2/5 sec 105 m 

Sep 12 “Little Jokers” (small surfaces resembling an elevator) were 

mounted on the propeller tips to reduce their pitch. 

1 WW 4 min 

19-3/4 sec 

3,900 m 

(3-1/2 circles 

of field) 

2 WW 2 min 

26-3/4 sec 

2,310 m 

3 WW 5 min 

31 sec 

5,056 m 

Sep 14 

1 OW 31 sec 475 m 

2 OW 4 min 

23-2/5 sec 

4,146 m More than three circles of field were made. 

Sep 15 

1 OW 1 min 

10-3/4 sec 

1,161 m 

2 OW 2 min 

34 sec 

2,270 m Flight witnessed by Ivonette and Lorin Wright. 

Sep 25 1 WW 7 sec 65 m 

Sep 26 1 WW 18 min 

11-2/5 sec 

17,961 m 

(11-1/8 miles) 

Approximately 16 circles of the field were made. Flight 

ended when fuel was exhausted. Bishop Wright present. 

A Chronology • 83 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Sep 27 

1 WW 90 m Bishop Wright and Lorin, Ivonette, and Horace Wright 

witnessed flights. 

2 WW 3 min 3,061 m 

11-1/2 sec 

Sep 28 1 OW 9 min 44 sec 9,441 m A little more than eight rounds of the field were made. 

The flight is a memorable one because the Wrights at 

that time became more acutely aware that a more skillful 

operation of the machine, i.e., tilting the machine 

forward a little to restore the flying speeding, would 

help prevent stalling. 

Sep 29 

1 WW 1 min 1,451 m 

33-2/5 sec 

2 OW 19 min 19,570 m Fourteen circles of the field were made. Flight ended 

56 sec (12 miles) when fuel was exhausted. Torrence Huffman witnessed 

the flight. 

Sep 30 

1 OW 4 min 4,325 m Flight witnessed by Mr. Dornbusch. 

19-4/5 sec 

2 OW 17 min 12 rounds Flight witnessed by Lorin Wright, his son Milton, 

15-1/2 sec of field William Fouts, and William Weber. 

Oct 3 

1 WW 2 min 

2 OW 26 min 24,535 m Flight witnessed by William Fouts, Frank 

11-1/5 sec (15-1/4 miles) Hamberger, O. F. Jamieson, and Howard m Myers. 

3 Machine flown from flying field to shed. 

Oct 4 1 OW 33 min 33,456 m ca. 40-60 ft Flight witnessed by Charles Webbert, Henry Webbert, 

17 sec (20-3/4 miles) C.S. Billman, Mrs. Salts, Ruth Salts, William H. Shank, 

Bernard H. Lambers, William Webbert, Katherine 

Wright, and Bishop Wright. 

Oct 5 

1 WW 40-3/5 sec 630 m 

2 WW 59 min 38,956 m This flight was the best of the year and longer than the 

23-4/5 sec (24-1/5 miles) 105 flights of 1904 together. Flight covered about 30 

rounds of the field. Flight ended when fuel was exhausted. 

Witnesses included Edgar W. Ellis, Theodore Waddel, 

Torrence Huffman, William C. Fouts, and about a dozen 

others including Bishop Wright and David Beard, of the 

Dayton Journal. 

Oct 16 1 WW 1 min 970 m (one Late start prevented extended flight. 

4-3/5 sec circle of field) 

1908 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Modified Wright 1905 Machine 

The Wrights, having done no flying since October 1905, 

came to Kitty Hawk, Wilbur arriving on April 9 and 

Orville and the machine on April 25, to do some practice 

flying before undertaking the official U.S. government 

trials in Washington and the fulfillment of a contract 

84 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1905–1908
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

May 6 1 WW 22 sec 1,008 ft 

May 8 In his Diary T. Wilbur states “We made nine flights in 

the morning, and two in the afternoon.” 

1 OW 31 sec ca. 945 ft 

2 WW 59-1/2 sec ca. 2,230 ft 

3 OW 6 sec 23 m 

4 OW 8-1/4 sec 

5 WW Machine scraped along ground and did not attain flight. 

6 WW Machine again scraped ground, did not attain flight. 

7 OW 11-3/4 sec 69 m 

8 WW 10-2/5 sec 68 m 

9 OW 8-1/2 sec 22 m 

10 WW 6-3/4 sec 47 m 

11 WW 6 sec 25 m 

with Lazare Weiller in France. Twenty-two flights were 

made between May 6 and May 14. The 1905 Wright 

machine used was altered so that the operator and one 

passenger could sit upright on the lower wing surface. 

The 1908 flights were witnessed by the men of Kill Devil 

Hill Life Saving Station, by a number of newspapermen, 

and by a few persons who were hunting and fishing in 

the vicinity. 

May 11 Wright flights of May 11, 13, 14 witnessed from distance 

by D. Bruce Salley, freelance reporter; Byron R. Newton 

of the New York Herald; and William Hoster of New 

York American. 

1 OW 71 sec 1,280 m 

2 WW 2 min 31 sec 2,989 m 

3 OW 2 min 11 sec 2,515 m 

May 13 Reporters viewing flights on May 11 were joined by P. 

H. McGowan of the London Daily Mail, Arthur Ruhl, 

writer, and James H. Hare, photographer for Collier’s 

Weekly, who witnessed flights of May 13 and May 14 and 

made a photograph from a distance which was published 

in Collier’s, May 30, the first picture ever published of an 

airplane in flight. 

1 WW 50-4/5 sec 1,051 m 

2 OW 2 min 3,065 m 

44-1/4 sec 

3 WW 2 min ca. 2,000 m 

39-3/4 sec (complete 

circle made) 

4 OW 3 min 20 sec 3,881 m 

(complete 

circle made) 

A Chronology • 85 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

May 14 

1 WW 28-3/5 sec 600 m Charles W. Furnas, mechanic, from Dayton, who had 

arrived at Kitty Hawk on April 15 to assist Wrights in their 

flights, was a passenger, the first carried by the Wrights. 

2 OW 4 min 4,120 m A complete circle was made and landing was near starting 

2-2/5 sec point. Charles Furnas again passenger with Orville. Three 

subsequent attempts by Wilbur were unsuccessful. 

3 WW 7 min 8,120 m Machine plunged into the ground when traveling at a 

29 sec speed of about 141 miles an hour and was badly damaged. 

Flights were then discontinued. Wilbur suffered slight 

injuries. 

1908 Hunaudières Race Course, Le Mans, France Wright 1907 Machine 

Aug 8 1 WW 1 min 2 rounds ca. 10 m 

45 sec of field (30-35 ft) 

Wilbur had arrived in France on May 29 to five 

a satisfactory demonstration of the Wright machine in 

fulfillment of the duration and speed requirements of a 

contract made on March 3 with Henri Deutsch de la 

Meurthe, representing a French syndicate. Built in 1907, 

the machine he used was designed to permit two to sit 

upright on the lower wing surface, had a skid undercarriage, 

and required derrick-and-rail launching. The race course, 

located 5 miles south of Le Mans, was 800 meters long 

and 300 meters wide. 

Witnesses of the flights, the first public flight by the 

Wright brothers, included Ernest Archdeacon, Hart O. 

Berg, Leon Bollee, Louis Bleriot, Francois Peyrey, Rene 

Gasnier, Ernest Zens, Paul Zens, Pierre Gasnier, Robert 

Guerin, Capt. Alexandre Sazerac de Forge, Count Henri 

de Moy, and two Russian officers. A tick control was used 

by the Wrights for the first time. Wilber was assisted on 

the takeoff by Hare O. Berg’s chauffeur, Fleury, who held 

right wing in balance until accelerating speed of machine 

left him behind. 

Aug 10 Witnesses of the flights included Leon Delagrange, 

Frank S. Lahm, Count Henry de La Valette, Mr. and 

Mrs. Leo Stern, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Omer-Decugis, Paul 

Rousseau, Frantz Reichel, A. Wimille, Stephane Drzewiecki, 

Pierre Gasnier, Ernest Zens, Paul Zens, and representatives 

of Parisian and American newspapers. The number of 

spectators was estimated at 2,000. 

1 WW 42 sec 3/4 of circle 

2 WW 1 min 2 large ca. 10-12 m 

41 sec figure eights 

Aug 11 1 WW 3 min more than 2-20 m Flight witnessed by Frank S. Lahm and James C. McCoy, 

43 sec 4 k (field American aeronaut. Estimated 3,000 spectators present. 

circled three 

times) 

Aug 12 

1 WW 6 min 7-8k 15 m Spectators included the Misses Anne Pierpont Morgan, 

56-2/5 sec (6 times Elizabeth Marbury, and Bertha Murray, daughter of a 

around the London publisher, Henry Kapferer, and two German 

course) officers. 

2 WW 40 sec 20 m 

86 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
3 

1908 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

WW 1 min 44 sec 20 m 

Aug 13 

1 WW 8 min Circled field Flights witnessed by Hart O. Berg, Leon Bollee, Lt. 

13-2/5 sec seven times. Mario Calderara, Commander Borrel, Edouard Surcouf, 

20 m Henry Kapferer, and Robert Guerin. Machine damaged 

in landing, spars, ribs and one skid runner being broken. 

2 WW 2 min field circled 30 m Because of necessary repairs flying was not resumed until 

20 sec twice August 21 at a new field near Le Mans. 

1908 Camp d’Auvours, Le Mans, France Wright 1907 Machine 

Wilbur seeking an enlarged and better flying field 

moved to Camp d’Auvours, French artillery testing 

grounds, 11 kilometers east of Le Mans. The field was 

one-half kilometer wide and extended for five to six 

kilometers without obstruction. 

Aug 21 To minimize crowds, only holders of special cards signed 

by the military commander and Hart O. Berg were 

permitted to enter grounds. Several German military 

experts witnessed flights. Following this date further 

flights were delayed by stormy weather and high winds. 

1 WW 1 min 

49-1/5 sec 

2 k 200 m 8 m 

2 WW 2 min 

14 sec 

3-1/2 k 30 m 

Aug 31 1 WW 56 sec Plane failed to attain altitude and was damaged in landing. 

Sep 3 A large figure eight completed. 

1 WW 10 min 

40 sec 

ca. 11 k 15-20 m Flights were timed officially by Leon Bollee, Paul 

Jamin, and Baron R. de Sennevoy, all of the Aero-Club 

de la Sarthe. 

2 WW 300-400 m Machine did not rise due to insufficient engine power. 

Sep 4 1 WW 2 min 

13 sec 

2.5 k 5 m Flight witnessed by about 1,000 spectators, including 

representative of Aero-Club de la Sarthe. 

Sep 5 

1 WW 19 min 

48-2/5 sec 

23-24 k 15-20 m 

2 WW 3 min 

21 sec 

3 k 10 m Plane crash landed but Wilbur suffered only slight injury 

to one arm. 

Sep 10 

1 WW 9 min 

10-3/5 sec 

ca. 10-1/2 k 60-80 ft About 3,000 spectators witnessed flights. 

2 WW 21 min 

43-2/5 sec 

27-28 k 100-120 ft 

Sep 11 

1 WW 2 min 43 sec 15 m Flight was hampered by fog. 

2 WW 4 min 

24-3/5 sec 

A Chronology • 87 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 WW 4 min Flights three and four were terminated because of faulty 

52-2/5 sec magneto. 

4 WW 4 min 32 sec ca. 4 k 30 ft 

Sep 12 

1 WW 4 min 

8-1/5 sec 

700 m 30 ft 

2 WW 6 min 

41-4/5 sec 

1000 m 10 ft 

Sep 16 

1 WW 39 min, 

18-2/5 sec 

48 k 12 m Flight broke existing French record. 

2 WW 2 min 

28-1/5 sec 

2-1/2 k 40 ft Ernest Zens, French balloonist, passenger. Spectators 

included Paul Tissandier, Frank S. Lahm, Leonard 

Tauber, Paul Zens, Ernest Zens, Mr. Dittenbach, Leon 

Bollee, Charles H. Botsford of Los Angeles, Count 

Georges Castillon de Saint-Victor, and French Gen. 

Arthur Joseph Poline. 

Sep 17 

1 WW 6 min 

43-2/3 sec 

4,600 yds 4-5 m 

2 WW 32 min 

47 sec 

ca. 36 k 

600 m 

25 m 

The flights were witnessed by Lazare Weiller, Rene 

Quinton, Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, Henri Farman, 

Marcel Kapferer, Henry Kapferer, Lucien Beckmann, Paul 

Tissandier, Paul Zens, Paul Rousseau, Richard Popp, 

Count Gabriel de Laperouse, Jean Laroche, Mr. Dennery, 

Baron and Baroness R. de Sennevoy, and many other well 

known experts in aeronautics. 

Sep 21 1 WW 1 hr 31 min 66 k 600 m 15 m Flight established world duration and distance flying 

25-4/5 sec records. Paul Rousseau was official timekeeper. American 

Ambassador Henry White was among those congratulating 

Wilbur on his achievement. Spectators included officials 

of the Aero-club de la Sarthe, Gen. Georges A. BazaineHayter, and a large number of French and foreign officers 

and airplane enthusiasts. The crowd was estimated at 

10,000. Flight won Aero-Club de France prize of $1,000. 

Sep 22 1 WW 3 min 3 sec Flight witnessed by Prof. Percival Lowell, Baron Paul 

d’Estournelles de Constant, and representatives of the 

Aero-Club de France. 

Sep 24 1 WW 54 min, 

3-1/3 sec 

55 k 24 m ca. 80 ft The flight was carried out in an especially strong and 

gusty wind, preventing Wilbur from attempt to break 

records established on September 21. 

Sep 25 

1 WW 36 min 

14-3/5 sec 

Spectators included Lazare Weiller, Frank H. Butler of 

England, Ernest Archdeacon, Leon Delagrange, Louis 

Dausset, Mrs. Joseph Caillaux and Mrs. Pelletier. 

2 WW 5 min 

4-2/5 sec 

15 m 

3 WW 9 min 12 m Paul Zens, French balloonist, passenger. 

1-3/5 sec 

88 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1908 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Sep 28 

1 WW 1 hr 7 min 48 k 120 m 10 m Flight won 5,000-franc prize of the Commission of 

24-4/5 sec Aviation of the Aero-Club de France. 

2 WW 11 min ca. 30 m Paul Tissandier, passenger. Flight was a world record. 

35-2/5 sec 

3 WW 6 min Count Charles de Lambert, passenger. Flight was witnessed 

15 sec by Simon Lake, inventor of the submarine, and by Paul 

Cornu, inventor of the helicopter. 

Oct 3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

4 min 

50-1/5 sec 

9 min 

31-2/5 sec 

2 min 

22-1/5 sec 

18 min 

23-4/5 sec 

3 min 

2-2/5 sec 

55 min 

32-1/5 sec 

1.50 m 

12 k 412 m 

14 k 10 m 

New propellers with larger blades were used for the first 

time. The landing on the last flight of the day was made 

in darkness, and Wilbur was guided by a lantern hung on 

the starting pylon. George P. Dickin, New York Herald 

reporter, passenger first journalist to be taken aloft on an 

airplane trip. Spectators included Maj. B. F. S. BadenPowell, J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, Mr. and Mrs. John 

Adams Thayer, Capt. and Mrs. Frank H. Mason, 

Alexandre Darracq, Albert Clemenceau, Leon Batthou, 

Baron Henri de Rothschild, Charles Mascart, and R. and 

Mrs. Lazare Weiller. 

Frantz Reichel, writer for Figaro, was passenger on this 

world record flight. The flight with Relchel qualified as 

one of the two flights stipulated in the Wright contract 

with Lazare Weiller. 

Oct 5 

1 WW 4 min 9 sec twice around 

field 

Leon Bollee, automobile manufacturer, passenger. 

2 WW 3 min 

54 sec 

Rene Pellier, passenger; also on rest of day’s flights. 

3 WW 7 min 

30 sec 

4 WW 30 sec 

5 WW 10 min 

Oct 6 1 WW 1 hr 4 min 

26-1/5 sec 

70 k 25 m Arnold Fordyce, passenger. Flight set a world record and 

fulfilled the requirements of the Wright contract with 

Lazare Weiller which called for the payment of $100,000 

to the Wrights and gave rights to manufacture and sell 

Wright airplanes in Europe to the French syndicate. 

Oct 7 

1 WW 3 min 24 sec Hart O. Berg, passenger. 

A Chronology • 89 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 WW 

3 WW 

4 WW 

5 WW 

6 WW 

2 min 3 sec 

4 min 

25-4/5 sec 

4 min 22 sec 

4 min 

12-2/5 sec 

4 min 

24-4/5 sec 

Mrs. Hart O. Berg, passenger. 

Felix Lardry, secretary of the Aero-Club de la Sarthe, 

passenger. 

Paul Jamin, vice president of the Aero-Club de la 

Sarthe, passenger. 

A. Michalopoulo, age 11, nephew of Leon Bollee, 

passenger. 

Lt. Basile Soldotenkow, attache from Russian embassy in 

Rome, passenger. 

Oct 8 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

WW 

4 min 22 sec 

4 min 20 sec 

4 min 31 sec 

4 min 

4 min 25 sec 

4 min 

21-3/4 sec 

14 min 

55-4/5 sec 

Several flights witnessed by Dowager Queen Margherita 

of Italy. 

Griffith Brewer, passenger, first Englishman to fly.
 

Charles S. Rolls, founder of British Rolls-Royce automobile 
 

firm, passenger.
 

Frank H. Butler, British Aeronautical Society member, 
 

passenger.
 

Maj. B. F. S. Baden-Powell, president of Aeronautical 
 

Society of Great Britain, passenger.
 

Serge Kaznakoff, chamberlain to the Russian Emperor, 
 

passenger.
 

Mrs. Leon Bollee, passenger.
 

Cmdr. Victor P. Bouttieaux, passenger.
 

Oct 9 

1 WW 4 min 

59-4/5 sec 

Mrs. Lazare Weiller, passenger. 

2 WW 7 min 

26-1/5 sec 

Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe, oil magnate, passenger 

3 WW 7 min 37 sec Mr. Edouard Bernheim, French naval constructor, passenger 

4 WW 3 min 20 sec Captain Nollet, passenger 

5 WW 4 min 

6 WW 4 min 

Oct 10 1 WW 1 hr 9 min 

45-2/5 sec 

55 k 

(actual distance 

77-80 k) 

10 m Paul Painleve, mathematician and member of French 

Institute, passenger. Flight set a world record. 

Oct 12 1 WW 2 min 40 sec Capt. Lucas-Girardville, passenger. Engine performed 

poorly. 

Oct 15 

1 WW 1 min 38 sec Arturo Mercanti, passenger. 

2 WW 2 min 35 sec Rene Gasnier, passenger. 

3 WW 4 min 20 sec 80 ft 

Oct 21 1 WW 6 min 40 sec 7 k Flight was made at Tourny. 

90 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1908
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Oct 24 

1 WW 2 min 30 sec 

2 WW 3 min 

17-2/5 sec 

Dr. Giovanni B. Pirelli, Italian automobile tire manufacturer 

from Milan, passenger. 

3 WW 4 min 58 sec 15 m Cmdr. Emmanuel M. V. Petithomme, passenger. 

4 WW 3 min 2 sec Baron Oskar von Lancken-Wakenitz, German charge 

d’affaires in Paris, passenger. 

Oct 28 

1 WW 12 min ca. 15 ft Count Charles de Lambert, student-passenger, received 

his first lesson. 

2 WW 8 min De Lambert, student-passenger, and on next flight also. 

3 WW 15 min 

2-3/5 sec 

Oct 29 

1 WW 7 min 

5-3/5 sec 

De Lambert, student-passenger, on these flights. 

2 WW 17 min 

34-2/5 sec 

3 WW 19 min 

25-3/5 sec 

Oct 30 1 WW 15 min De Lambert, student-passenger. Failure of motor pre 

vented further flight. 

Oct 31 

1 WW 4 min 30 sec 200 ft 

2 WW 10 min 

37 sec 

40 m Paul Doumer, member of French parliament, passenger. 

Flights witnessed by a committee sent by French minister 

of War and by several members of the Chamber of Deputies. 

Nov 10 

1 WW 

2 WW 15 min 

2-3/5 sec 

Capt. Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger, received 

first lesson. 

Nov 11 

1 WW Captain Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. Upright 

broken in making sharp turn of the rear elevator prevented 

successful start. 

2 WW 15 min De Lambert, student-passenger; again on next flight. 

3 WW 20 min 

4 WW 10 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

Nov 12 

1 WW 15 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger; again on next flight. 

3 WW 

A Chronology • 91 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Nov 13 

1 WW Start made without use of catapult. 

2 WW 15 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

3 WW 60 m Flight won prize for altitude give by the Aero-Club de 

la Sarthe. 

4 WW 5 min Georges Durand, passenger. 

5 WW 15 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

Nov 16 

1 WW 19 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 21 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

3 WW 5 min Marquis de Viana, Grand Equerry of King of Spain, 

passenger 

4 WW 8 min Jose Quinones de Leon, Secretary of the Spanish Embassy 

20 sec in Paris, passenger. 

Nov 17 

1 WW 29 min De Lambert, student-passenger; again on next flight. 

34 sec 

2 WW 22 min 

3 WW 1 min Attempt to compete for Aero-Club de France altitude 

40 sec prize was unsuccessful when faulty motor ended flight. 

Nov 18 

1 WW 3 min 32 sec 60 m Start made without use of catapult. Flight took altitude 

prize of the Aero-Club de France. 

2 WW 9 min 24 sec Frank S. Lahm, passenger. 

3 WW 19 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

Dec 4 

1 WW 10 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger on these flights. 

2 WW 25 min 

Dec 16 

1 WW ca. 10 min 90 m Spectators included Prince Singh of Kapurthala, India, 

Col. And Mrs. H. S. Massy, Maurice Farman, W. S. 

Hogan, Stephen A. Marples, C. G. Grunhold, R. H. S. 

Abbott, Leon Bollee, and about 20 members of the 

Aeroplane Club of Great Britain. 

2 WW 60 m 

Dec 18 

1 WW 1 hr 54 min 99 k 800 m 115 m Flight set world record, surpassing Wilbur’s record of 

2/5 sec September 21. Flight took prize for altitude, Aero-Club 

de la Sarthe, value $200, for the third time. 

2 WW 

Dec 19 

1 WW 10 min 

92 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1908
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 WW 4 min 45 sec Flight witnessed by delegation from the French parliament. 

Dec 26 1 WW 10 min 12 m 

Dec 30 1 WW 1 hr 52 min 

40 sec 

96 k 800 m 

(real distance 

about 115 k) 

60 m Flight carried out in extremely cold weather, 18 degrees F. 

Dec 31 

1 WW 42 min 

2 WW 2 hr 18 min 

33-3/5 sec 

(extended to 

2 hrs 20 min 

23-1/5 sec) 

123 k 200 m 

(extended to 

124 k 700 m) 

Extended time and distance of flight set new world 

duration and distance records. Flight won Michelin Cup 

prize of 20,000 francs and Albert Triaca Prize of 500 

francs. Weather at freezing point. Wilbur congratulated 

on landing by Louis Barthou, minister of Public Works. 

Other spectators included Cabinet Chief Henri Lillaz, 

Leon Barthou, and German engineers Ansbert Vorreiter, 

Koberg, and Bourcart. Designated official witnesses were 

Leon Bollee, George Durand, Rene Pellier, L. Vernay, 

Veber, Bariller, Felix Lardry, and V. Leclerc. 

3 WW 3 min 

57-3/5 sec 

Louis Barthou, passenger. 

Jan 2 

1 WW ca. 2 min Wilbur’s last flying at Camp d’Auvours. Four friends 

taken as passengers for several minutes each. L. Vernay, 

passenger 

2 WW ca. 2 min Pean, foreman at the Bollee factory, passenger. 

3 WW ca. 2 min Belouin, passenger. 

4 WW ca. 2 min Patrice Doroty, passenger. 

1908 Fort Myer, Va. Wright 1907 Machine 

Orville left Dayton on August 19 for Washington, arriving there on August 20 to conduct acceptance tests with 

the Wright airplane for the U.S. Army. Two mechanics 

also came from Dayton to assist Orville in the trials, 

Charles E. Taylor arriving on August 19 and Charles W. 

Furnas on August 21. The Wright machine arrived on 

August 20 and the engine on August 25. The period 

August 21-September 2 was spent in assembling the 

machine and testing the engine. The committee which 

was to pass upon the trials consisted of Maj. George O. 

Squier, Maj. Charles S. Wallace, and Lts. Frank P. Lahm, 

Thomas E. Selfridge, and, Benjamin D. Foulois. The 

fatal accident on September 17 terminated the test 

flights for the year. 

Sep 3 1 OW 1 min 11 sec 1-1/2 times 

around field 

35 ft Machine damaged in landing. Flight witnessed by 

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. 

Sep 4 1 OW 4 min 15 sec 3 miles 40 ft 

Sep 7 1 OW 55 sec 7/8 mile 

Sep 8 

1 OW 11 min, 

10 sec 

13 times 

around field 

A Chronology • 93 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 OW 7 min, 8 times 

34 sec around field 

Sep 9 

1 OW 57 min 57 times 110 ft Flight was world’s record to date. 

31 sec around field 

2 OW 62 min 55 times 80 ft Witnessed by secretary of the Navy Victor H. Metcalf, 

15 sec around field Secretary of Commerce and Labor Oscar S. Straus, and 

Secretary of War Luke E. Wright. 

3 OW 6 min 24 sec 6-1/2 times 60 ft Lt. Frank P. Lahm, passenger, his first flight in a heavieraround field than-air machine. Three new world endurance records 

set: two for flights with pilot only, the third for pilot with 

passenger. 

Sep 10 1 OW 1 hour 5 min 58 times ca. 200 ft Broke duration record set on September 9. 

52 sec around 

the field 

Sep 11 

1 OW 10 min 9 times 
 

50 sec around field 
 

11 k 440 m
 

2 OW 	 70 min 57-1/2 times Set new world endurance record. 

24 sec around field 

Sep 12 	 Octave Chanute was among witnesses of flights. 

1 OW 	9 min 
 Maj. George O. Squier, U.S. Signal Corps, passenger. 

6-1/3 sec Flight established new world record for flight with two men. 

2 OW 	1 hour 14 min 
 71 times ca. 300 ft Set new world endurance record. 

20 sec
 around field 

Sep 17 1 OW ca. 3-4 min 4-1/2 times ca. 125 ft 

around field 

1909 Pont-Long, Pau, France Wright 1907 Machine 

High winds prevented any flights on September 14, 15 

and 16. Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, U.S. Army, passenger. 

Plane crashed when one of the propellers split, causing it 

to lose pushing power and a stay wire to the tail was then 

torn loose, making the tail uncontrollable. Lt. Selfridge 

was killed and Orville severely injured. His left leg was 

fractured and four ribs were broken. 

Wilbur, seeking a warmer climate to continue the training 

of his students, Count Charles de Lambert, Capt. P. N. 

Lucas-Girardville, and Paul Tissandier, went to Pau at the 

edge of the Pyrennees in southern France. The flying field, 

Pont-Long, located about six miles from Pau, comprised 

about 195 acres. Approximately 64 flights were made by 

Wilbur at Pau, February 3–March 20. In 40 of these he 

was the pilot, while on the remaining flights he was the 

passenger of one or the other his students. 

Feb 3 

1 WW 5 min 57 sec 35 m 

2 WW 5 min Wilbur congratulated by Alfred de Lassence, mayor of 

4-3/4 sec Pau, at conclusion of flights. 

Feb 4 

1 WW 5-1/2 min 

94 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1908–1909
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 WW ca. 3 min Paul Tissandier, student-passenger. 

3 WW 5 min Tissandier, student-passenger. Hubert Latham, French 

aviator, among spectators. 

Feb 5 1 WW Tissandier, student-passenger. Airplane damaged when 

leaving starting rail. 

Feb 6 

1 WW 10 min 30 m 

2 WW 28 min 

21 sec 

12 m Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Feb 8 

1 WW 16 min Spectators included Edmond Blane, Louis Bleriot, Lt. 

Gen. Sir Henry H. and Lady Settle, and Count Castillon 

de Saint-Victor. 

2 WW ca. 28 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

3 WW ca. 31 min Captain Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

Feb 9 1 WW 19 min 8 times 

around field 

ca. 80 ft Tissandier, student-passenger. Louis Bleriot among 

spectators. 

Feb 11 

1 WW 20 min Flights witnessed by Lord Arthur Balfour, former Prime 

minister of England. 

2 WW 5 min 

Feb 15 

1 Count de 

Lambert 

21 min Wilbur, instructor-passenger. 

2 WW 4 min Countess de Lambert, passenger. 

3 WW 7 min 4 sec Katharine Wright, passenger, her first flight. 

Feb 17 

1 WW ca. 20 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

2 WW ca. 20 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Feb 18 

1 WW 20 min Count de Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 22 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

3 WW 26 min 

40 sec 

De Lambert, student-passenger. 

4 WW 12 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. Spectators 

included Gen. François, Henry Oudard, Charles S. Rolls, 

and Georges Clemenceau, son of French Premier. 

Feb 19 

1 WW 22 min 

40 sec 

De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 21 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

3 WW 15 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

A Chronology • 95 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Feb 20 Two early morning flights made in presence of King 

Alfonso XIII of Spain, who was accompanied by Marquis 

de Viana, Jose Quinones de Leon, and Hart O. Berg, 

Mile de Lassence, daughter of the Mayor of Pau, Count 

de Lambert, Lord Alfred C. W. H. Northcliffe, and 

Georges Clemenceau. 

1 WW ca. 30 min 

2 Count de 13 min Wilbur, instructor-passenger, Tissandier, 

Lambert student-passenger. 

3 WW 22 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

4 WW ca. 10 min Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

5 WW 

Feb 21 

1 WW 21 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

2 WW Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. 

Feb 22 

1 WW Several Tissandier, student-passenger. 

minutes. 

2 WW 12 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

3 WW 5 min Louis Barthou, French minister of Public Works, passenger. 

4 WW 6 min Paul Lillaz, passenger. 

5 WW 15 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Feb 23 

1 WW 3 min 9 sec De Lambert, student-passenger on these flights. 

2 WW 4 min 2 sec 

Feb 24 

1 WW 6 min 42 sec De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 20 min Tissandier, student-passenger. The Duke of Leuchtenberg, 

accompanied by two aides, witnessed these flights. 

Feb 25 1 Paul 15 min Wilbur, as instructor-passenger. 

Tissandier 

Feb 27 

1 WW 6 min Marquis Edgard de Kergariou, passenger. 

2 WW 4 min 40 sec De Lambert, student-passenger. 

Mar 1 

1 WW 8 min De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 21 min 130 ft Tissandier, student-passenger. 

3 WW Col. Pedro Vives y Vich, head of the Spanish military 

aeronautics department, passenger. Rudder was broken 

and the machine damaged on takeoff. Spectators included 

Duke and Duchess of Manchester, Princess Bertha of 

Isemburg, and Lord and Lady Galway. 

96 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1909
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Mar 11 

1 WW 2 min 22 sec Flights were made for the first time without use of the 

starting derrick. 

2 WW 5 min 34 sec 

Mar 12 

1 WW 8 min 34 sec De Lambert, student-passenger. 

2 WW 10 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Mar 13 

1 WW Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

2 WW 

3 WW 7 min 56 sec De Lambert, student-passenger, his last flight as student. 

Mar 16 1 WW 15 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Mar 17 

1 WW 7 min 56 sec Flight witnessed by King Edward VII of England. 

2 WW 12 min Katharine Wright, passenger. 

22 sec 

3 WW 3 min Tissandier, student-passenger. 

Mar 20 

1 WW 6 min Flight witnessed by delegation from the French Chamber 

of Deputies. 

2 WW 3 min Antony Joly, deputy for the Department of Basses-Alpes, 

passenger. 

3 WW 5 min J. L. Breton, deputy for the Department of Cher, passenger. 

4 WW 4 min Georges Tharel, Chamber of Deputies, passenger. 

5 WW 8 min Capt. P. N. Lucas-Girardville, student-passenger. This was 

Wilbur’s last flight with his French student pilots. 

1909 Centocelle Flying Field, Rome, Italy Wright 1907 Machine 

The Wrights came to Italy to undertake the training of 

two lieutenants, one from the Italian navy, the other from 

the army. Most of the more than 50 flights made were 

training flights. The rest were made with individuals who 

desired to be taken up as passengers. The flights by 

Wilbur were made at a field adjoining a military fort at 

Centocelle, 12 to 15 miles southeast of Rome, beginning 

on April 15 and continuing through April 27. Lack of 

documentary source materials makes it extremely difficult 

to record all individual flights on a particular day. 

Apr 15 1 WW ca. 10 min 30-40 m First flight in Italy witnessed by large and enthusiastic crowd. 

Apr 16 

1 WW 6 min 5 sec 3 circuits 10-20 m Naval Lt. Mario Calderara, student-passenger, first 

around pylon training flight. 

2 WW 10 min 5 sec 20-40 m Lt. Umberto Savoia, Army Engineering Corps, passenger. 

3 WW 5 min 2 circuits of 40 m Capt. Guido Castagneris, secretary of the Club Aviatori, 

grounds passenger. 

A Chronology • 97 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

4 WW 14 min 5 circuits of 

grounds 

Lt. Mario Calderara, student-passenger. 

5 WW 5 min 2 circuits 

of grounds 

ca. 60 m Former Premier of Italy Sidney Sonnino, passenger. 

Flight witnessed by Lloyd C. Griscom, American 

ambassador to Italy. 

Apr 17 

1 WW ca. 10 min Lt. Mario Calderara was a student-passenger on these flights. 

2 WW ca. 10 min 

3 WW 10 min 

4 WW 10 min 

Apr 19 

1 WW 11 min Calderara, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

2 WW 10 min 

3 WW 6 min Flight made without use of starting derrick. Motor damaged 

in landing. Spectators included Dr. Carlo Schwanzer, 

minister of Posts and Telegraphs; Signor Pietro Bertolini, 

minister of Public Works; Signor Luigi Luzzatti, Baron 

Sonnino, and Prince Scipione Borghese. 

Apr 21 

1 WW 5 min ca. 70 m Ascent made without use of drop-weight derrick. 

2 WW 4 min 30 m Italian minister of Navy Admiral Mirabello, passenger. 

3 WW 10 min 70-80 m Calderara, student-passenger, minister of War Mario 

present. 

4 WW 9 min Calderara, student-passenger, on this and next flight. 

5 WW 15 min 

6 WW Duke of Gallese, passenger. 

7 WW Emilio Maraini, passenger. 

Apr 22 

1 WW 15 min Calderara, student-passenger and on next two flights. 

2 WW 20 min 

3 WW 8 min 

4 WW Prince Scipione Borghese, passenger. 

5 WW Prince Filippo Doria, passenger. 

6 WW Teodor Mayor, passenger. Last flights witnessed by 

Italian Dowager Queen Margherita. 

7 WW 8 min Calderara, student-passenger and on next two flights. 

8 WW 17 min 

9 WW 20 min 

Apr 23 

1 WW ca. 20 min ca. 30 ft Calderara, student-passenger on both flights. 

2 WW ca. 20 min ca. 30 ft 

98 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1909
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Apr 24 

1 WW 5-1/2 min 25 m 

2 WW 10 min Calderara, student-passenger on flights 2, 3, 4, and 8. 

3 WW 7 min Flights 2, 3, and 4 were witnessed by King Victor 

Emmanuel III of Italy. 

4 WW 9 min Maj. Mario Moris, passenger. 

5 WW 8 min Lloyd C. Griscom, American ambassador to Italy, 

passenger. 

6 WW 7 min Universal News cameraman accompanied Wilbur and took 

first successful motion pictures from an airplane in flight. 

7 WW 8 min Oscar Sinigaglia, Italian engineer, passenger. 

8 WW 3 min Countess Mary Macchi di Cellere, passenger, first Italian 

woman to fly as passenger in Italy. 

9 WW Several of these flights were witnessed by Italian ministers 

Tommaso Tittoni and Pierro Bertolini. 

10 WW 

Apr 26 

1 WW ca. 5 min Calderara, student-passenger on flights 1, 3, and 6. 

2 WW 3 min 60 m Ascent made without use of lancing device. 

3 WW ca. 10 min 

4 WW ca. 10 min Lt. Umberto Savoia, student-passenger on this and next 

flight. 

5 WW ca. 10 min 

6 WW 1 min 

7 WW 12 min Lt. Umberto Savoia, student-passenger. His training is 

later completed by Lt. Calderara. 

8 WW 6 min 15 m Prince Scipione Borghese, passenger. 

9 WW 6 min Prince Filippo Doria, passenger. 

10 WW 8 min Mrs. Sonia Lanino, passenger. 

11 WW Prince Mario Borghese, passenger. 

12 WW 6 min Ippolito Bondi, passenger. 

13 WW Mrs. Delafield of England, passenger. 

Apr 27 Winners of lottery organized by the Duke of Gallese of 

the Italian Aero Club for the privilege of flying with 

Wilbur are taken for short flights. 

1 WW 8 min 3 circles of field Mrs. Frank Belleville, passenger. 

2 WW 8 min 2 circles of field Duke de Gallese, passenger. 

3 WW 5 min 2 circles of field Emilio Maraini, passenger. 

4 WW 5 min 2 circles of field Marcello Orilla, Italian sportsman, passenger. 

A Chronology • 99 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

1909 Fort Myer, Va. Wright 1909 Signal Corps Machine 

The flights of June and July were a continuation of the 

government trials that had been interrupted by the 

accident occurring on September 17, 1908. In the 

1909 Signal Corps machine the Wrights introduced a 

combination of a front movable rudder with a fixed 

horizontal plane in the rear of the machine in contrast 

to the front horizontal rudder used in the 1903 to 1908 

machines. The flights of June 29, June 30, and July 1 

were witnessed by Bishop Wright and his eldest son, 

Reuchlin, who had come to Washington to see them. 

Jun 29 

1 OW 7-3/5 sec 

2 OW 8 sec 

3 OW 60 yds 

4 OW 40-1/3 sec 25 ft 

Jun 30 1 OW 21-3/5 sec 20 ft 

Jul 1 

1 OW 5 min 50 ft 

2 OW 7 min 52 sec 30 ft 

3 OW 9 min 

11-2/5 sec 

18 ft 

Jul 2 1 OW 7 min 

41-1/5 sec 

80 ft In landing, the branches of a dead tree ripped canvas, 

breaking 7 ribs of main plane and skids. Orville was 

forced to return to Dayton to make new wing covering, 

returning to Washington on July 7. 

Jul 12 1 OW 5 min 31 sec 85 ft 

Jul 13 

1 OW 15 sec Engine was not working satisfactorily. 

2 OW 15-3/5 sec 

Jul 17 

1 OW 13-3/5 sec 

2 OW 16 min 

54 sec 

80 ft 

Jul 19 

1 OW 25 min 

17-2/5 sec 

Circled field 

24.5 times 

100 ft 

2 OW 29 min 

57 sec 

Circled field 

28.5 times 

125 ft 

Jul 20 1 OW 1 hour 20 min 

45 sec 

Circled field 

83 times 

300 ft Three figure eights made. New duration record broke 

previous record set by Orville on September 12, 1908, at 

Fort Myer. 

Jul 21 

1 OW 1 min 

32-4/5 sec 

Circled field 

1-1/2 times 

60 ft 

100 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1909 


DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 OW 10 min 

45 sec 

Circled field 

12 times 

(about 8 miles) 

175 ft 

Jul 24 1 OW	 20 min 

26-1/2 sec 

Circled field 

21 times. 

Jul 26 1 OW	 2 min 20 sec 50 ft Flight witnessed by President William Howard Taft. 

Jul 27 1 OW 1 hour 12 min 

37-4/5 sec 

Circled field 

79-1/2 times 

150 ft Lt. Frank P. Lahm, passenger. New record for two-man 

flight established. This flight also fulfilled Army requirement 

of remaining in air for an hour carrying two persons. Flight 

witnessed by Aeronautical Board of the Signal Corps 

appointed by the Chief Signal Officer of the Army to 

observe trials. 

Jul 30 1 OW	 14 min 10 mile 450-500 ft Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois was passenger-observer. The 

40 sec	 course, flight constituted the official government speed trial. An 

Fort Myer to average speed of 42.583 miles per hour was achieved, and 

Alexandria the Wrights received a bonus of $5,000 more than the 

and return basic price agreed upon, 10 percent for each complete mile 

per hour over 40. President William Howard Taft witnessed 

completion of flight and sent a message of congratulation 

to Orville. Flight was first cross country trip. 

1909 Templehof Field, Berlin, Germany Wright 1907 Machine 

Purpose of Orville Wright’s flights in Germany was to 

fulfill a contract made to give exhibition flights in Berlin 

for the German newspaper Lokal-Anzeiger and to train a 

flier from the German Wright Company, Flugmaschine 

Wright G.m.b.H. 

Aug 30 1 OW 15 min A test flight viewed only by soldiers at parade grounds. 

Aug 31 1 OW 51 min 

57 sec 

Large gathering present, including Gen. Maximilian von 

Lyncker, chief of German Army Transportation. Flight 

ended when fuel exhausted. 

Sep 4 1 OW 19 min 2 sec ca. 20 k 10 to 20 m Spectators included Gen. Helmuth J. L. von Moltke, 

Chief of the German General Staff, Gen. von Kessel, 

Grand Marshal Hans von Koester, American Ambassador 

David J. Hill, and Gen. von Schwarzkoppen. 

Sep 7 1 OW 51 min 

58 sec 

ca. 50 k 10 to 30 m 

Sep 8 

1 OW 35 min 

52 sec 

85 m 

2 OW 16 min 

27 sec 

ca. 10 m Alfred Hildebrandt, passenger. Flights witnessed by 

Emil Rathenau, president of the German Allgemeine 

Elektricitats-gesellschaft, and by Isidor Loewe, head of 

the Mauser rifle and machine tool works. 

Sep 9 

1 OW 12 min 40 m Flights witnessed by Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm 

and Crown Princess Cecilie. Crowd estimated at 

200,000. Capt. Paul Engelhard, passenger. Mrs. Alfred 

Hildebrandt, passenger, first woman to fly as passenger in 

an airplane in Germany. 

2 OW 14 min 

A Chronology • 101 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 OW 12 min 

15 sec 

4 OW 8 min 38 sec 

Sep 10 1 OW 1 hr 2 min 37-1/2 miles 50 to 60 m 

38 sec 

Sep 11 

1 OW 42 min more than 

16 sec 100 m 

2 OW 4 min Capt. Richard von Kehler, chairman of the German Wright 

45 sec Company, passenger. Defective motor curtailed flight. 

Sep 13 

1 OW 7 min Prof. Hugo Hergesell, University of Strassburg, 

36 sec passenger. 

2 OW 17 min 7 sec 

Sep 17 

1 OW ca. 30 min Engelhard, passenger. 

2 OW 54 min 172 m Flight witnessed by Empress of Germany, Prince 

34 sec Adalbert, Prince August Wilhelm, and Princess Viktoria 

Luise, broke existing altitude record. 

Sep 18 

1 OW 1 hr 35 min Engelhard, passenger. Flight set record for flight with 

46 sec passenger. 

2 OW 1 hr 45 min 

1909 Governors Island, N.Y. Wright 1907 Machine 

These flights were the first over American waters. The 

flights were in fulfillment of a contract signed by Wilbur 

in August providing for a series of flights by him during 

the Hudson-Fulton celebration to be held in September 

and October in New York. 

Sep 29 

1 WW 7 min 10 sec ca. 2 miles 40 to 100 ft Governors Island had been chosen as a starting point by 

(complete the Judson-Fulton Celebration Commission. 

circle of island) 

2 WW Less than Flew from drill field on Governors Island on course 

5 min around Statue of Liberty and return. Among vessels 

saluting the flight was the ocean liner Lusitania just 

starting to Liverpool. 

3 WW 12 min Strong wind, creating unfavorable flying conditions 

curtailed planned extended flight, which set unofficial 

altitude record. 

Oct 4 1 WW 33 min ca. 20 miles Average Flew over Hudson River to a point about 1,000 feet 

33 sec height north of Grant’s Tomb and return. On return passed over 

about 200 ft British warships Drake and Inflexible. Average speed 

about 36 miles an hour. Wilbur carried a canoe under the 

wing. A planned second flight on this date was abandoned 

when a cylinder head blew out in attempting to start. 

102 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1909 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

1909 Bornstedt Field, Potsdam, Germany Wright 1907 Machine 

Having completed his exhibition flights at Tempelhof Field 

in Berlin, Orville moved to Bornstedt Field, a drilling 

ground for the Potsdam garrison, to give training lessons to 

Capt. Paul Engelhard, retired German Naval officer. 

Sep 29 1 OW 30 min Engelhard, student-passenger, received first lesson. 

Sep 30 

1 OW 20 min 

20 sec 

Engelhard, student-passenger. 

2 OW 250-300 m Empress of Germany, Prince Oskar, and Princess 

Viktoria Luise observed the flight. 

Oct 2 

1 OW 

2 OW ca. 15 min 25-30 m Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, passenger, first member 

of a royal family to ride in an airplane. Following the flight 

the Crown Prince presented Orville with a gold tiepin with 

the Crown Prince’s initial “W” in rubies and diamonds. 

3 OW ca. 20 min 500 m Flight established new unofficial world’s altitude record. 

Oct 7 1 Engelhard Orville, passenger. Engine stopped suddenly causing 

forced landing. Front skid broken. 

Oct 13 

1 OW Engelhard, student-passenger. 

2 OW Engelhard, student-passenger. 

3 OW Capt. Engelhard, student-passenger, who subsequently 

made three solo flights on this date, completing his 

training by Orville. 

4 OW 10 min Dr. Heinrich Adams, passenger. 

5 OW 1 m A speed test with Fridolin Keidel, passenger. 

Oct 14 

1 OW 30 min 

2 OW ca. 25 min ca. 50 m Mr. Susemann, passenger. 

3 OW Machine almost destroyed when gasoline caught fire on 

starting and section of canvas on lower plane burned. 

Oct 15 1 OW 25-30 min 100-150 m Flight witnessed by German Emperor Wilhelm, the 

Empress, Princess Viktoria Luise, Gen. Hans G. H. von 

Plessen, and Baron Max B. A. Holzing Verstett. Orville 

had delayed his departure from Berlin on request of the 

Emperor. This was the first time the Emperor had seen 

and airplane in flight. Before leaving, he presented 

Katharine with an auto graphed photograph of himself. 

This concluded Orville’s flights in Germany. 

1909 College Park, Md. Wright 1907 Machine 

Wilbur had arrived at College Park, Md., on October 5 

to train Signal Corps officers in fulfillment of Wrights’ 

contract with the War Department. 

A Chronology • 103 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Oct 8 

1 WW 3 min ca. 30 ft 

2 WW 4 min ca. 100 ft 

51 sec 

3 WW 3 min ca. 150 ft 

4 WW 5 min 8 sec Lt. Frank P. Lahm, student-passenger. 

5 WW 4 min Lt. Frederic E. Humphreys, student-passenger. 

15 sec 

Oct 9 

1 WW 58-3/5 sec ca. 1,300 m Speed of 46 miles an hour established record for flight 

over closed circuit 500-meter course. 

2 WW 6 min 33 sec 

3 WW 3 min 23 sec 

4 WW 1 min 6 sec Minister Wu Ting-fang of China witnessed two flights. 

Oct 11 1 WW 3 min 50 sec Flight made without use of falling weight and starting 

derrick. 

Oct 12 1 WW 7 min 2 sec 5 rounds Humphreys, student-passenger. 

of field 

Oct 15 

1 WW 4 min 48 sec Lahm, student-passenger. 

2 WW 1 min 32 sec Humphreys, student-passenger. 

3 WW 9 min 

4 WW 14-1/2 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

5 WW 3-1/2 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

Oct 16 

1 WW 13 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

18 sec 

2 WW 13 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

44-1/5 sec 

3 WW 3 min For a minute or two Wilbur raced Baltimore and Ohio 

34-4/5 sec Railroad train traveling 50 miles an hour. 

Oct 18 

1 WW 11 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

47-2/5 sec 

2 WW 18 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

37-2/5 sec 

3 WW 10 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

13-3/5 sec 

4 WW 11 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

34-2/5 sec 

5 WW 9 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

37-1/5 sec 

104 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1909
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

6 WW 9 min 

19-4/5 sec 

Lahm, student-passenger. 

Oct 19 

1 WW 12 min 7 sec Humphreys, student-passenger. 

2 WW 4 min 

10-2/5 sec 

Lahm, student-passenger. 

3 WW 3 min 

15 sec 

4 WW 18 min 

40 sec 

Humphreys, student-passenger. 

5 WW 18 min 

6 sec 

Lahm, student-passenger. 

Oct 20 

1 WW 3 min 25 sec Humphreys, student-passenger. 

2 WW 6 min 28 sec Lahm, student-passenger. 

3 WW 2 min 31 sec 

4 WW 27 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

Oct 21 

1 WW 33 min Lahm, student-passenger. Two spectators crossed in front of 

plane as it was landing and accident was narrowly avoided. 

2 WW 1 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

3 WW 2 min 

Oct 22 

1 WW 3 min 

2 WW 42 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

Oct 23 

1 WW 18 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

2 WW 8 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

3 WW 13 min Benjamin. D. Foulois, student-passenger. 

4 WW 11 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

Oct 25 

1 WW 13 min Foulois, student-passenger. 

2 WW 11 min Humphreys, student-passenger. 

3 WW 18 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

4 WW 1-1/2 min 

Oct 26 1 WW 2 min 100 ft Humphreys and Lahm made solo flights on this date. 

Oct 27 

1 WW 4 min 2 circles 

of field 

ca. 60 ft Mrs. Ralph H. Van Deman is passenger, first woman to 

fly as passenger in the United States. 

2 WW 2 min 125 ft 

A Chronology • 105 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 WW 28 min Foulois, student-passenger. 

21 sec 

4 WW 6-1/2 min Capt. Charles DeF. Chandler, passenger. 

Nov 1 1 WW 2 min Flight made after dark. 

Nov 2 

1 WW 2 min 

2 WW 2 min Lahm, student-passenger. 

1910 Montgomery, Ala. Wright 1907 Machine 

Following the decision of the Wright Company to engage 

in exhibition flying Orville commenced the training of 

pilots to handle the exhibition planes being built by the 

company. The flights were carried out at Montgomery, Ala., 

on the site of the present Maxwell Air Force Base, chosen 

by Wilbur because the late winter and spring weather there 

was more conducive to the flight operations than in 

Dayton. The five students participating were: Walter 

Brookins, Dayton, Ohio; J. W. Davis, Colorado Springs, 

Colo.; Spencer C. Crane, Dayton; Arch Hoxsey, Dayton; 

and Arthur L. Welsh, Washington D.C. The training was 

conducted by Orville who arrived in Montgomery on 

March 24 and departed on May 7. The training of Welsh 

by Orville was resumed in Dayton on May 10. Brookins 

and Hoxsey resumed flying in Dayton on June 1. 

Mar 25 1 OW 2 flights, 

10 miles 

altogether 

Mar 28 

1 OW 

2 OW 

3 OW ca. 5-6 min 100 ft Walter Brookins, student-passenger. 

4 OW Piston valves and cylinder of engine damaged at start, 

preventing takeoff. 

Mar 31 1 OW Trial unsuccessful-airplane jumped back. 

Apr 1 

1 OW 6 min 8 starts made-plane jumped back twice. 

2 OW 11 min Brookins, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

3 OW 

4 OW J. W. Davis, student-passenger. 

Apr 2 

1 OW 

2 OW 

3 OW 17 miles Brookins, student-passenger. Valve broke in last flight. 

Apr 7 1 OW 6 flights with four student-passengers. 

106 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1909–1910
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

Apr 21 

1 OW 4 min 2 circles 

of field 

30 ft 

2 OW 5 min 

Apr 22 1 OW Walter Brookins, student-passenger. 

Apr 23 

OW 10 min Brookins, student-passenger and on next two flights. 

OW 10 min 

OW 10 min 

OW 10 min 

OW 10 min 

Apr 2 

OW 10 min Brookins, student-passenger and on next three flights. 

OW 10 min 

OW 

OW 

OW 19 min 

Apr 27 

1 OW Brookins, student-passenger and on next flight. 

2 OW 

3 OW 

Apr 29 

1 OW Brookins, student-passenger on flights 1, 2, 3, 6, and 

7. More than 1,000 persons were in attendance to 

witness flights. 

2 OW 

3 OW 

4 OW Arthur L. Welsh, student-passenger. 

5 OW Spencer C. Crane, student-passenger. 

6 OW 

7 OW 

8 OW 

Apr 30 

1 OW 10 min Largest crowd of season in attendance. 

2 OW 10 min Brookins, student-passenger. 

3 OW 10 min Crane, student-passenger. 

4 OW 10 min Arch Hoxsey, student-passenger. 

5 OW 10 min 

A Chronology • 107 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

6 Walter 10 min Orville, passenger. 

Brookins 

7 OW 15 min 

8 OW 10 min 

9 OW 10 min 

10 OW 10 min 

May 3 

1 OW ca. 30 min 300 ft Frank D. Kohn of Montgomery, passenger. 

2 OW Brookins, student-passenger. 

3 OW Hoxsey, student-passenger. 

4 OW Welsh, student-passenger. 

5 OW 

6 OW 

7 OW 

8 OW 

9 OW 

10 OW 18 min 1,000 ft 

11 OW 

May 5 

1 OW 17 min Orville’s last flight in Montgomery. He departed on May 7 

leaving school and training in charge of Brookins. The last 

flight of Brookins and his students were on May 25. 

2 Brookins 12 min 

3 Brookins 4 min 

4 Brookins 13 min 

5 Brookins 8 min 

1910 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio Wright 1907 Machine, May 10-20—Model B, May 21-October 14 

Shortly after the return of Orville from Montgomery, Ala., 

on May 8, 1910, the Wrights opened the Wright Flying 

School in Dayton to continue the training, begun in 

Montgomery, of pilots who would conduct exhibition flights 

for the Wright company. This school was in operation 

1910-1916. Orville, in May and June, completed the 

training of Arthur L. Welsh and Duval La Chapelle. Walter 

Brookins, trained by Orville in Montgomery, trained 

Ralph Johnstone and Frank T. Coffyn and completed the 

training of Arch Hoxsey begun in Montgomery. These 

men became the first Wright Company exhibition flyers. 

May 10 

1 OW 8 min 7 sec 

2 OW 10 min 

12 sec 

108 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1910 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 OW 11 min 

4 sec 

4 

5 

OW 

OW 

10 min 6 sec 

20 min 1 sec 

Arthur L. Welsh, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

May 12 

1 OW 12 min 

50 sec 

2 OW 14 min 

50 sec 

3 OW 15 min 

4 OW 15 min 

30 sec 

Welsh, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

5 OW 8 min 

30 sec 

May 14 

1 OW 8 min 

2 OW 14 min 

30 sec 

1,300 ft Welsh, student-passenger on this and next two flights. 

3 OW 15 min 

4 OW 18 min 

5 OW 10 min 

May 16 

1 OW 10 min 

30 sec 

Welsh, student-passenger. 

2 OW 12 min 

30 sec 

May 18 

1 OW 9 min 8 sec 

2 OW 8 min 26 sec Welsh, student-passenger on flights 2, 3, 7, and 8. 

3 OW 10 min 7 sec Arthur Ruhl, of Collier’s, passenger. 

4 OW 17 min 

41 sec 

Albert B. Lambert, president of St. Louis Aero Club, 

passenger. (Lambert was later to become one of the backers 

of the New York to Paris flight of Lindbergh in the Spirit 

of St. Louis.) 

5 OW 9 min 34 sec 

6 OW 11 min 8 sec 

7 OW 15 min 

45 sec 

8 OW 10 min 

34 sec 

May 19 

1 OW 15 min 2 sec Welsh, student-passenger on flights 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8. 

A Chronology • 109 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 OW 14 min 

52 sec 

3 OW 13 min 2 sec 

4 OW 8 min 44 sec 

5 OW 10 min Duval La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

25 sec 

6 OW 9 min 28 sec 

7 OW 20 min 1,760 m 

50 sec 

8 OW 10 min 

29 sec 

May 20 

1 OW 11 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

12 sec 

2 OW 12 min Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. 

41 sec 

3 OW 13 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

22 sec 

4 OW 11 min Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

32 sec 

5 OW 16 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

42 sec 

6 OW Engine did not start. 

7 OW 9 min 53 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

8 OW 8 min 29 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

9 OW 10 min Coffyn, passenger. 

25 sec 

10 OW 16 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

52 sec 

May 21 

1 OW 18 min ca. 2000 ft A new machine, model B, tried for first time. 

35 sec 

2 OW 11 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

39 sec 

3 OW 11 min Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

27 sec 

4 OW 11 min La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

11 sec 

5 WW 1 min 29 sec This was Wilbur’s last flight as a pilot in the U.S. 

6 OW 5 min 37 sec Lorin Wright, brother, passenger. 

7 OW 5 min 13 sec Charles E. Taylor, passenger. 

May 24 

1 OW 11 min Welsh, student-passenger on flights 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 11. 

25 sec 

110 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1910 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 OW 

3 OW 

4 OW 

5 OW 

6 OW 

7 OW 

8 OW 

9 OW 

10 OW 

11 OW 

11 min 

30 sec 

Frank T. Coffyn, passenger on this and next flight. 

1 min 42 sec 

12 min 

20 sec 

Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

12 min 

12 sec 

7 min 30 sec 900 ft 

9 min 42 sec 

9 min 32 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

10 min 8 sec 

12 min 

30 sec 

15 min 9 sec 1,200 ft 

6 min 32sec Welsh, student-passenger on flights 1, 4, 7, and 10. 

7 min 40 sec 

5 min 1 sec 

12 min 

35 sec 

15 min 

11 sec 

1,600 ft 

Unsuccessful start. 

7 min 48 sec 

8 min 8 sec 

23 min 

16 sec 

2,700 ft 

7 min 41 sec 

14 min 1 sec Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. 

6 min 26 sec Wilbur, passenger, the first time the brothers had flown 

together. 

6 min 55 sec 350 ft Bishop Wright, passenger, his first time in an airplane. 

8 min 22 sec Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

May 25 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

May 26 

1 OW 11 min Welsh, student-passenger. 

2 OW 2 min La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

25 sec 

3 OW 11 min 600 ft 

42 sec 

4 OW 8 min 24 sec 

5 OW 5 min 24 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

A Chronology • 111 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

6 		 OW 25 min 2,100 ft
 

19 sec
 

7 		 OW 13 min La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

34 sec 

8 		 OW 10 min 16 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

9 	 OW 10 min 33 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

10 OW	 2 min 42 sec 	 Welsh, student-passenger. 

May 27 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

OW 

Welsh 

Welsh 

Welsh 

Welsh 

Welsh 

2 min 30 sec 	 Welsh, student-passenger. 


12 min La Chapelle, student-passenger on next two flights. 


38 sec 


11 min 


58 sec 


9 min 59 sec 


9 min 14 sec 625 ft 


5 min 30 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 


11 min La Chapelle, student-passenger. 


7 min 1 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 


13 min 28 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger. 


5 min 2 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 


5 min 13 sec Orville, passenger and on remaining flights. 


2 min 


2 min 6 sec 


1 min 51 sec 


1 min 58 sec 


May 28 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

OW 

OW 

Welsh 

Welsh 

Welsh 

OW 

Welsh 

OW 

OW 

OW 

4 min 8 sec 

8 min 4 sec 

6 min 37 sec 

18 min 

12 sec 

9 min 7 sec 

11 min 8 sec 

14 min 

52 sec 

25 min 

47 sec 

La Chapelle, student-passenger.
 

Orville, passenger.
 

Orville, passenger. Engine failed to start.
 

Orville, passenger. Engine failed to start.
 

Wilbur, passenger.
 

La Chapelle, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

112 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1910
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

11 Welsh 3 min 5 sec Orville, passenger. 

12 OW Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. Engine failed to start. 

Jun 1 1 OW 6 min 38 sec 500 ft 

Jun 2 

1 OW 13 min, 

7 sec 

La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

2 OW 6 min 10 sec Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. 

Jun 3 

1 OW La Chapelle, student-passenger. Engine stalled. 

2 OW Engine stalled. 

3 OW 3 min 30 sec 

4 OW Engine stalled. 

5 OW 12 min 

17 sec 

6 OW 7 min 32sec La Chapelle, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

7 OW 17 min 

23 sec 

8 OW 15 min 6 sec Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

9 OW 20 min 

15 sec 

Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. 

10 OW 14 min 2 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

11 OW 17 min 

20 sec 

Coffyn, passenger. 

12 OW 4 min La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

Jun 4 

1 OW 14 min 

46 sec 

La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

2 OW 12 min 

24 sec 

Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

3 OW 12 min 

18 sec 

La Chapelle, student-passenger. 

4 OW 8 min 50 sec Arch Hoxsey, passenger. 

5 OW 7 min Frank T. Coffyn, passenger. 

6 OW 8 min 5 sec La Chapelle, student-passenger and on last two flights. 

7 OW 9 min 6 sec 

8 OW 7 min 45 sec 

9 OW 9 min 26 sec 

Jun 7 

1 OW 21 min 2,000 ft 

2 OW 16 min La Chapelle, student-passenger and on flights 

38 sec 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7. 

A Chronology • 113 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 OW 12 min 

20 sec 

4 OW 7 min 18 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

5 OW 3 min 35 sec 

6 OW 3 min 26 sec 

7 OW 3 min 2 sec 

Jun 8 

1 OW 5 min 35sec La Chapelle, student-passenger on this and next flight. 

2 OW 15 min 

11 sec 

3 OW 5 min 56 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

4 OW 8 min 50 sec Ralph Johnstone, passenger. 

5 OW 1 min 8 sec Welsh, student-passenger. 

Jun 15 

1 OW 4 min 30 sec 

2 OW 20 min 

24 sec 

Jun 17 1 OW 30 sec 

Jun 18 1 OW 10 min 

Jul 21 1 OW Wrights installed wheels on their machine for the first 

time on experimental basis. 

Jul 22 

1 OW 3 min 

45 sec 

2 OW 9 min 

3 OW 15 min 

46 sec 

4 OW Airplane wheels tested on rough ground. 

Jul 23 

1 OW 5 min 33 sec 

2 OW 10 min 4 sec 

3 OW 17 min 1,200 ft 

30 sec 

4 OW 9 min 14 sec 

5 OW 8 min 45 sec Walter Brookins, passenger. 

6 OW 7 min 17 sec 

Jul 26 

1 OW 19 min, 

20 sec 

Jul 27 

1 OW 4 min 

114 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1910–1911
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

2 OW 12 min 800 ft 

3 OW 10 min 

30 sec 

4 OW 17 min 

20 sec 

1,200 ft 

Jul 28 1 OW 6 min 52 sec 

Jul 30 

1 OW 11 min 

22 sec 

2 OW 4 min 58 sec 

3 OW 13 min 

52 sec 

4 OW Griffith Brewer, passenger. False start. 

5 OW 23 min 

16 sec 

ca. 400 ft Brewer, passenger. 

Aug 23 1 OW Bishop Wright recorded flight by Orville on this date. 

Sep 10 

1 OW 10 min 

2 OW 28 min 

3 OW 5 min Alexander Ogilvie, student-passenger. 

Sep 22 1 OW 33 min ca. 25 miles 2,000 to 

4,000 ft 

Orville flew from Simms Station over the city of Dayton 

and returned. Flight witnessed by 100,000 spectators. 

Sep 23 1 OW 1,000 ft Katharine Wright, passenger. 

Oct 14 1 OW Orville flew 7 times on this date. 

Oct 22 1 OW Orville testflew new Wright Model R, known also as 

“Baby Grand,” built to compete for the Gordon-Bennett 

International Aviation Trophy race to be held at Belmont 

Park, N. Y. He attained speed of 77-78 miles an hour. 

1911 Kitty Hawk, N.C. Wright 1911 Glider 

Orville, in the company of his brother Lorin, his 

nephew Horace, and his friend Alexander Ogilvie, of 

England, left Dayton on October 7 and arrived in Kitty 

Hawk on October 10 for the purpose of conducting 

gliding experiments. The Wright 1911 glider generally 

resembled the Wright 1911 powered machine, weighed 

about one third as much, and lacked its motor. 

Modifciations in the design were made as the gliding 

experiments proceeded. It was the intention also to test 

the automatic stabilizer Orville had been working on 

for a number of years. However, the experiments were 

concluded without a test of the automatic stabilizer 

because of the presence of a group of newspaper men 

who came to camp each day during this entire stay. 

Four had arrived at Kitty Hawk on October 13: John 

Mitchell, Associated Press; Mitchell, New York Herald; 

D. Bruce Salley, a reporter from Norfolk; and Van Ness 

Harwood, New York World. Arnold Kruckman and 

Berges, of the New York American, reached Kitty Hawk 

A Chronology • 115 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

on October 20. A new soaring record of nine minutes 

45 seconds was established by Orville on October 24, 

which remained a world’s record until broken in 

Germany 10 years later. The 1911 experiments were 

the last conducted by the Wrights at Kitty Hawk. 

Oct 16 

1 OW West Hill, Kill Devil Hill. Six glides made, longest 250 

yds, maximum time 26 sec. 

2 OW Three glides made. 

3 OW 23 sec 637 ft in 

curved line 

plus 586 ft in 

straight line 

Orville pitched forward out of the glider. 

Oct 17 OW West Hill. Orville made two glides. Alexander Ogilvie 

three. 

Oct 18 

1 OW 1 min 15 sec 

2 OW 1 min 15sec Machine turned over, breaking both left wings and the 

rear horizontal rudder. Orville escaped injury. 

Oct 23 1 OW Two glides made. In second glide machine turned over, 

breaking both vertical and horizontal rudders. Orville 

again escaped injury. 

Oct 24 1 OW 9 min 45 sec ca. 1/4-mile ca. 200 ft About 20 glides made, ranging from one minute to 9 min 

45 sec. Flight of 9 min 45 sec set new soaring record. 

Oct 25 

1 OW 23 sec West Hill. 

2 OW 10 sec 

3 OW 32 sec 

4 OW 8 sec 

5 OW 9 sec 

6 OW 9 sec 

7 OW 22 sec 

8 OW 9 sec 

9 OW 25 sec 

10 OW 10 sec 

11 OW 27 sec 

12 OW 2 sec Little Hill. 

13 OW 5 sec 

14 OW 

15 OW 

16 OW 8 sec 

17 OW 33 sec Kill Devil Hill. 

116 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1911
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

18 OW 43 sec 

19 OW 28 sec 

20 OW 44 sec 

21 OW 44 sec 

22 OW 59 sec 

23 OW 24 sec 

24 OW 33 sec 

25 OW 26 sec 

26 OW 26 sec 

27 OW 29 sec 

28 OW 31 sec 

29 OW 22 sec 

30 OW 25 sec 

31 OW 23 sec 

Oct 26 

1 OW 1 min 13 sec Big Hill. 

2 OW 1 min 26 sec 

3 OW 46 sec 

4 OW 1 min 8 sec 

5 OW 1 min 24 sec 

6 OW 1 min 31 sec 

7 OW 2 min 25 sec 

8 OW 2 min 52 sec 

9 OW 41 sec 

10 OW 29 sec 

11 OW 49 sec 

12 OW ca. 1 min 

13 OW 36 sec 

14 OW 37 sec 

15 OW 41 sec 

16 OW 1 min 1 sec 

17 OW 18 sec 

18 OW 49 sec 

19 OW 58 sec 

20 OW 25 sec 

21 OW 41 sec 

22 OW 29 sec 

A Chronology • 117 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT AIRCRAFT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

23 OW 1 min 5 sec 

24 OW 42 sec 

1911–1918 Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio 

Mar 25 Orville continued active flying and made 

numerous flights during the period 1911-1916, 

testflying new and experimental Wright 

Company aircraft, resting automatic flying and 

safety devices, and giving flight instruction to 

Army and Navy pilots and Wright Co. exhibition 

fliers. His last flight as a pilot occurred on May 

13, 1918. 

Apr 17 OW Wright Howard W. Gill, student-passenger on two 

Model B flights. 

Apr 28 1 OW Wright Orville made a series of flights “in which he 

Model B gave an exhibition of graceful turns and slow 

flying such as is seldom seen.” 

May 3–13 OW Wright Arthur L. Welsh, student-passenger, received 28 

Model B postgraduate lessons during this period. 

May 14 1 OW Wright Orville test flew new Wright exhibition model EX. 

Model EX 

Jun 2 OW Wright Bishop Wright reported Orville conducting test 

Model EX flights. 

Jul 19 

1 OW Wright ca. 60 min 2-3 miles 

Model EX 

2 OW Wright 35 min Capt. Washington J. Chambers, U.S. Navy, 

Model EX passenger. 

Jul 26 

1 OW Wright 13 min Lt. Frank P. Lahm, student-passenger on these 

Model B flights for postgraduate lessons. 

2 OW Wright 10 min 

Model B 

3 OW Wright 20 min 

Model B 

Jul 31 

1 OW Wright 1907 4 min Lahm, student-passenger on these flights. 

machine 

2 OW Wright 1907 4 min 

machine 

3 OW Wright 1907 13 min 

machine 

Aug 1 

1 OW Wright 1907 20 min Lahm, student-passenger on these flights. 

machine 

2 OW Wright 1907 6 min 

flights 

118 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
1911–1913
 

DATE FLIGHT PILOT AIRCRAFT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

3 OW Wright 1907 13 min 

flights 

4 OW Wright 1907 10 min 

machine 

Aug 7 1 OW Wright Orville made moonlight flight at Hempstead, L.I. 

Model R 

Aug 24– 

Sept 5 OW Wright Orville accompanied Capt. Charles DeF. Chandler 

Model R on a series of 25-35 postgraduate training flights. 

Aug 29 

1 OW Wright ca. 10 min Leontine Wright, age 12, passenger. 

Model R 

2 OW Wright Bertha Ellwyn Wright, age 14, passenger. 

Model R 

3 OW Wright ca. 5 min Ivonette Wright, age 15, passenger. 

Model R 

Aug 30 1 OW Wright 10 min 400 ft Brother Reuchlin, passenger. 

Model R 

Sep 1 1 OW Wright ca. 30 min 1,600 to Reuchlin, passenger. 

Model R 1,800 ft. 

1912 

Apr 27 

1 OW Model C 31-3/5 sec Arthur L. Welsh, passenger, Model C airplane, 

Type C, M-1 successor to Model B, had slightly flatter wing 

surfaces than the B, and the control system was 

somewhat simplified. A notable modification 

was the addition of vertical vanes to the forward 

ends of the skids. 

2 OW Model C Welsh, passenger. 

Type C, M-1 

May 2 1 OW Model C 1 min 5 sec Welsh, passenger. 

Type C, M-1 

Dec 8 1 OW Model C Orville reported to be testing his automatic flier. 

Type C 

1913 

Jan 13 1 OW Wright Automatic stabilizer tested. 

Model C 

May 1 1 OW Wright Hydroplane tests conducted on Miami River. 

Model CH 

May 2 1 OW Wright Hydroplane tests on Miami River. 

Model CH 

May 3 1 OW Wright Hydroplane tests on Miami River. 

Model CH 

June–July OW Wright Orville made over 100 flights during this period, 

Model CH frequently with passengers. 

Jun 5 1 OW Wright James M. H. Jacobs, Charles E. Taylor, and 

Model CH Taylor’s son carried as passengers on flight over 

A Chronology • 119 
DATE FLIGHT PILOT AIRCRAFT TIME DISTANCE ALTITUDE REMARKS

the Miami River, making a total load on the 

machine of almost 800 pounds. 

Sep 5 1 OW Wright Test flights made in series of experiments aimed 

Model E at perfecting automatic stabilizer. 

Sep 27 OW Wright Test flights made. 

Model E 

Sep 30 OW Wright Test flights made. 

Model E 

Oct 11 OW Wright Test flights made. 

Model E 

Nov 13 OW Wright Test flights made. 

Model E 

Dec 31 OW Wright 500 ft Orville, in 17 flights using special experimental 

Model E machine with very thick surfaces, demonstrated 

his automatic stabilizer. The flights were witnessed 

by three Aero Club of America representatives: Dr. 

L. E. Custer and Dr. John C. Eberhardt of 

Dayton and Grover C. Loening of New York. 

Seven circles were made with heads off controls. 

The successful demonstration on this date resulted 

in the award to Orville on February 5 of the Aero 

Club of America Trophy for 1913 for the 

development of his automatic stabilizer. 

1914 

Apr 18 1 OW 19 min Orville flew with hands off the controls, testing 

new device aimed at preventing airplane dives. 

Aug 12 1 OW Orville reported flying. 

Aug 20 1 OW modified Orville, accompanied by student pilot Lt. 

Wright Kenneth Whiting, of the U.S. Navy, narrowly 

Model G escaped drowning when the later model hydroplane 

he was piloting fell into the Miami River from an 

altitude of 30 feet when a wing broke. 

1915 

November OW Series of tests on automatic stabilizer made. 

1916 

Sept 19–21 OW Orville reported to be flying almost every day, 

on one afternoon making more than a dozen 

flights. 

Nov 1 OW 

1918 

May 13 1 OW Wright Orville made last flight as a pilot, flying his 

1911 model Wright 1911 biplane alongside the first De 

Havilland-4, built at Moraine City, Ohio, flown 

by Howard M. Rinehart. 

120 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
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124 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
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Chambers, Joseph R. Partners in Freedom: Contributions of the Langley Research Center to U.S. 

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126 • Wilbur & Orville Wright 
There is no monograph 28. 

Chambers, Joseph R. Concept to Reality: Contributions of the NASA Langley Research Center to U.S. 

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Peebles, Curtis, ed. The Spoken Word: Recollections of Dryden History, The Early Years. NASA SP2003-4530, 2003. 

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U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and the 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NASA Publication SP-2003-4532 

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NASA Headquarters 

A Jo nt Pub cat on o the 

Monographs n Aerospace H story Number 32 

Nat ona Aeronaut cs and Space Adm strat on 

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NASA H story O 

Wash ngton, DC 20546