The Wright brothers didn't actually make the first powered flight. That honor belongs to Richard Pearse of New Zealand, who successfully flew his aircraft 9 months earlier than the Wright brothers. Richard's aircraft also featured ailerons, which the Wright Flyer lacked (having only elevator & rudder control)
@@boydw1 In an interview with published on 10 May 1915 in the Austrailian newspaper The Evening Star, Richard Pearse gave credit to the Wright Brothers for making the first airplane flight in the following statement: 'The honor of invonting the aeroplane cannot be assigned wholly to one man; like most other' inventions, it is the product of many minds, After all, there is nothing that succeeds like success, and for this reason pre-eminence will undoubtedly be given to the Wright brothers, of America, when the history of tho aeroplane is vn itten, as they were the first to a-:tuady mako successful flights "with a motordriven aeroplane." ' Also, you are correct is saying that the 1903 Wright Flyer did not have ailerons, but instead they used 'wing warping' to achieve the same effect in their patented control system, which also included a horizontal control surface as well as a vertical rudder. And in their US Patent #821343, they stated that in regard to wing warping, "We wish it to be understood, however, that our invention is not limited to this particular construction, since any construction whereby the angular relations of the lateral margins of the aeroplanes may be varied in opposite directions with respect to the normal planes of said aeroplanes comes within the scope of our invention.', which a later court ruled also included ailerons.
@@boydw1 According to this History Guy video ua-cam.com/video/F-suOpy3rQU/v-deo.html Pearse wrote to a newspaper in 1915, "The honour of inventing the aeroplane is the product of many minds. Preeminence will undoubtedly be given to the Wright brothers, as they were actually the first to make successful flights with a motor driven aeroplane." Pierce was dismissive of his early efforts and said his first flights were too bumpy and out-of-control to really count.
@@johnd.crofts7901 I'm hardly surprised that an american youtuber is being dismissive of Richard Pearse's accomplishment. Richard's first flight was just as successful as the first flights of the Wright Brothers, bar the inferior landing terrain.
The LAST airplane that Orville flew was a 4 engine Constellation airliner in 1946. The plane picked him up in Dayton. During the flight, the pilot invited him into the cockpit and let him have a turn at the yoke. Afterwards, he turned on the autopilot and was pleased. "I always thought that an airplane should be able to fly itself" he remarked. And THIS was only 43 years since the very first flight. Remarkable progress!
Now look up Thomas Sopwith - he ran an aircraft company from before WW1 and the last product he was involved in was the Hawker Harrier (and was around long enough to see the Space Shuttle fly).
Having been born and raised in Dayton I was lucky enough to have an interesting connection to the Wrights. In the early 80s I had an older gentleman and his wife bring their 1937 Dodge Pick-up to my body shop, It had a smashed left front fender due to a motorcycle strike. I gave them a $200.00 quote and they offered to leave the truck. I noticed this truck was in amazing shape except for the zillion paint splatters covering it. The owner, Ralph, commented he was a painter...houses and such and bought the truck new! Then he added that he was also the Wright brothers painter, if they had something to be painted, he did it! Well....having shook the hand that shook the Wright's...I knew I was in the presence of history! The fender repair went quickly, but, the more time I spent with this gem the more I knew I couldn't just fix the fender alone....so I prepped the whole truck! It was a ton of work, for sure. Painted back it's original tu-tone burnt orange body with black fenders and running boards. Fast forward a couple weeks and I call Ralph to let him know he could come get his truck, he wanted to know if his fender came out ok, I told him his fender was as new. He and the wife get to my shop and I walk them through to the back room where it was stationed behind two big doors. (I staged the room with lights like a dealership) I flung the doors open and when they saw that truck glistening before them there was shock then panic! "I can't afford all this work." Says Ralph! I informed Ralph he owed me the $200.00 that I quoted him to fix his fender and that truck wasn't leaving until I got it! Tears, hugs, and joy filled the room. You can't imaging how much work I got off that truck, everybody Ralph knew brought me their vehicles! Ralph Guston was my friend through to the end of his life. R.I.P
That's a great story! Thanks for sharing. I wasn't old enough to know people who knew the Wrights, but I still run across people south of Dayton in Lebanon who knew Neil Armstrong. He lived there 20+ years after his NASA days. My 4th grade teacher's farm was next to his, and their kids were in scouts together. He flew gliders and planes at the local airports, and there are a lot of stories and pictures. I would talk to a lady at the airport occasionally, and one day I saw a picture at a local museum of her husband in a plane with Neil. In talking to her, I never realized she spend time with the first man on the moon. These stories make these famous people seem more real, and it helps you realize that they are just people too. They are well known, but they are just people like us.
@@Zach_OnTheMap There is another coincidence, Requarth Lumber was my 'go to' for exotic and special lumber. They often allowed me the privilege of going upstairs to search on my own. Once during a search for Walnut, I happened upon a large, long piece of lumber with a paper tag attached. Imagine the rush I got when I read the tag..."HOLD FOR ORVILLE'... !!!! Carry on.
That’s amazing! I have been in there and it still looks like it’s from a time that the brothers were around. I remember my grandfather going in there and picking out lumber for kitchen cabinets he was building for his own house after he retired.
I am 81 now - took my first flying lesson in 1958. I got my Private in 1965 and my A&P in 1966. I retired from the airlines (as a B67 Captain with over 11,000 hrs. Your tour is absolutely RIVETING. THANK YOU very much, sir.
Whenever I hear that Orville died in 1948 in reminds me of the pace of aviation development. The B-29 was in service and its wingspan was longer than the distance of the Flyer's first flight. The X-1 had broken the sound barrier. The jet-powered F-86 was flying and was capable of breaking the sound barrier in a shallow dive. Idk how sound his mind was but I hope he was also amazed.
It is astounding how fast it all happened. And of course man on the moon was only a couple decades after his passing. My general understanding of his thoughts are that he was very proud of what he and his brother had started, and wanted to preserve that legacy. That he was in fact amazed at how fast everything evolved, even though he wasn't involved with the progress past about 1915 when he sold his company. He was humble enough that he didn't try to take any credit for what people accomplished beyond him. And there is evidence that he was concerned about the use of the airplane in war. His ideology was that he created this great thing that could bring people closer together, and yet lived to see it drop nuclear bombs. But as war often does, it accelerated the technology beyond anything that it probably would have seen without that incentive to spend and innovate.
That’s a great point. The evolution of all knowledge over the past few hundred years is astounding, and it keeps accelerating. I have been using some AI based platforms over the past year and sometimes I just shake my head in amazement of what information we have the ability to learn on the device in our pocket. They were searching for books and papers all over the world, and writing letters back and forth about ver seas trying to learn whatever they could.
@@JosephOlson-ld2td A bit of a misnomer about slide rulers. Most people used a slide ruler that was about a foot long and you could get 3 places of accuracy. Longer ones were available that were a bit more accurate but they were rare and I never saw one. If you needed more places, mechanical calculators were available. If you needed precision and couldn't afford anything better, there were log and trig books that would give you enough accuracy. More precision isn't always better if your measurements and machines can't handle it. They stressed that when you were learning how to use a slide ruler along with the fact that the least significant place wasn't that accurate. Yes, I started out and still have my slide ruler however not long after that, advanced portable calculators came out. Look up the Texas Instruments SR51 which was about $300 at the time it was introduced. HP was first but was more expensive and cumbersome to use.
Thank you! It's hard to decide what is too little and what is too much information for a video. I may make a shorter version some day for those wanting a quick story, but I wanted to make this video for people who may not have had a chance to see this museum, and go through what they would experience if they were there the best I could without being boring to most people.
Thanks for a nice film. I did my solo long distance navigation training from Murfreesboro, TN straight north to Baltimore, then south by the shoreline to Kitty Hawk and landed on First Flight airport, stayed there for one night then flew straight west back to Murfreesboro. This was back in 1989. Our flight school had a FAA instructor who had Orville Wright giving him his private certificate.
That's a great story! I like your last line mentioning Orville. When you hear these connections to people you have met, it makes the history seem that much closer. It really wasn't that long ago when you think about the evolution that has occurred since. Thank you for contributing your story.
This is the best video I've seen about the Wrights yet; I really enjoyed it! On my channel are 45 or so videos of the first and only 100% ion propelled aircrafts to lift their own onboard power supplies. I have 2 US patents for them. They can't carry people yet, but they do have other advantages. Thanks for the interesting video!
I live about 20 minutes from here and this is a wonderful complex of Dayton history, including the oldest existing building from historic Dayton. The best attraction is this plane and to stand there, sometimes alone, and let the historical significance wash over you is incredible.
Thanks for adding to the conversation! I recently realized that Newcom Tavern is on the logo for the Wright’s Van Cleve bicycle brand. It’s tiny, but the building on the logo is the Tavern, which of course is now there at the park.
My grand parents owned Colonel Deed's home, after his death. A lovely slate roof Tudor, looking up at DCC real close to Sugar camp. I spent many days and holidays in the "castle" My Grandmother knew the Wrights since childhood. Being from Oakwood and old, I sledded in their front yard. Daytonians, will understand. The park a wonderful place, and Dayton has an amazing history. Excellent vid.
Thank you so much! One thing that I have seen over and over in the comments is the first and second hand accounts of the Wrights, showing that it really wasn’t that long ago. My 8 year old asked me last night, who was the oldest person who ever lived. I found a story of a lady in the US who was born in 1903, just before the brothers flew in December. She died in 2018, and is the oldest validated person to live in the US. That means that someone who was alive before the first airplane flew, was still alive when my 8 year old was born. So it seems like ancient history but it’s really not. And you mentioning that your grandmother knew them goes along with that.
Thanks so much for these Wright Brothers videos. I've been reading to my young grandsons about the Wright Brothers and other early flight history, and I can't wait until they are a little older so I can bring them to some of the sites you have shared in your videos.
Thanks! If you could only pick one place to learn about the Wright Brothers, this is where I would bring them. It's a great balance because it has the real plane, it has a mock up of the shop (even though it's not the real one, it's a good representation of where it happened), it's just down the street from where the Wrights worked, plus it has a good museum with a lot of real artifacts, including their camera, two of their bikes, and all sorts of other authentic pieces.
Great video tour my friend. I am an aviation and Wright brothers history buff and I really appreciate, not only your very well done video tour and explanation, but your noticeable reverence and excitement for this place and the incredible history it contains. Thank you sir!
Thanks! Yes, it feels very personal when you are there. Especially when you go at a non-peak time and pretty well have it to yourself. I was in there alone with the plane quite a bit and it’s quiet and you can just be there in its presence, and it’s a neat feeling.
Thank you so much for your kind words! Their journey is a testament to hard work, perseverance, and the power of never giving up, even when the odds are against you. It’s a privilege to share stories like theirs, and I’m glad to know that it resonates with others. Together, we help keep their incredible legacy alive for future generations!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Carillon Park really is worth a visit-it’s not just another historical village with a few old buildings. It has world-class exhibits that you wouldn’t expect to find in a smaller city like Dayton.
Wonderful video ! After viewing your video and recognizing the fine narration you’ve done throughout this video I immediately subscribed to your channel ! I’m excited to see what other pieces of our history you’ve uncovered for your viewers, I truly enjoyed your video from beginning to end, your voice is also perfect for this as well. so much of UT has deminished in quality that began watching less and less. Thank you for getting me excited about Utube again 👍
Well I sure do appreciate those kind words. Making the video was my pleasure. I am glad to be able to share these sorts of things with people who may not have seen them, just as I am glad to have learned from so many other creators. It’s a great community and amazing to me how anyone can pick up a camera with virtually no budget at all and share something that others might be interested in or could learn something from. Thanks for making the effort to leave your comment.
One of the guys there doing tours mentioned to me that he had been there as a kid, maybe similar age to you. He said everything is the same. The doors on the building, the floors, the wall color, it's all the same. Of course they have built a connected building on each side of it to expand the museum and it's air conditioned now, but what you saw then is pretty much what you would see now, and probably about what kids will see after you and I are long gone! It adds to the historic experience I guess.
I have been to Kitty Hawk to see the memorial and museum there. I was also there on the 100th Anniversary of the 1st Flight. This was a very well done video. I was unaware of this museum. Kids today have no clue, I hope this will show them how far we have come. Thank You for making this. Great Job!!
Thank you for the compliment. I still need to go to Kitty Hawk. I have drug my kids in here a number of times and I've always tried to just tell them a couple little things about the plane and the brothers each time. It's a fantastic story on so many levels. It's not really that long ago when you think about it, and yet so many things have changed. Of course my kids are an exception because I drag them all over the country going to museums. I don't think the system does a good job teaching history and I'm afraid that is really going to catch up to us one day.
I agree, more history should be taught. Your kids will always remember the trips to the museums and have fond memories. My dad took me to a lot of museums when I was little and grew to love history. I learned a lot from my dad as your kids will from you. Once again thanks for this video. I did a video at a reenactment of the battle of New Market in Va. Take a look at it, I made it look like old time video from the past as if we were there; it is titled …. 147th Anniversary of the New Market Battle - Reenactment.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience! It’s wonderful to hear how your dad inspired your love of history-those kinds of memories really do stay with us. Your reenactment video sounds like a creative way to bring history to life. I appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and share your thoughts!
I've been to Kitty Hawk and the Smithsonian . I guess I have one more stop to make. I was absolutely floored by the workmanship on the bicycle in the Smithsonian. After the news of the airplane got out, I wonder how many people said I used to have a Wright bike.
It’s a great exhibit. There is also Huffman prairie where the Wrights flew this plane. The National Park Service also has a museum in the neighborhood where they lived and worked although the final bike shop and house are at Greenfield Village. So a lot of history in the Dayton area. And of course the Air Force Museum which has an original Wright B. There are only 5 bicycles the Wrights built that are accounted for. The one at the Smithsonian is a St. Clair branded bike, and the only one left. The other 4 are the upper end model called the Van Cleve. Three are in Dayton and one at Greenfield Village.
Very nicely done video. Thank you for not rushing. I would like to note that I know of two original Wright Model B's that exist: one is at the National Museum of the US Air Force (also in Dayton), and one is at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. You could also argue that the Vin Fiz was a baby model B. The model B was the first Wright production airplane (>75 built at a factory in West Dayton), and is distinctive for the Wrights since it moved the horizontal stabilizer to the rear with the rudder.
You are very knowledgeable! Thanks for adding to the conversation. I felt that while numerous videos have been made there, I wanted one that was more like what I think you appreciated in this version! I wanted one that would feel like someone was touring the museum and stopping to read the stories. The Vin Fiz story I do know about, and I agree with the way you word it, because it was based on their plane and built at their factory. The Wrights had a hand in its design but primarily it was built by factory workers. It also was heavily modified after its delivery. The planes at Wright Patt and in Philly, and I have seen both, I have had a hard time finding solid information on how original they really are. In both cases they claim the planes are original, concede that that aren’t totally original, but don’t seem to have great records on what’s original and what’s not. The Smithsonian has pretty solid records, especially on the Military Flier. The one in Philly, partly based on the fact that it’s been in museum possession for so long, is probably the most original. Today we of course would try to save everything as original as possible, but likely a lot of things were swapped out in the 1930’s during that first restoration, without being recorded. It was sort of that period of its history where people thought it was special, without realizing how special. Of course preservation of artifacts now is so far beyond what it was then.
The so-called machinist was Charlie Taylor. He was the Wright brothers bicycle mechanic. He built the wind tunnel and the hit and miss engine that ran the machine shop. The engine was a gearless engine, a feat itself. An airplane without an engine is a glider, the Wright would have never been first without Charlie Taylor.
Thank you. It was a great video to make because I learned so much about the story. Knowing that Orville not only built it, but then considered it the most significant airplane he built, and then restored it late in life...it really made an impression on me.
This is an absolutely brilliant video! Extremely fascinating subject and signifact part of our history narrated with such finesse that made us feel that we are right there. Thank you so much for bringing this to us!
Thank you so much for taking the effort to say so. Creating the video was my pleasure. My goal when I do a museum video is to bring that experience to someone who might otherwise not have been there, and the pleasure is sharing that experience, so I’m glad to hear I was successful!
Dayton (area) was once one of the greatest places on earth. A world center of science and industry. Having spent many years in the machining and tooling industry, I watched as NAFTA destroyed Dayton. It is but a shell of it's former self.
30:53 appears to be an H. Gerstner and sons tool box. I believe they're still in Dayton just southwest of downtown. Every machinist worth his salt had a Gerstner box, even up into the turn of the 21st century.
Yes, and that's a familiar story for a lot of cities. I think there are a lot of reasons for it, and certainly moving so much manufacturing out of the country drove it. Even air travel though, as airlines have consolidated and offer few direct flights outside of their major hubs. Business leaders want to get around quickly...not sit in airports on layovers. So they move other places. The recession and auto bankruptcies sort of finished off a lot of manufacturing and jobs in Dayton. Wright-Patt has done a lot to keep the area afloat, and having I-75 and I-70 intersecting there helps too.
This is a good time for me to explain this point. During the first flight, Dec. 17, 1903, no catapult was used, only a stiff breeze to help with takeoff speed. Later, in the early days, the catapult was used.
That’s correct. The key difference is that this plane was used in Dayton, not Kitty Hawk. While Kitty Hawk had sufficient wind for takeoff, Dayton did not, prompting the Wright brothers to devise and implement a catapult system specifically for this plane.
I hope you have heard of Charlie Taylor. He was the machinist who designed and built the engine without him. There would not have been a flying plane. He is that important in aviation history. As far as the number of bicycles go our bike shop in our town of Valparaiso,, Indiana had to Wright bikes in their windows. A good friend of mine in the 70s went on a search for right built bicycles, and he found 10 none of which were in museums. They were in private collections. One of them was still being written by a guy who changed the wheels from being would to having a steel rim, but he kept the original wood ones. So there’s a lot of history to continue to research on this. I hope you do. We did a good video. Just missing a few key points.
Thanks! I am aware of Charlie Taylor and could go on about the Wrights all day, but nobody much watches all day videos! But to your point, there could be a video just about Charles Taylor. As far as the number of bikes, historians have to verify these things. The US National Park Service and the Smithsonian agree there are 5 known bicycles…4 Van Cleves and one St Clair. That seems to be the agreed consensus and the best number to use in the video as they are generally reliable and quotable sources. The Wrights are thought to have only built about 300 bicycles total. So if another original exists it would be highly sought after from museums globally. Another interesting thing is that the Wrights bought almost every component from other manufacturers and assembled those parts under their brand names. I suppose that’s how most bike manufactures are today in fairness, but I think it’s a bit different situation than some might assume. They didn’t build their own frame or wheels or anything like that. A lot of it came from the company that latter became Huffy. The “Huffy” comes from Huffman, the brother of the guy who let the Wrights use his field to fly their plane. Definitely lots of interesting history. Thanks for the comment and expanding the conversation!
Yes, I believe that was a decision made by Neil Armstrong, and that they were part of his personal items that each astronaut could take with him. That was so symbolic of the full circle that had taken place in only 65 years.
John Glenn carried a piece of cloth from the Wright Flyer aboard his flight on the space shuttle Discovery. There was an event at Carillon where he donated it.
Yes, in 1998 John Glen was loaned fragments of the original Wright Flyer fabric by Carillon Park to take into orbit on his historic re-visit of space, and the park has that today. I didn’t remember that until you mentioned it. I had to look it up to get re-acclimated. Thanks for sharing.
When was that iconic silent film of a Wright Flyer taking off from what looks like Kitty Hawk with the catapult and everything? As if they were staging a recreation of the first flight for movie cameras. When did that happen, I've always wondered.
I’m not sure exactly what film you saw, but it’s likely that the earliest footage of the Wright Brothers in flight dates back to 1908. This first known video footage wasn’t filmed at Kitty Hawk but rather during their demonstration flights at Fort Myer, Virginia, and in France. In fact, the French footage is considered the earliest filmed record of their flights. These 1908 flights were still using a plane that closely resembled the original 1903 Flyer, with similar design features, though it had a more powerful engine and improved stability. The Wright Brothers continued to use a catapult for takeoff until around 1910, so the film you saw was likely either from these 1908 demonstrations or from another flight captured before they moved to ground-based takeoffs in 1910.
As someone who has written a play about Katharine Wright, I am always astounded by how little is told about her. That she doesn't appear much in this building is no surprise, as Orville designed it. Late in her life (Wilbur had already passed) she was pursued by and fell in love with an old, college crush from Oberlin. When Harry told Orville that he was going to marry his sister, Orville reacted by cutting her completely out of his life. He didn't attend the wedding, needless to say, and returned all of her letters unread. He only saw her once more, on her deathbed in Kansas City when she died, tragically, of pneumonia. I've no doubt the brothers would have flown without Katharine but, at their request, she joined them in Pau, France. There she met all the Kings and Prime Ministers who came to see the aeroplane and who, ultimately, ordered them for their respective countries. In large part to Katharine's credit, the three Wrights returned to America as millionaires.
It’s great to have you adding more depth to this story. Katharine Wright truly was such a significant figure, not just for her brothers but in her own right. She sacrificed a lot for Orville and Wilbur, especially when Orville had his 1908 crash-she gave up her teaching career to care for him and remained dedicated to her family. Her loyalty and strength were undeniable. Katharine was also a vibrant part of Dayton’s society, raising funds for various community causes and using her position to benefit others. It’s unfortunate that her marriage led to such a rift with Orville, who felt so betrayed he essentially cut her out of his life, as if she had abandoned him. That kind of estrangement must have been incredibly painful for both of them. However, I’ve heard it was through the efforts of another brother that Orville was persuaded to see her near the end. It’s touching that she rests between her brothers in the family plot, along with their parents. I recently filmed a visit to their gravesite, and it felt like such a meaningful reminder of her place within the Wright family. I also made a video at the National Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, where Katharine’s contributions to aviation history are woven into the exhibits. I didn’t show every part, but she’s featured prominently, and the museum does a great job of telling her story.
In his tool box in second drawer is a silver round thing with a pencil extension. Its next to the round brass colored thing. This is an RPM gauge and I have the exact same one in my box. Wow.
I think that happens a lot, where locals don't visit the places right there under their nose. Kind of like people that live near the beech often don't go to the beech. The original fabric exists in various places. One of the largest portions is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton in their early aviation section. I believe it's the entire piece from one of the four wings. I believe that Carillon Park also has a portion of it under glass in another part of the museum. Some small pieces exist in other places and some were even given away as small tokens, such as when they gave pieces away to encourage people to return parts of this plane for the refurbishment. If they had to foresight at the time, they probably could have preserved it better. Even this plane used to sit in that room with the windows and doors open to the humidity and sunlight. They know better now.
On a private, off-season research trip to the Henry Ford museum, I heard the door slam and found myself alone in the Wright home in Orville's second floor bedroom. Wanting to make the most of the opportunity, I spontaneously closed my eyes and without a moment's hesitation, beseeched his spirit for a sign. In my career I'd been in morgues, asylums, prisons, battlefields and haunted houses without incident, but actually ASKING for a sign turned out to be a major mistake. I was overcome with a powerful sensation of rising cold and an electric tingle which stood my hair on end and produced an overwhelming fear. I sprang from the bed I was sitting on, ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, totally relinquishing a chance to explore the shrine of my heroes.
It’s like personalized license plates. You can figure out what it says but not necessarily the context, and are left guessing! I have been in the house at Greenfield. I’ve also been to the site the house sat on in Dayton, which is still vacant and is owned by the National Park Service. It has the outline of the house marked out. What is crazy is that there is a private residence across from it that was built as an exact (as possible) copy of it. Someone actually lives in it. They must have really been fans. I’m sure the city wishes the real house was still there, but they say that people in Dayton at the time were thrilled that Henry Ford was moving it to his park. It was a real honor. And honestly the move probably saved it because it’s doubtful it would have been taken care of.
@@Zach_OnTheMap That's interesting. I guess they weren't ALL thrilled. Too bad Henry couldn't have restored it in situ. The home's authenticity, despite his obsession to detail, is definitely depleted in the relocation. I have since learned Greenfield Village is situated on a First Nation's burial ground, so my ill advised efforts at necromancy may have been misdirected. At first I interpreted the hostility I felt as the Wrights not appreciating what the aeroplane has come to be, a WMD. After all, it was for that reason Santos-Dumont repeatedly tried to end it all and was eventually successful, but in retrospect, it may have been the Indian Spirits I'd disturbed. This happened thirty years ago and I assure you I've not tried anything as sketchy ever since.
I’m glad you got to see it in person! Just to clarify for anyone reading, the admission covers a full day at Carillon Park, not just the airplane exhibit.
@Zach_OnTheMap yes. I did not have time to take it all in. It sits in the reproduction of the wright brother s bicycle shop which was moved to Greenfield village in Michigan several years ago.
Yes, the original buildings (house and last bike shop) were moved to Greenfield Village in 1936. The second to the last bike shop is still in Dayton and owned by the National Park Service. It sits in its original location on the west side of Dayton very near where the house and last shop were before being moved. I’m going to have upcoming videos covering some of those places.
I’m not an aeronautical engineer, but I would answer by saying, no, it was not a lift producing canard. It was there to direct airflow to adjust pitch.
Have you heard the story abt the original engine….it didn’t have cylinder rings. It was only an interference fit between the bore and cylinder. Wilber was flying the Hudson circuit and realized if he continued to fly sooner or later the engine would fail. An engine is with an Enineering Group in Dayton and they dare not have it travel for any display.
Thanks for adding to the conversation. I didn’t know that story, but it makes sense-that’s probably why they had to guard the fabric from getting saturated with oil. I bet it didn’t help the horsepower rating much, either. As a side note on engines, I believe the engine in the original flyer at the Smithsonian is not original. It may have some original parts, but mostly it was from a latter plane. One reason the plane is only 30% original.
The wright brothers took a lot of time and effort to protect their invention. they justifiably understood that once it became successful, others would claim to be the first. Including Curtis who's efforts to fly were failures.
Shame that more people are not aware of Katharine Wright Haskell contribution to the history of flight and without here, Wright brothers probably would have never flown.
Yes, she was there through all of it. She was a very intelligent and educated person. They were a very close family, although her eventual marriage did drive Orville to distance himself from her. I don’t fully understand the psychology there on his part, but he did seem to have second thoughts at the end of her life and she is buried between the two brothers on the same plot as their parents.
Great question. The plane at the Smithsonian is the first airplane, so it's an incredibly important artifact. I was told 30% by a tour guide, so I don't want to get too hung up on that number, and besides, how would anyone know for sure? And I assume 30% from the first flight. But assuming that's the number, there are several factors. 1) They had many minor crashes necessitating rebuilds. 2) The planes were damaged on the train trip between Dayton and NC, so again they needed to build new parts 3) The older planes were robbed of their parts to build the next plane. In fact, the second plane doesn't exist at all because they used so much of it to build the third one. 4) The fabric rotted over time and had to be replaced. The plane in this video is probably 80% from the last time it flew, not the first time it flew. It was also the last experimental plane they developed, so they weren't robbing parts from it to build a new one. And finally, Orville gave the plane to Carillon Park because he wanted them to have it. He didn't offer it to the Smithsonian. This is a great artifact, but the airplane at the Smithsonian is the very first one.
I remember my grandmother, who was born around 1910, saying that the inventions of her life time wouldn’t be matched, but would be greatly improved upon. That’s what she was seeing near the end of her life. It’s incredible what changes she saw in her 100 years, and also incredible what we are doing with those things, from phones and computers and AI, to airplanes and satellites. It’s amazing progress in a very short time. There are people still alive today that knew Orville personally. It’s a lot in a very short time.
I remember a documentary of the 2003 reenactment with the new reproduction Wright Flyer. In it, they said that the fabric was not made any more and they had to substitute it with a similar, but reasonable facsimile of it. Hard to know what details they give are actually true or just the best they can give. However these are not the same airplane. This is the third version and theirs was a copy of the first. So maybe there's the catch.
And this was restored in the late 1940’s so something may have been available then, only 45 years after the first flight, compared to what was available 100 years down the road. I also had conflicting information on if the fabric on the plane now dates back to that original restoration in the 40’s or if it was reworked again.. One tour guide said it had been replaced since, but another said the scar on the wing was from a cigarette butt in the 60’s, which made me think it was the fabric from the original restoration. I tend to think the latter is true. It’s kept in a dark temperature and humidity controlled environment and people aren’t touching it. I think it would last a long time.
I’ve seen the right flyer in Washington DC and I’ve seen the airplane you’re showing. Why does everybody say those are bicycle chains that are running the props they are not that’s machinery chain. I guess the brothers, thought the bicycle chains weren’t heavy enough to handle the load, but those things are way bigger like farm machinery chain. I suggest when you go back look at those careful definitely not little bicycle chain. Everybody says that not true. i’ve seen a lot of Bicycles. None have that heavy a chain!! I worked on the Goodyear blimp for 35 years. We used number 41 machine chain to run the elevator wheel that changed to Cable. Everyone with Goodyear called it bicycle chain it was not. I thought the Wright brothers use way too heavy a chain, but they probably didn’t have a lot of choices in the 1900s. But I know one thing that’s not bicycle chain!!
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your insights-it’s always great to hear from someone with such unique experience! You’re right that the chains used on the Wright Flyer-and even on something like the Goodyear blimp-are much heavier and more industrial than a typical bicycle chain. The term “bicycle chain” is more about the design and association than the literal use. That's likely why the Goodyear people refer to it as such, even though I'm sure they understood it was not literally a chain from a bicycle. I don't think the FAA would buy into that! The Wright brothers were bicycle mechanics, so their familiarity with the concept of chain drives likely influenced their choice. While the chain they used had to be scaled up to handle the load of propellers, it still operated on the same basic principles as a bicycle chain. This kind of terminology sticks because it’s a simple way to describe something people already understand, even if it’s not technically the same. Thanks for pointing this out-it’s always fascinating to think about how these engineering decisions were made with the technology they had at the time!
You are the first person to comment on the bike! I thought the bike was amazing both from the standpoint of who built it and because there are only 5 that are accounted for. They say it was an upper-end bicycle for its day, with prices ranging between $65-$100 US, which a quick inflation calculator shows the upper model would be over $3k in today’s dollars. They built about 300 bikes under a couple brands but these were called Van Cleve, and were the upper-end of the two. There are 3 if these in Dayton, one at the Henry Ford in Detroit and one at the Smithsonian, but I believe the one at the Smithsonian actually belongs to the Henry Ford and is on loan.
Thanks for pointing that out. It is sort of a gradient of Wright Brothers involvement as you get out further like that. These first two oldest planes were built by the Wright Brothers. The military flyer was probably partly worked on by the brothers, at least some key components, but by then they had hired labor to help. The Vin Fiz was built at the Wright Factory by hired workers. The Brothers helped design the original version, but it was heavily modified after they delivered it. And I don’t believe they built the plane from a labor standpoint. So the original version was a Wright plane from a company ownership standpoint.
when they had their first successful flights at Huffman prairie, because there had been a lot of fraudulent claims around the country about being the first to fly. the Chicago newspaper barely mentioned their achievement.
Thank you for contributing! I can see if the paper had been burned before on reporting a false claim that they would be really hesitant to report something they didn’t have multiple strong sources confirming. And the brothers were very hesitant to fly if there were any onlookers, especially if they had cameras, because they were so fearful of their ideas being stolen before they got their patents. And I’ve heard the story not just at this museum that there were plenty of people around the globe who doubted they had flown, up until they had their patents and started doing demonstration flights globally toward the end of the decade, 1908-ish.
That’s sad. I wonder what they did wrong. It’s frustrating to have a project like that and not be able to get it to work. But even for the Wrights it was tough to fly. They had a lot of experience by the time they actually flew, and even with that experience and the fact that they designed and built it, they could only get the original plane to fly seconds at a time. This plane corrected the early issues and allowed them to repeatedly take off and land, fly as long as 40 minutes at a time, and demonstrate it to militaries in the US and Europe. Did you get a chance to see the replica?
Requarth Lumber was the store, and it’s still operating in Dayton today. The main frame was built of spruce, but in components that needed more strength they used Ash.
Yep, which I think is true of so many things. We flip a switch and we instantly light up the room, not thinking of all the thought that went into the initial invention. And like the plane, the light bulb changed the world only a short time ago. Henry Ford knew both Orville Wright and Thomas Edison personally, just to give some context to the timing of all three of their world-changing inventions.
That negative was fortunate to have been stored securely by the brothers. Many of their glass negatives were damaged when their shop flooded in the great flood of 1913 that devastated much of Dayton. A lot of images that exist from the earliest flights have noticeable damage, although some were restored with varying degrees of success. Interestingly, the original airplane that made the first flight was in the low level of the building, and it was inundated with water, suffering a lot of damage as well. So we are lucky that any of it exists.
@@Zach_OnTheMap I worked with a technical writer that years earlier had done some writing on a project about the Wright Brothers and that's how he got an original photograph from the negative, I had a copy made from his original photograph. I have had it for over 35 years. I had a negative from his photo but I can't find it.
That's really cool. I know that Wright State University in Dayton has a lot of the original negatives. That's where I heard the story of so many negatives being damaged from the flood.
It’s always interesting to learn of possible earlier attempts for anything. But please, people, let’s put this one to bed. Two Wrights do make for many, many wrongs.
@ For sure. I guess I should clarify by saying the “wrongs” are the people saying someone other than the Wright Bros were the first in controlled / machine powered flight. If there was any credible evidence for anyone else it would have come out long ago.
Ha! Well I didn’t know exactly how to take it so that’s why the answer was a bit generic. I like everyone being able to share and have conversations, but I had never heard of people questioning it until I got some of the comments on this video. But I know some people just are into conspiracy theories, even if in a half joking way. Like people into Big Foot roaming the woods. With the exception of a small number, most are just having fun with it. But it’s hard to know in text form if someone is serious or saying it with a wink and a smile!
Yes, it was incredibly dangerous. It took a lot of development before airplanes became safe. This was only the third attempt the Wrights made to build a workable machine that could fly, and ultimately they kept it under control and in the air for 40 minutes. Simply amazing.
Be careful with what you say @5:06 "On the very very first airplane flight ever..." That is factually incorrect. The Wright Bros. are NOT the first to fly a powered airplane. Langley had his steam-powered airplane flying in the late 1800s (see photo of it flying May 6, 1896 ). Although it was an unmanned test flight, it nonetheless was a powered airplane that flew. Its no different than when the Russians flew their space shuttle unmanned. It still flew and it was still a space shuttle. back to Langle who hired a test pilot who successfully flew the airplane, but because he had no way of controlling it, it crashed on landing. On a second attempt, the plane hit the catapult and wrecked the wing. The French also had a gasoline-powered airplane flying as well, before the Wright Bros. But those early flights had one fundamental problem: and it's what the Wright Bros. are famous for fixing. The Brothers are the first (and it's what you see in that iconic photo you mention @5:06) to conduct a Powered "CONTROLLED" fight, thus revolutionizing airplanes into practical flying machines. The Wright Flyer had wing warping, and a movable elevator and rudder. The Wright Flyer 3 was used to "perfect" this ability to control an airplane. North Carolina's car plate "first in flight" is not entirely accurate. "First in flight" of what? The USAF Museum there in Dayton even recognizes this. They represent Wright Bros flight as being the "First Controlled fight". The USAF Museum got it right. So the next time you mention the Wrights make sure you make the distinction of them being the first to conduct a controlled powered fight and not necessarily the first in a powered fight. I'll give you another example of misinformation. Igor Sikorsky is often credited with inventing the Helicopter. Wrong. Helicopters were flying before him. But again, they were uncontrollable because no one knew how to control Torque. What Sikorsky did was invent the tail rotor system that overcame torque and allowed the helicopter to be controllable, which revolutionized helicopters into practical flying machines. Like the Wright Bros., Sikorsky is the first powered "Controlled" Helicopter flight. But not the first to fly a helicopter.
Thanks for the comment. I think the stumbling block here is the definition of “airplane.” Langley’s 1896 aerodrome was a remarkable experiment, but it doesn’t fit the definition of an airplane as we understand it today. An airplane is a powered, heavier-than-air craft capable of controlled, sustained flight, and carrying a pilot is a key factor in its practicality. Langley’s aerodrome was unmanned and uncontrollable, meaning it couldn’t achieve practical or repeatable flight. While Langley’s work contributed to aviation, his craft was a flying machine-not an airplane. The Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, on the other hand, met every criterion of a true airplane: it was powered, controlled, sustained, and carried a human pilot. That’s why their achievement is recognized globally-not just in the United States, but also in schools across France, Germany, China, and Russia. The Wright Brothers didn’t just make something fly; they revolutionized aviation by making controlled flight possible.
It’s amazing progress. Government funded progress to win two world wars and the Cold War. But it shows what we can accomplish if we rally together and put our minds to a goal.
The first to fly? No, the Montgolfier Brothers invented the first hot air balloon that carried humans aloft in 1783. But the first airplane, Orville Wright flew it. Just like Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Elvis is dead, and Big Foot is imaginary.
Yes, it was definitely a nice piece of equipment! The Wright brothers had a habit of investing in quality tools and equipment. Their bicycle business was doing well-especially with their high-end Van Cleve model, which sold for $60-$100, depending on the options. Photography was also a hobby of theirs and they had their own dark room at home. They got the camera to make sure they could capture their experiments firsthand. I read somewhere that with the bike business, each of them had an income about 3x higher than the average income of their day. They weren't wealthy but they had an income.
What they were doing was very, very dangerous and they did a lot of planning to try to limit the risk the best they could, including flying pretty low to the ground. They were lucky and survived all of their crashes. Wilbur passed away from Typhoid Fever in 1912. Orville lived to be an old man but he did have the crash in 1908 that killed his passenger and caused Orville physical issues the rest of his life. Some of their students were killed when they were operating the school, according to what I have been told.
@@Zach_OnTheMap Thanks for the input. I have to read more about them in detail. Interesting men. Lots of material about them so research should be easy to come by. I've always been interested in early aviation, brave people.
well im not a Wright brother or have knowledge of their thoughts while designing the plane. In saying that we have the the knowledge of current and past aircraft to draw thoughts from. they didn't have aircraft or any other similar machine todraw ideas from.. As much as we try to put alll those images and knowledge of past and present aircraft, our mind and ideas are based of that point.. wright brothers legit had none of that... so its easy to state and point out flaws when you have aviation knowledge from decades after their time...
All true. They weren’t engineers and didn’t have any background that would make you think they could build a flying machine. They did read everything they could get their hands on, but not everything they read was even correct, so they had to experiment and work their way through it. And I’m not sure you could even say the airplane had flaws. Like anything in human history, there were ways to improve it, but the concepts they put together to create this machine are recognizable in the planes we design even today.
What's always intrigued me about the Wright brothers is how, they certainly weren't dummies, but why did they put the elevators out front? Didn't it occur to them, that every bird in the world, has its elevator feathers in the rear? With the elevators in the rear, this would have made their early planes at least 10 times more stable. Hard to understand why they did that
That’s a great consideration. In researching the brothers, there is a theme of safety. They knew a lot of people had been killed trying to fly and were not daredevils. It is said that a couple of their thoughts on mounting the elevator in front of the pilot were, one, if the plane nosed down suddenly, having it in front would allow them to recover more quickly, and lessen the impact of a crash. It would act as a buffer to quickly bring the nose back up, and maybe it seemed logical if you want to bring the nose up, having the control surface there made sense. Again, these were unproven ideas, but their thoughts at the time. A second thought, perhaps an afterthought, but something they are said to have considered, was that having the structure in front of the pilot would give the pilot something to block him from the initial impact with the ground. Without that structure in front, the pilot would have sat in the leading edge of the aircraft, and been the first thing to hit. But the elevator was moved to the back pretty early on in the evolution of the airplane.
Effectively this was a Canard wing. And prevented the plane from climbing too steeply and thus stalling out and falling backwards and down. If the canard/elevator climbed too high it would stall first and begin to lose lift on the front and tilt downwards again, leveling the plane before the main wings lost lift. ALL to be SAFER.
The Wright Brothers put the elevator out front to be in less turbulent air, therefore it was more effective. In current terminology, at the slow speeds they were traveling, the elevator would have more "control authority "
Well it’s easy to say when he’s not here to defend himself, but it’s also not a subject I know anything about. Also worth noting that it’s not his property because he’s dead and has been for a long time. I don’t think there is any connection to him other than that he donated the money to start the place. But I hear your position.
They were an admirable couple of experimenters and engineers, but they did not "invent" the airplane. They invented a particular type of airplane. As admirable as that was, their design was a dead end. Mainstream aviation never took to the canard, wing warping, pusher , chain driven engines and their weird control system, with hip shifting and two separate sticks for pitch and yaw. Bleriot was a lot closer to what an "airplane" would look and function like, in general, for the next 100+ years.
I hear what you are saying, but of course the Wright Brothers are universally recognized as the inventors of the airplane. That's the advantage they had of being the first, and the advantage of those that came latter is that they were able to see what worked and what didn't, and what could be improved. That process of innovation and evolution is incredible to witness and study. But you are right that the things you mentioned did change. It's true. I think it was still the airplane though.
Wilbur said "Getting in the air was the easy part, Lots of people had done it before them, but a means of STAYING in the air without soon crashing. was the crux of the matter, and that required CONTROL" , which was the basis of his patents. Technically, the brothers invented ways to CONTROL air vehicles so they would continue to fly, the most important innovations were EFFECTIVE 3- axis control and also coupling the rudder and roll controls to cancel the tendency of the warping of the wings to turn the craft when asymmetric drag pushed back on the highest wing in a roll correction.
Ha! What part isn’t believable!? You don’t think it was an airplane, or you don’t think it flew, or the Wrights didn’t build it, or you think the Wright Brothers weren’t real people?
It’s such a shame they ruined there reputation by lying about their first flight. Gustav Whitehead has now been officially recognised as the first powered flight.
I believe that Orville Wright flew the first airplane, that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and that Elvis is dead. But there will always be conspiracy theories.
Absolute nonsense. The Whitehead claims are an excellent example of grifting. Whiteheads aircraft never flew but the grifters probably think he flew in formation with Richard Pearse!
This is my video on Huffman Prairie, the place the brothers learned to fly this plane. ua-cam.com/video/nj_ROhZQ4x8/v-deo.html
The Wright brothers didn't actually make the first powered flight. That honor belongs to Richard Pearse of New Zealand, who successfully flew his aircraft 9 months earlier than the Wright brothers. Richard's aircraft also featured ailerons, which the Wright Flyer lacked (having only elevator & rudder control)
@@boydw1
In an interview with published on 10 May 1915 in the Austrailian newspaper The Evening Star, Richard Pearse gave credit to the Wright Brothers for making the first airplane flight in the following statement:
'The honor of invonting the aeroplane cannot be assigned wholly to one man; like most other' inventions, it is the product of many minds, After all, there is nothing that succeeds like success, and for this reason pre-eminence will undoubtedly be given to the Wright brothers, of America, when the history of tho aeroplane is vn itten, as they were the first to a-:tuady mako successful flights "with a motordriven aeroplane." '
Also, you are correct is saying that the 1903 Wright Flyer did not have ailerons, but instead they used 'wing warping' to achieve the same effect in their patented control system, which also included a horizontal control surface as well as a vertical rudder. And in their US Patent #821343, they stated that in regard to wing warping, "We wish it to be understood, however, that our invention is not limited to this particular construction, since any construction whereby the angular relations of the lateral margins of the aeroplanes may be varied in opposite directions with respect to the normal planes of said aeroplanes comes within the scope of our invention.', which a later court ruled also included ailerons.
@@boydw1 According to this History Guy video ua-cam.com/video/F-suOpy3rQU/v-deo.html Pearse wrote to a newspaper in 1915, "The honour of inventing the aeroplane is the product of many minds. Preeminence will undoubtedly be given to the Wright brothers, as they were actually the first to make successful flights with a motor driven aeroplane." Pierce was dismissive of his early efforts and said his first flights were too bumpy and out-of-control to really count.
@@johnd.crofts7901 I'm hardly surprised that an american youtuber is being dismissive of Richard Pearse's accomplishment.
Richard's first flight was just as successful as the first flights of the Wright Brothers, bar the inferior landing terrain.
The LAST airplane that Orville flew was a 4 engine Constellation airliner in 1946. The plane picked him up in Dayton. During the flight, the pilot invited him into the cockpit and let him have a turn at the yoke. Afterwards, he turned on the autopilot and was pleased. "I always thought that an airplane should be able to fly itself" he remarked. And THIS was only 43 years since the very first flight. Remarkable progress!
He saw such an evolution from what he and his brother started with. Thanks for sharing this story.
Now look up Thomas Sopwith - he ran an aircraft company from before WW1 and the last product he was involved in was the Hawker Harrier (and was around long enough to see the Space Shuttle fly).
It was a hell of a century.
Only 66 years from the first flight to landing on the moon !!!
But two wars where aviation was a strong focus
Having been born and raised in Dayton I was lucky enough to have an interesting connection to the Wrights. In the early 80s I had an older gentleman and his wife bring their 1937 Dodge Pick-up to my body shop, It had a smashed left front fender due to a motorcycle strike. I gave them a $200.00 quote and they offered to leave the truck. I noticed this truck was in amazing shape except for the zillion paint splatters covering it. The owner, Ralph, commented he was a painter...houses and such and bought the truck new! Then he added that he was also the Wright brothers painter, if they had something to be painted, he did it!
Well....having shook the hand that shook the Wright's...I knew I was in the presence of history!
The fender repair went quickly, but, the more time I spent with this gem the more I knew I couldn't just fix the fender alone....so I prepped the whole truck! It was a ton of work, for sure.
Painted back it's original tu-tone burnt orange body with black fenders and running boards.
Fast forward a couple weeks and I call Ralph to let him know he could come get his truck, he wanted to know if his fender came out ok, I told him his fender was as new.
He and the wife get to my shop and I walk them through to the back room where it was stationed behind two big doors. (I staged the room with lights like a dealership) I flung the doors open and when they saw that truck glistening before them there was shock then panic! "I can't afford all this work." Says Ralph!
I informed Ralph he owed me the $200.00 that I quoted him to fix his fender and that truck wasn't leaving until I got it!
Tears, hugs, and joy filled the room.
You can't imaging how much work I got off that truck, everybody Ralph knew brought me their vehicles!
Ralph Guston was my friend through to the end of his life. R.I.P
That's a great story! Thanks for sharing. I wasn't old enough to know people who knew the Wrights, but I still run across people south of Dayton in Lebanon who knew Neil Armstrong. He lived there 20+ years after his NASA days. My 4th grade teacher's farm was next to his, and their kids were in scouts together. He flew gliders and planes at the local airports, and there are a lot of stories and pictures. I would talk to a lady at the airport occasionally, and one day I saw a picture at a local museum of her husband in a plane with Neil. In talking to her, I never realized she spend time with the first man on the moon. These stories make these famous people seem more real, and it helps you realize that they are just people too. They are well known, but they are just people like us.
@@Zach_OnTheMap There is another coincidence, Requarth Lumber was my 'go to' for exotic and special lumber. They often allowed me the privilege of going upstairs to search on my own. Once during a search for Walnut, I happened upon a large, long piece of lumber with a paper tag attached.
Imagine the rush I got when I read the tag..."HOLD FOR ORVILLE'... !!!!
Carry on.
That’s amazing! I have been in there and it still looks like it’s from a time that the brothers were around. I remember my grandfather going in there and picking out lumber for kitchen cabinets he was building for his own house after he retired.
very good :)
@jimmywright5054 Thank you!
I am 81 now - took my first flying lesson in 1958. I got my Private in 1965 and my A&P in 1966. I retired from the airlines (as a B67 Captain with over 11,000 hrs. Your tour is absolutely RIVETING. THANK YOU very much, sir.
Thank you for taking the time to tell your story. I'm glad to hear that it reached you and that you enjoyed it.
I was born in 1958. I took my first and sadly my only formal flight lesson at Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia in 1996. God bless you!
Thanks for sharing and thanks for the positivity!
Thanks for the tour. Well done. I made the same tour with my wife and kids in 2003, when Dayton was celebrating the 100th anniversary of flight.
Oh yes, that was a big year in Dayton. Thanks for the compliment.
Whenever I hear that Orville died in 1948 in reminds me of the pace of aviation development. The B-29 was in service and its wingspan was longer than the distance of the Flyer's first flight. The X-1 had broken the sound barrier. The jet-powered F-86 was flying and was capable of breaking the sound barrier in a shallow dive. Idk how sound his mind was but I hope he was also amazed.
It is astounding how fast it all happened. And of course man on the moon was only a couple decades after his passing. My general understanding of his thoughts are that he was very proud of what he and his brother had started, and wanted to preserve that legacy. That he was in fact amazed at how fast everything evolved, even though he wasn't involved with the progress past about 1915 when he sold his company. He was humble enough that he didn't try to take any credit for what people accomplished beyond him. And there is evidence that he was concerned about the use of the airplane in war. His ideology was that he created this great thing that could bring people closer together, and yet lived to see it drop nuclear bombs. But as war often does, it accelerated the technology beyond anything that it probably would have seen without that incentive to spend and innovate.
All of those advancements were with analog, empirical data and SLIDE RULE calculations, do not underestimate our science forefathers
That’s a great point. The evolution of all knowledge over the past few hundred years is astounding, and it keeps accelerating. I have been using some AI based platforms over the past year and sometimes I just shake my head in amazement of what information we have the ability to learn on the device in our pocket. They were searching for books and papers all over the world, and writing letters back and forth about ver seas trying to learn whatever they could.
@@JosephOlson-ld2td A bit of a misnomer about slide rulers. Most people used a slide ruler that was about a foot long and you could get 3 places of accuracy. Longer ones were available that were a bit more accurate but they were rare and I never saw one. If you needed more places, mechanical calculators were available. If you needed precision and couldn't afford anything better, there were log and trig books that would give you enough accuracy. More precision isn't always better if your measurements and machines can't handle it. They stressed that when you were learning how to use a slide ruler along with the fact that the least significant place wasn't that accurate. Yes, I started out and still have my slide ruler however not long after that, advanced portable calculators came out. Look up the Texas Instruments SR51 which was about $300 at the time it was introduced. HP was first but was more expensive and cumbersome to use.
thank you for not rushing, this was wonderful
Thank you! It's hard to decide what is too little and what is too much information for a video. I may make a shorter version some day for those wanting a quick story, but I wanted to make this video for people who may not have had a chance to see this museum, and go through what they would experience if they were there the best I could without being boring to most people.
Thanks for a nice film. I did my solo long distance navigation training from Murfreesboro, TN straight north to Baltimore, then south by the shoreline to Kitty Hawk and landed on First Flight airport, stayed there for one night then flew straight west back to Murfreesboro. This was back in 1989. Our flight school had a FAA instructor who had Orville Wright giving him his private certificate.
That's a great story! I like your last line mentioning Orville. When you hear these connections to people you have met, it makes the history seem that much closer. It really wasn't that long ago when you think about the evolution that has occurred since. Thank you for contributing your story.
Well done young man, well done.
Thank you! And thank you for making the effort to say so.
This is the best video I've seen about the Wrights yet; I really enjoyed it! On my channel are 45 or so videos of the first and only 100% ion propelled aircrafts to lift their own onboard power supplies. I have 2 US patents for them. They can't carry people yet, but they do have other advantages.
Thanks for the interesting video!
Thanks, I’ll have to check it out!
Great video. The Wright military flyer at the Smithsonian is a must see if you're there. Oil soaked and grimy, it shows how things really were.
I'm going to take a closer look next time I'm there. I didn't fully understand the significance when I was there previously.
I live about 20 minutes from here and this is a wonderful complex of Dayton history, including the oldest existing building from historic Dayton. The best attraction is this plane and to stand there, sometimes alone, and let the historical significance wash over you is incredible.
Thanks for adding to the conversation! I recently realized that Newcom Tavern is on the logo for the Wright’s Van Cleve bicycle brand. It’s tiny, but the building on the logo is the Tavern, which of course is now there at the park.
My grand parents owned Colonel Deed's home, after his death. A lovely slate roof Tudor, looking up at DCC real close to Sugar camp. I spent many days and holidays in the "castle" My Grandmother knew the Wrights since childhood. Being from Oakwood and old, I sledded in their front yard.
Daytonians, will understand. The park a wonderful place, and Dayton has an amazing history. Excellent vid.
Thank you so much! One thing that I have seen over and over in the comments is the first and second hand accounts of the Wrights, showing that it really wasn’t that long ago. My 8 year old asked me last night, who was the oldest person who ever lived. I found a story of a lady in the US who was born in 1903, just before the brothers flew in December. She died in 2018, and is the oldest validated person to live in the US. That means that someone who was alive before the first airplane flew, was still alive when my 8 year old was born. So it seems like ancient history but it’s really not. And you mentioning that your grandmother knew them goes along with that.
Thanks so much for these Wright Brothers videos. I've been reading to my young grandsons about the Wright Brothers and other early flight history, and I can't wait until they are a little older so I can bring them to some of the sites you have shared in your videos.
Thanks! If you could only pick one place to learn about the Wright Brothers, this is where I would bring them. It's a great balance because it has the real plane, it has a mock up of the shop (even though it's not the real one, it's a good representation of where it happened), it's just down the street from where the Wrights worked, plus it has a good museum with a lot of real artifacts, including their camera, two of their bikes, and all sorts of other authentic pieces.
@@Zach_OnTheMap Thanks for your reply Zach.
I hope you get them there one day, and if not, your stories and their time with you is what is most valuable for them.
Great video tour my friend. I am an aviation and Wright brothers history buff and I really appreciate, not only your very well done video tour and explanation, but your noticeable reverence and excitement for this place and the incredible history it contains. Thank you sir!
Thank you so much for commenting! I appreciate your kind words.
Thank you for making this, I really enjoyed it! Your video communicates well what your refer to as the "intimacy" of this museum.
Thanks! Yes, it feels very personal when you are there. Especially when you go at a non-peak time and pretty well have it to yourself. I was in there alone with the plane quite a bit and it’s quiet and you can just be there in its presence, and it’s a neat feeling.
DONE WELL !!! Informative discussion and excellent photography !!
Thank you very much. I appreciate that you made the effort to compliment.
Excellent video thank you. I was born early jet age ....always loved reading about Orville and Wilbur
Thank you so much for your kind words! Their journey is a testament to hard work, perseverance, and the power of never giving up, even when the odds are against you. It’s a privilege to share stories like theirs, and I’m glad to know that it resonates with others. Together, we help keep their incredible legacy alive for future generations!
Do you have a favorite story about Orville and Wilbur?
I enjoyed the presentation of this video greatly.
Thank you! I enjoyed sharing the experience.
The bicycle mechanics who invented the first flier -just ingenious and amazing --thankyou Wilbur & Orville for your hard work & genius !
It’s amazing everything they figured out and all the pieces to the puzzle that had to sort through and assemble.
Wonderful tour of the park. I really need to visit Carillon park.
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Carillon Park really is worth a visit-it’s not just another historical village with a few old buildings. It has world-class exhibits that you wouldn’t expect to find in a smaller city like Dayton.
very well done ! i enjoyed a lot
Thank you! I enjoyed making it. I always learn a lot.
Such awesome machines and machinery to make them....Thank you for bringing us such awesome videos.
It’s pretty amazing. Thanks for watching and making the effort to share your appreciation.
Wow, so cool.
Wonderful video ! After viewing your video and recognizing the fine narration you’ve done throughout this video I immediately subscribed to your channel ! I’m excited to see what other pieces of our history you’ve uncovered for your viewers, I truly enjoyed your video from beginning to end, your voice is also perfect for this as well. so much of UT has deminished in quality that began watching less and less. Thank you for getting me excited about Utube again 👍
Well I sure do appreciate those kind words. Making the video was my pleasure. I am glad to be able to share these sorts of things with people who may not have seen them, just as I am glad to have learned from so many other creators. It’s a great community and amazing to me how anyone can pick up a camera with virtually no budget at all and share something that others might be interested in or could learn something from. Thanks for making the effort to leave your comment.
Thank you for an excellent presentation .
Thank you for watching!
Well done!
Thank you.
Nice job with your tour!
Thank you!
I remember seeing the display on a highschool field trip back in 1967.
One of the guys there doing tours mentioned to me that he had been there as a kid, maybe similar age to you. He said everything is the same. The doors on the building, the floors, the wall color, it's all the same. Of course they have built a connected building on each side of it to expand the museum and it's air conditioned now, but what you saw then is pretty much what you would see now, and probably about what kids will see after you and I are long gone! It adds to the historic experience I guess.
Do you have any specific memories of visiting in 1967? Sometimes I laugh at the insignificant things I remember from decades ago!
I have been to Kitty Hawk to see the memorial and museum there. I was also there on the 100th Anniversary of the 1st Flight. This was a very well done video. I was unaware of this museum. Kids today have no clue, I hope this will show them how far we have come. Thank You for making this. Great Job!!
Thank you for the compliment. I still need to go to Kitty Hawk. I have drug my kids in here a number of times and I've always tried to just tell them a couple little things about the plane and the brothers each time. It's a fantastic story on so many levels. It's not really that long ago when you think about it, and yet so many things have changed. Of course my kids are an exception because I drag them all over the country going to museums. I don't think the system does a good job teaching history and I'm afraid that is really going to catch up to us one day.
I agree, more history should be taught. Your kids will always remember the trips to the museums and have fond memories. My dad took me to a lot of museums when I was little and grew to love history. I learned a lot from my dad as your kids will from you. Once again thanks for this video. I did a video at a reenactment of the battle of New Market in Va. Take a look at it, I made it look like old time video from the past as if we were there; it is titled …. 147th Anniversary of the New Market Battle - Reenactment.
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience! It’s wonderful to hear how your dad inspired your love of history-those kinds of memories really do stay with us. Your reenactment video sounds like a creative way to bring history to life. I appreciate you taking the time to watch my video and share your thoughts!
great channel very well made videos ,full of info and history!
I appreciate it.
I've been to Kitty Hawk and the Smithsonian . I guess I have one more stop to make. I was absolutely floored by the workmanship on the bicycle in the Smithsonian. After the news of the airplane got out, I wonder how many people said I used to have a Wright bike.
It’s a great exhibit. There is also Huffman prairie where the Wrights flew this plane. The National Park Service also has a museum in the neighborhood where they lived and worked although the final bike shop and house are at Greenfield Village. So a lot of history in the Dayton area. And of course the Air Force Museum which has an original Wright B. There are only 5 bicycles the Wrights built that are accounted for. The one at the Smithsonian is a St. Clair branded bike, and the only one left. The other 4 are the upper end model called the Van Cleve. Three are in Dayton and one at Greenfield Village.
Very nicely done video. Thank you for not rushing. I would like to note that I know of two original Wright Model B's that exist: one is at the National Museum of the US Air Force (also in Dayton), and one is at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. You could also argue that the Vin Fiz was a baby model B. The model B was the first Wright production airplane (>75 built at a factory in West Dayton), and is distinctive for the Wrights since it moved the horizontal stabilizer to the rear with the rudder.
You are very knowledgeable! Thanks for adding to the conversation. I felt that while numerous videos have been made there, I wanted one that was more like what I think you appreciated in this version! I wanted one that would feel like someone was touring the museum and stopping to read the stories. The Vin Fiz story I do know about, and I agree with the way you word it, because it was based on their plane and built at their factory. The Wrights had a hand in its design but primarily it was built by factory workers. It also was heavily modified after its delivery. The planes at Wright Patt and in Philly, and I have seen both, I have had a hard time finding solid information on how original they really are. In both cases they claim the planes are original, concede that that aren’t totally original, but don’t seem to have great records on what’s original and what’s not. The Smithsonian has pretty solid records, especially on the Military Flier. The one in Philly, partly based on the fact that it’s been in museum possession for so long, is probably the most original. Today we of course would try to save everything as original as possible, but likely a lot of things were swapped out in the 1930’s during that first restoration, without being recorded. It was sort of that period of its history where people thought it was special, without realizing how special. Of course preservation of artifacts now is so far beyond what it was then.
My grandma had an identical sewing machine to the one shown. Same model.
It must have been a good model!
The so-called machinist was Charlie Taylor. He was the Wright brothers bicycle mechanic. He built the wind tunnel and the hit and miss engine that ran the machine shop. The engine was a gearless engine, a feat itself. An airplane without an engine is a glider, the Wright would have never been first without Charlie Taylor.
I appreciate you sharing that. I will look that name up…I’m interested in learning more about him.
Wonderful
Thank you. It was a great video to make because I learned so much about the story. Knowing that Orville not only built it, but then considered it the most significant airplane he built, and then restored it late in life...it really made an impression on me.
This is an absolutely brilliant video! Extremely fascinating subject and signifact part of our history narrated with such finesse that made us feel that we are right there. Thank you so much for bringing this to us!
Thank you so much for taking the effort to say so. Creating the video was my pleasure. My goal when I do a museum video is to bring that experience to someone who might otherwise not have been there, and the pleasure is sharing that experience, so I’m glad to hear I was successful!
Dayton (area) was once one of the greatest places on earth. A world center of science and industry. Having spent many years in the machining and tooling industry, I watched as NAFTA destroyed Dayton. It is but a shell of it's former self.
30:53 appears to be an H. Gerstner and sons tool box. I believe they're still in Dayton just southwest of downtown. Every machinist worth his salt had a Gerstner box, even up into the turn of the 21st century.
That's interesting...I didn't know that connection or the significance of the box other than the owner. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, and that's a familiar story for a lot of cities. I think there are a lot of reasons for it, and certainly moving so much manufacturing out of the country drove it. Even air travel though, as airlines have consolidated and offer few direct flights outside of their major hubs. Business leaders want to get around quickly...not sit in airports on layovers. So they move other places. The recession and auto bankruptcies sort of finished off a lot of manufacturing and jobs in Dayton. Wright-Patt has done a lot to keep the area afloat, and having I-75 and I-70 intersecting there helps too.
@@joshuagibson2520 I have two of those boxes, older ones. They are neat. You can buy the plans and hardware from them if you want to build your own.
That’s cool.
This is a good time for me to explain this point. During the first flight, Dec. 17, 1903, no catapult was used, only a stiff breeze to help with takeoff speed. Later, in the early days, the catapult was used.
That’s correct. The key difference is that this plane was used in Dayton, not Kitty Hawk. While Kitty Hawk had sufficient wind for takeoff, Dayton did not, prompting the Wright brothers to devise and implement a catapult system specifically for this plane.
I hope you have heard of Charlie Taylor. He was the machinist who designed and built the engine without him. There would not have been a flying plane. He is that important in aviation history. As far as the number of bicycles go our bike shop in our town of Valparaiso,, Indiana had to Wright bikes in their windows. A good friend of mine in the 70s went on a search for right built bicycles, and he found 10 none of which were in museums. They were in private collections. One of them was still being written by a guy who changed the wheels from being would to having a steel rim, but he kept the original wood ones. So there’s a lot of history to continue to research on this. I hope you do. We did a good video. Just missing a few key points.
Thanks! I am aware of Charlie Taylor and could go on about the Wrights all day, but nobody much watches all day videos! But to your point, there could be a video just about Charles Taylor. As far as the number of bikes, historians have to verify these things. The US National Park Service and the Smithsonian agree there are 5 known bicycles…4 Van Cleves and one St Clair. That seems to be the agreed consensus and the best number to use in the video as they are generally reliable and quotable sources. The Wrights are thought to have only built about 300 bicycles total. So if another original exists it would be highly sought after from museums globally. Another interesting thing is that the Wrights bought almost every component from other manufacturers and assembled those parts under their brand names. I suppose that’s how most bike manufactures are today in fairness, but I think it’s a bit different situation than some might assume. They didn’t build their own frame or wheels or anything like that. A lot of it came from the company that latter became Huffy. The “Huffy” comes from Huffman, the brother of the guy who let the Wrights use his field to fly their plane. Definitely lots of interesting history. Thanks for the comment and expanding the conversation!
Very cool,,Thank you
Thanks!
And parts of the Wright Flyer I went to the Moon and back on Apollo 11 in 1969.
Yes, I believe that was a decision made by Neil Armstrong, and that they were part of his personal items that each astronaut could take with him. That was so symbolic of the full circle that had taken place in only 65 years.
John Glenn carried a piece of cloth from the Wright Flyer aboard his flight on the space shuttle Discovery. There was an event at Carillon where he donated it.
Yes, in 1998 John Glen was loaned fragments of the original Wright Flyer fabric by Carillon Park to take into orbit on his historic re-visit of space, and the park has that today. I didn’t remember that until you mentioned it. I had to look it up to get re-acclimated. Thanks for sharing.
When was that iconic silent film of a Wright Flyer taking off from what looks like Kitty Hawk with the catapult and everything? As if they were staging a recreation of the first flight for movie cameras.
When did that happen, I've always wondered.
I’m not sure exactly what film you saw, but it’s likely that the earliest footage of the Wright Brothers in flight dates back to 1908. This first known video footage wasn’t filmed at Kitty Hawk but rather during their demonstration flights at Fort Myer, Virginia, and in France. In fact, the French footage is considered the earliest filmed record of their flights. These 1908 flights were still using a plane that closely resembled the original 1903 Flyer, with similar design features, though it had a more powerful engine and improved stability. The Wright Brothers continued to use a catapult for takeoff until around 1910, so the film you saw was likely either from these 1908 demonstrations or from another flight captured before they moved to ground-based takeoffs in 1910.
As someone who has written a play about Katharine Wright, I am always astounded by how little is told about her. That she doesn't appear much in this building is no surprise, as Orville designed it. Late in her life (Wilbur had already passed) she was pursued by and fell in love with an old, college crush from Oberlin. When Harry told Orville that he was going to marry his sister, Orville reacted by cutting her completely out of his life. He didn't attend the wedding, needless to say, and returned all of her letters unread. He only saw her once more, on her deathbed in Kansas City when she died, tragically, of pneumonia. I've no doubt the brothers would have flown without Katharine but, at their request, she joined them in Pau, France. There she met all the Kings and Prime Ministers who came to see the aeroplane and who, ultimately, ordered them for their respective countries. In large part to Katharine's credit, the three Wrights returned to America as millionaires.
It’s great to have you adding more depth to this story. Katharine Wright truly was such a significant figure, not just for her brothers but in her own right. She sacrificed a lot for Orville and Wilbur, especially when Orville had his 1908 crash-she gave up her teaching career to care for him and remained dedicated to her family. Her loyalty and strength were undeniable.
Katharine was also a vibrant part of Dayton’s society, raising funds for various community causes and using her position to benefit others. It’s unfortunate that her marriage led to such a rift with Orville, who felt so betrayed he essentially cut her out of his life, as if she had abandoned him. That kind of estrangement must have been incredibly painful for both of them. However, I’ve heard it was through the efforts of another brother that Orville was persuaded to see her near the end.
It’s touching that she rests between her brothers in the family plot, along with their parents. I recently filmed a visit to their gravesite, and it felt like such a meaningful reminder of her place within the Wright family. I also made a video at the National Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, where Katharine’s contributions to aviation history are woven into the exhibits. I didn’t show every part, but she’s featured prominently, and the museum does a great job of telling her story.
In his tool box in second drawer is a silver round thing with a pencil extension. Its next to the round brass colored thing. This is an RPM gauge and I have the exact same one in my box. Wow.
It’s amazing that you noticed that! And that has to be a cool feeling to know you have the same tool the Wright Brothers used!
My family was there couple years ago interesting place
It’s a nice place. Quite a few interesting exhibits including this one.
Been there, then discovered my brother and his family that live there never have been! When I saw it, they claimed it still had its original fabric...
I think that happens a lot, where locals don't visit the places right there under their nose. Kind of like people that live near the beech often don't go to the beech. The original fabric exists in various places. One of the largest portions is at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton in their early aviation section. I believe it's the entire piece from one of the four wings. I believe that Carillon Park also has a portion of it under glass in another part of the museum. Some small pieces exist in other places and some were even given away as small tokens, such as when they gave pieces away to encourage people to return parts of this plane for the refurbishment. If they had to foresight at the time, they probably could have preserved it better. Even this plane used to sit in that room with the windows and doors open to the humidity and sunlight. They know better now.
On a private, off-season research trip to the Henry Ford museum, I heard the door slam and found myself alone in the Wright home in Orville's second floor bedroom. Wanting to make the most of the opportunity, I spontaneously closed my eyes and without a moment's hesitation, beseeched his spirit for a sign. In my career I'd been in morgues, asylums, prisons, battlefields and haunted houses without incident, but actually ASKING for a sign turned out to be a major mistake. I was overcome with a powerful sensation of rising cold and an electric tingle which stood my hair on end and produced an overwhelming fear. I sprang from the bed I was sitting on, ran out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, totally relinquishing a chance to explore the shrine of my heroes.
I like your handle!
@@Zach_OnTheMap Thanks, though It doesn't really apply here. Thanks for a great video.
It’s like personalized license plates. You can figure out what it says but not necessarily the context, and are left guessing! I have been in the house at Greenfield. I’ve also been to the site the house sat on in Dayton, which is still vacant and is owned by the National Park Service. It has the outline of the house marked out. What is crazy is that there is a private residence across from it that was built as an exact (as possible) copy of it. Someone actually lives in it. They must have really been fans. I’m sure the city wishes the real house was still there, but they say that people in Dayton at the time were thrilled that Henry Ford was moving it to his park. It was a real honor. And honestly the move probably saved it because it’s doubtful it would have been taken care of.
@@Zach_OnTheMap That's interesting. I guess they weren't ALL thrilled. Too bad Henry couldn't have restored it in situ. The home's authenticity, despite his obsession to detail, is definitely depleted in the relocation. I have since learned Greenfield Village is situated on a First Nation's burial ground, so my ill advised efforts at necromancy may have been misdirected. At first I interpreted the hostility I felt as the Wrights not appreciating what the aeroplane has come to be, a WMD. After all, it was for that reason Santos-Dumont repeatedly tried to end it all and was eventually successful, but in retrospect, it may have been the Indian Spirits I'd disturbed. This happened thirty years ago and I assure you I've not tried anything as sketchy ever since.
But I’ll remember your story next time I’m there.
I have the exact same singer sewing machine.
Me too
It must have been a great model!
I was at Carillon Park last week. For another function.b paid my $12 to go look at the plane. Really cool.
I’m glad you got to see it in person! Just to clarify for anyone reading, the admission covers a full day at Carillon Park, not just the airplane exhibit.
@Zach_OnTheMap yes. I did not have time to take it all in. It sits in the reproduction of the wright brother s bicycle shop which was moved to Greenfield village in Michigan several years ago.
Yes, the original buildings (house and last bike shop) were moved to Greenfield Village in 1936. The second to the last bike shop is still in Dayton and owned by the National Park Service. It sits in its original location on the west side of Dayton very near where the house and last shop were before being moved. I’m going to have upcoming videos covering some of those places.
Wonder what light WOOD type --- the Wrights used for the WING & spar struts they stretched fabric over ?--Pine ?
I assume the pine would have been very light and the ash, while heavier, would give them the strength where they needed it.
Did the elevators actually provide lift as a true canard or just direct air flow?
I’m not an aeronautical engineer, but I would answer by saying, no, it was not a lift producing canard. It was there to direct airflow to adjust pitch.
Have you heard the story abt the original engine….it didn’t have cylinder rings. It was only an interference fit between the bore and cylinder. Wilber was flying the Hudson circuit and realized if he continued to fly sooner or later the engine would fail. An engine is with an Enineering Group in Dayton and they dare not have it travel for any display.
Thanks for adding to the conversation. I didn’t know that story, but it makes sense-that’s probably why they had to guard the fabric from getting saturated with oil. I bet it didn’t help the horsepower rating much, either. As a side note on engines, I believe the engine in the original flyer at the Smithsonian is not original. It may have some original parts, but mostly it was from a latter plane. One reason the plane is only 30% original.
The wright brothers took a lot of time and effort to protect their invention. they justifiably understood that once it became successful, others would claim to be the first. Including Curtis who's efforts to fly were failures.
They figured out all the hard parts that eluded everyone who came before them. And it’s true that everyone else did try to take the ideas.
Shame that more people are not aware of Katharine Wright Haskell contribution to the history of flight and without here, Wright brothers probably would have never flown.
Yes, she was there through all of it. She was a very intelligent and educated person. They were a very close family, although her eventual marriage did drive Orville to distance himself from her. I don’t fully understand the psychology there on his part, but he did seem to have second thoughts at the end of her life and she is buried between the two brothers on the same plot as their parents.
Great video, just curious why the Smithsonian has the plane that's only 30% original in this place has the one that's 80% original.....
Great question. The plane at the Smithsonian is the first airplane, so it's an incredibly important artifact. I was told 30% by a tour guide, so I don't want to get too hung up on that number, and besides, how would anyone know for sure? And I assume 30% from the first flight. But assuming that's the number, there are several factors. 1) They had many minor crashes necessitating rebuilds. 2) The planes were damaged on the train trip between Dayton and NC, so again they needed to build new parts 3) The older planes were robbed of their parts to build the next plane. In fact, the second plane doesn't exist at all because they used so much of it to build the third one. 4) The fabric rotted over time and had to be replaced. The plane in this video is probably 80% from the last time it flew, not the first time it flew. It was also the last experimental plane they developed, so they weren't robbing parts from it to build a new one. And finally, Orville gave the plane to Carillon Park because he wanted them to have it. He didn't offer it to the Smithsonian. This is a great artifact, but the airplane at the Smithsonian is the very first one.
"Original Langley Flying Machine, 1903" imposter in the Smithsonian until 1943 patent ruling by SCOTUS
Well that’s a whole big drama there! And an entire video on its own. A lot of conflict of interest going on in Washington then, just like today.
'Wow'...!
It's cool to see.
The internet and our phones, another huge leap.
I remember my grandmother, who was born around 1910, saying that the inventions of her life time wouldn’t be matched, but would be greatly improved upon. That’s what she was seeing near the end of her life. It’s incredible what changes she saw in her 100 years, and also incredible what we are doing with those things, from phones and computers and AI, to airplanes and satellites. It’s amazing progress in a very short time. There are people still alive today that knew Orville personally. It’s a lot in a very short time.
I remember a documentary of the 2003 reenactment with the new reproduction Wright Flyer. In it, they said that the fabric was not made any more and they had to substitute it with a similar, but reasonable facsimile of it. Hard to know what details they give are actually true or just the best they can give. However these are not the same airplane. This is the third version and theirs was a copy of the first. So maybe there's the catch.
And this was restored in the late 1940’s so something may have been available then, only 45 years after the first flight, compared to what was available 100 years down the road. I also had conflicting information on if the fabric on the plane now dates back to that original restoration in the 40’s or if it was reworked again.. One tour guide said it had been replaced since, but another said the scar on the wing was from a cigarette butt in the 60’s, which made me think it was the fabric from the original restoration. I tend to think the latter is true. It’s kept in a dark temperature and humidity controlled environment and people aren’t touching it. I think it would last a long time.
I’ve seen the right flyer in Washington DC and I’ve seen the airplane you’re showing. Why does everybody say those are bicycle chains that are running the props they are not that’s machinery chain. I guess the brothers, thought the bicycle chains weren’t heavy enough to handle the load, but those things are way bigger like farm machinery chain. I suggest when you go back look at those careful definitely not little bicycle chain. Everybody says that not true. i’ve seen a lot of Bicycles. None have that heavy a chain!! I worked on the Goodyear blimp for 35 years. We used number 41 machine chain to run the elevator wheel that changed to Cable. Everyone with Goodyear called it bicycle chain it was not. I thought the Wright brothers use way too heavy a chain, but they probably didn’t have a lot of choices in the 1900s. But I know one thing that’s not bicycle chain!!
Thanks for your comment and for sharing your insights-it’s always great to hear from someone with such unique experience! You’re right that the chains used on the Wright Flyer-and even on something like the Goodyear blimp-are much heavier and more industrial than a typical bicycle chain. The term “bicycle chain” is more about the design and association than the literal use. That's likely why the Goodyear people refer to it as such, even though I'm sure they understood it was not literally a chain from a bicycle. I don't think the FAA would buy into that! The Wright brothers were bicycle mechanics, so their familiarity with the concept of chain drives likely influenced their choice. While the chain they used had to be scaled up to handle the load of propellers, it still operated on the same basic principles as a bicycle chain.
This kind of terminology sticks because it’s a simple way to describe something people already understand, even if it’s not technically the same. Thanks for pointing this out-it’s always fascinating to think about how these engineering decisions were made with the technology they had at the time!
That bicycle is a very elegant machine. Someone should make reproductions of it and sell them.
You are the first person to comment on the bike! I thought the bike was amazing both from the standpoint of who built it and because there are only 5 that are accounted for. They say it was an upper-end bicycle for its day, with prices ranging between $65-$100 US, which a quick inflation calculator shows the upper model would be over $3k in today’s dollars. They built about 300 bikes under a couple brands but these were called Van Cleve, and were the upper-end of the two. There are 3 if these in Dayton, one at the Henry Ford in Detroit and one at the Smithsonian, but I believe the one at the Smithsonian actually belongs to the Henry Ford and is on loan.
I think you missed one Wright airplane: the Vin Fiz at the Smithsonian.
Thanks for pointing that out. It is sort of a gradient of Wright Brothers involvement as you get out further like that. These first two oldest planes were built by the Wright Brothers. The military flyer was probably partly worked on by the brothers, at least some key components, but by then they had hired labor to help. The Vin Fiz was built at the Wright Factory by hired workers. The Brothers helped design the original version, but it was heavily modified after they delivered it. And I don’t believe they built the plane from a labor standpoint. So the original version was a Wright plane from a company ownership standpoint.
when they had their first successful flights at Huffman prairie, because there had been a lot of fraudulent claims around the country about being the first to fly. the Chicago newspaper barely mentioned their achievement.
Thank you for contributing! I can see if the paper had been burned before on reporting a false claim that they would be really hesitant to report something they didn’t have multiple strong sources confirming. And the brothers were very hesitant to fly if there were any onlookers, especially if they had cameras, because they were so fearful of their ideas being stolen before they got their patents. And I’ve heard the story not just at this museum that there were plenty of people around the globe who doubted they had flown, up until they had their patents and started doing demonstration flights globally toward the end of the decade, 1908-ish.
There is a replica built by the Japanese at Pioneer Village in Nebraska. They decided that, built to the original plans it couldn't fly.
That’s sad. I wonder what they did wrong. It’s frustrating to have a project like that and not be able to get it to work. But even for the Wrights it was tough to fly. They had a lot of experience by the time they actually flew, and even with that experience and the fact that they designed and built it, they could only get the original plane to fly seconds at a time. This plane corrected the early issues and allowed them to repeatedly take off and land, fly as long as 40 minutes at a time, and demonstrate it to militaries in the US and Europe. Did you get a chance to see the replica?
I hear the Wrights purchased SPRUCE from a local lumber co in Ohio --for the wing frame construction ?
Requarth Lumber was the store, and it’s still operating in Dayton today. The main frame was built of spruce, but in components that needed more strength they used Ash.
@@Zach_OnTheMap Thankyou ---for the clarification --so spruce and ash were used ---amazing !
Spruce & ash must be light as well --?
Those are the woods I understand to have been used. The fact that the store is still in business adds to the close feeling of the history.
We take human fight for granted..
Yep, which I think is true of so many things. We flip a switch and we instantly light up the room, not thinking of all the thought that went into the initial invention. And like the plane, the light bulb changed the world only a short time ago. Henry Ford knew both Orville Wright and Thomas Edison personally, just to give some context to the timing of all three of their world-changing inventions.
I have a copy photograph that was produced from an original photo that was produced from that glass negative.
That negative was fortunate to have been stored securely by the brothers. Many of their glass negatives were damaged when their shop flooded in the great flood of 1913 that devastated much of Dayton. A lot of images that exist from the earliest flights have noticeable damage, although some were restored with varying degrees of success. Interestingly, the original airplane that made the first flight was in the low level of the building, and it was inundated with water, suffering a lot of damage as well. So we are lucky that any of it exists.
@@Zach_OnTheMap I worked with a technical writer that years earlier had done some writing on a project about the Wright Brothers and that's how he got an original photograph from the negative, I had a copy made from his original photograph. I have had it for over 35 years. I had a negative from his photo but I can't find it.
@@Zach_OnTheMap A friend of my dad in Florida had a piece of one of their airplanes, I don't know what ever happened to it.
That's really cool. I know that Wright State University in Dayton has a lot of the original negatives. That's where I heard the story of so many negatives being damaged from the flood.
It’s always interesting to learn of possible earlier attempts for anything. But please, people, let’s put this one to bed. Two Wrights do make for many, many wrongs.
The Wrights weren’t perfect, but their persistence really paid off.
@ For sure. I guess I should clarify by saying the “wrongs” are the people saying someone other than the Wright Bros were the first in controlled / machine powered flight. If there was any credible evidence for anyone else it would have come out long ago.
Ha! Well I didn’t know exactly how to take it so that’s why the answer was a bit generic. I like everyone being able to share and have conversations, but I had never heard of people questioning it until I got some of the comments on this video. But I know some people just are into conspiracy theories, even if in a half joking way. Like people into Big Foot roaming the woods. With the exception of a small number, most are just having fun with it. But it’s hard to know in text form if someone is serious or saying it with a wink and a smile!
According to reports a dangerously instable aircraft.
Yes, it was incredibly dangerous. It took a lot of development before airplanes became safe. This was only the third attempt the Wrights made to build a workable machine that could fly, and ultimately they kept it under control and in the air for 40 minutes. Simply amazing.
Be careful with what you say @5:06 "On the very very first airplane flight ever..." That is factually incorrect. The Wright Bros. are NOT the first to fly a powered airplane. Langley had his steam-powered airplane flying in the late 1800s (see photo of it flying May 6, 1896 ). Although it was an unmanned test flight, it nonetheless was a powered airplane that flew. Its no different than when the Russians flew their space shuttle unmanned. It still flew and it was still a space shuttle. back to Langle who hired a test pilot who successfully flew the airplane, but because he had no way of controlling it, it crashed on landing. On a second attempt, the plane hit the catapult and wrecked the wing. The French also had a gasoline-powered airplane flying as well, before the Wright Bros. But those early flights had one fundamental problem: and it's what the Wright Bros. are famous for fixing. The Brothers are the first (and it's what you see in that iconic photo you mention @5:06) to conduct a Powered "CONTROLLED" fight, thus revolutionizing airplanes into practical flying machines. The Wright Flyer had wing warping, and a movable elevator and rudder. The Wright Flyer 3 was used to "perfect" this ability to control an airplane. North Carolina's car plate "first in flight" is not entirely accurate. "First in flight" of what? The USAF Museum there in Dayton even recognizes this. They represent Wright Bros flight as being the "First Controlled fight". The USAF Museum got it right. So the next time you mention the Wrights make sure you make the distinction of them being the first to conduct a controlled powered fight and not necessarily the first in a powered fight. I'll give you another example of misinformation. Igor Sikorsky is often credited with inventing the Helicopter. Wrong. Helicopters were flying before him. But again, they were uncontrollable because no one knew how to control Torque. What Sikorsky did was invent the tail rotor system that overcame torque and allowed the helicopter to be controllable, which revolutionized helicopters into practical flying machines. Like the Wright Bros., Sikorsky is the first powered "Controlled" Helicopter flight. But not the first to fly a helicopter.
Thanks for the comment. I think the stumbling block here is the definition of “airplane.” Langley’s 1896 aerodrome was a remarkable experiment, but it doesn’t fit the definition of an airplane as we understand it today. An airplane is a powered, heavier-than-air craft capable of controlled, sustained flight, and carrying a pilot is a key factor in its practicality. Langley’s aerodrome was unmanned and uncontrollable, meaning it couldn’t achieve practical or repeatable flight.
While Langley’s work contributed to aviation, his craft was a flying machine-not an airplane. The Wright Brothers’ 1903 Flyer, on the other hand, met every criterion of a true airplane: it was powered, controlled, sustained, and carried a human pilot. That’s why their achievement is recognized globally-not just in the United States, but also in schools across France, Germany, China, and Russia. The Wright Brothers didn’t just make something fly; they revolutionized aviation by making controlled flight possible.
just imagined only 60 y later man set foot on the moon .
It’s amazing progress. Government funded progress to win two world wars and the Cold War. But it shows what we can accomplish if we rally together and put our minds to a goal.
But don't forget the wright brothers weren't the first.
The first to fly? No, the Montgolfier Brothers invented the first hot air balloon that carried humans aloft in 1783. But the first airplane, Orville Wright flew it. Just like Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Elvis is dead, and Big Foot is imaginary.
$70 in 1903 = $2,508.08 in 2024
Yes, it was definitely a nice piece of equipment! The Wright brothers had a habit of investing in quality tools and equipment. Their bicycle business was doing well-especially with their high-end Van Cleve model, which sold for $60-$100, depending on the options. Photography was also a hobby of theirs and they had their own dark room at home. They got the camera to make sure they could capture their experiments firsthand. I read somewhere that with the bike business, each of them had an income about 3x higher than the average income of their day. They weren't wealthy but they had an income.
Flying that must have been terrifying. I believe Wilbur got killed in one in 1911, not sure.
What they were doing was very, very dangerous and they did a lot of planning to try to limit the risk the best they could, including flying pretty low to the ground. They were lucky and survived all of their crashes. Wilbur passed away from Typhoid Fever in 1912. Orville lived to be an old man but he did have the crash in 1908 that killed his passenger and caused Orville physical issues the rest of his life. Some of their students were killed when they were operating the school, according to what I have been told.
@@Zach_OnTheMap Thanks for the input. I have to read more about them in detail. Interesting men. Lots of material about them so research should be easy to come by. I've always been interested in early aviation, brave people.
There are about a half dozen or more biographies if you ever want to get deep into it. A lot of overlap between the books of course!
well im not a Wright brother or have knowledge of their thoughts while designing the plane. In saying that we have the the knowledge of current and past aircraft to draw thoughts from. they didn't have aircraft or any other similar machine todraw ideas from.. As much as we try to put alll those images and knowledge of past and present aircraft, our mind and ideas are based of that point.. wright brothers legit had none of that... so its easy to state and point out flaws when you have aviation knowledge from decades after their time...
All true. They weren’t engineers and didn’t have any background that would make you think they could build a flying machine. They did read everything they could get their hands on, but not everything they read was even correct, so they had to experiment and work their way through it. And I’m not sure you could even say the airplane had flaws. Like anything in human history, there were ways to improve it, but the concepts they put together to create this machine are recognizable in the planes we design even today.
What's always intrigued me about the Wright brothers is how, they certainly weren't dummies, but why did they put the elevators out front? Didn't it occur to them, that every bird in the world, has its elevator feathers in the rear? With the elevators in the rear, this would have made their early planes at least 10 times more stable. Hard to understand why they did that
That’s a great consideration. In researching the brothers, there is a theme of safety. They knew a lot of people had been killed trying to fly and were not daredevils. It is said that a couple of their thoughts on mounting the elevator in front of the pilot were, one, if the plane nosed down suddenly, having it in front would allow them to recover more quickly, and lessen the impact of a crash. It would act as a buffer to quickly bring the nose back up, and maybe it seemed logical if you want to bring the nose up, having the control surface there made sense. Again, these were unproven ideas, but their thoughts at the time. A second thought, perhaps an afterthought, but something they are said to have considered, was that having the structure in front of the pilot would give the pilot something to block him from the initial impact with the ground. Without that structure in front, the pilot would have sat in the leading edge of the aircraft, and been the first thing to hit. But the elevator was moved to the back pretty early on in the evolution of the airplane.
Effectively this was a Canard wing. And prevented the plane from climbing too steeply and thus stalling out and falling backwards and down. If the canard/elevator climbed too high it would stall first and begin to lose lift on the front and tilt downwards again, leveling the plane before the main wings lost lift. ALL to be SAFER.
The Wright Brothers put the elevator out front to be in less turbulent air, therefore it was more effective. In current terminology, at the slow speeds they were traveling, the elevator would have more "control authority "
@kayakcoder Thank you for adding this context.
@tomray8765 This was really interesting to me. Thanks!
That's unfortunate that the original is at Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI because I will never set foot on that Anti-Semites property!
Well it’s easy to say when he’s not here to defend himself, but it’s also not a subject I know anything about. Also worth noting that it’s not his property because he’s dead and has been for a long time. I don’t think there is any connection to him other than that he donated the money to start the place. But I hear your position.
They were an admirable couple of experimenters and engineers, but they did not "invent" the airplane. They invented a particular type of airplane. As admirable as that was, their design was a dead end. Mainstream aviation never took to the canard, wing warping, pusher , chain driven engines and their weird control system, with hip shifting and two separate sticks for pitch and yaw. Bleriot was a lot closer to what an "airplane" would look and function like, in general, for the next 100+ years.
I hear what you are saying, but of course the Wright Brothers are universally recognized as the inventors of the airplane. That's the advantage they had of being the first, and the advantage of those that came latter is that they were able to see what worked and what didn't, and what could be improved. That process of innovation and evolution is incredible to witness and study. But you are right that the things you mentioned did change. It's true. I think it was still the airplane though.
Wilbur said "Getting in the air was the easy part, Lots of people had done it before them, but a means of STAYING in the air without soon crashing. was the crux of the matter, and that required CONTROL" , which was the basis of his patents. Technically, the brothers invented ways to CONTROL air vehicles so they would continue to fly, the most important innovations were EFFECTIVE 3- axis control and also coupling the rudder and roll controls to cancel the tendency of the warping of the wings to turn the craft when asymmetric drag pushed back on the highest wing in a roll correction.
That's not a believable story. That whole airplane is just a canard!
Ha! What part isn’t believable!? You don’t think it was an airplane, or you don’t think it flew, or the Wrights didn’t build it, or you think the Wright Brothers weren’t real people?
It’s such a shame they ruined there reputation by lying about their first flight. Gustav Whitehead has now been officially recognised as the first powered flight.
I believe that Orville Wright flew the first airplane, that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and that Elvis is dead. But there will always be conspiracy theories.
Gustav Whitehead was a fraud and his acolytes are cretins.
Absolute nonsense. The Whitehead claims are an excellent example of grifting. Whiteheads aircraft never flew but the grifters probably think he flew in formation with Richard Pearse!
There is also the Brasilian Santos Dumont, who built and flew the “backwards” plane. Some say he flew before the Wrights.
@@howardmaryon 'some say' isn't exactly evidence.