Wright Aeronautical Company, 466–67
“Wright Aeroplane and Its Fabled Performances, The,” 307
“Wright Aeroplane and Its Performances,” 313
Wright & Wright, 100–103
Wright Brothers, 2
aeronautical influence of, 317, 318, 319–20, 322, 323–24, 333, 352, 369, 383–84
aeronautical influences on, 56–57, 141, 160, 162, 347, 446
bachelor status of, 13, 101, 104, 117–19, 371
bicycle business of, 107–16, 129, 181, 229, 233. 274. 411, 454
bicycles built by, 109, 111–14, 119, 204
biographies of, 48, 451, 475–76, 516–21
business strategies of, 108, 110–11, 114, 116, 274, 278, 291–92, 294–95, 300, 301–7, 309–12, 315, 329–34
cautiousness of, 230, 253–54, 270, 272, 276–77, 278, 291, 300, 302–5, 307, 310–11, 314–15, 316, 326, 329–30, 332, 341, 395–96
celebrity of, 2, 196, 272, 278, 291, 327, 367–69. 371–72, 382–94, 396
commitment of, 273–74, 417
competitions shunned by, 363–64, 403, 407, 420
contrasting natures of, 2, 13–16, 53, 114, 127, 396, 516
correspondence between, 337–38, 360, 365, 366, 375, 380, 405, 440, 442
criticism of, 278, 301–2, 313, 326, 369, 395–96, 417–19
design breakthrough of, 297
disagreements between, 101–3, 104, 243, 337–38, 365–66
disputed claims of, 419–20, 441–42
division of labor between, 102–3, 164, 331–32, 359, 516
engineering vs. scientific skills of, 174–75
European contracts disappointing to, 440–42
exhibition team of, 426–33, 427, 434–35, 475
expenses incurred by, 199, 229, 276–77, 278
family background of, 19–43, 113
family life of, 116–31, 273, 448
fashions inspired by, 387
financial problems of, 109–10, 113
first powered flight of, 265–70, 485, 528, 529
first public flights of, 90, 317
friendships lost to, 419–23
gifts of, 128, 273
glider records of, 240–41, 444–45
government contracts sought by, 289–95, 304–12, 314, 328–42, 370
happy and active years for, 301
historic papers of, 475, 525–26
humor of, 103
income of, 114, 229, 362, 410, 429, 432–33, 434
interviews with, 308
manufacturing monopoly of, 415–16, 418
memorabilia of, 509–10
Milton and, 20, 25, 60, 90–92, 107, 109, 111, 302, 393
Milton on, 327
monuments and memorials to, 504–11, 521, 526–29
mother’s influence on, 33
mysterious impression given by, 251, 333, 355
patent infringement suits by, 402–3, 404–5, 407, 412–23, 440, 441–42, 447, 451–52, 456–57, 460–61, 465–67
photographs by, 187, 203, 219, 232
pilots trained by, 383, 385, 386, 387–88, 408, 426–28, 427, 429, 435–37, 438, 439
practical airplane first demonstrated by, 299–300
press accounts of, 306–7, 308, 313, 315, 326, 327, 328–29, 355–57
presses built by, 95, 96, 102, 107, 515, 516
printing and publishing partnership of, 96–103, 104–5, 109, 110–11, 114
public corporate entity of, 163–64, 359, 396
publicity avoided by, 253–54, 270, 276–77, 281, 326, 356, 360, 396–97
publicity released by, 270–72, 274, 360–62
public opinion about, 417, 472
published papers of, 475, 526
recognition and praise of, 313, 314, 326, 328–29, 336, 367–68, 382–83, 386–94, 485
record keeping of, 16, 188, 218, 221, 454
records achieved by, 240–41, 282, 297, 325, 358, 374–75, 380–81, 383, 384–85, 397. 398, 404. 406, 444–45
relationship of, 13, 48–50, 53, 92, 94, 96, 97, 101–3, 104–5, 117, 157, 159, 162–64, 238, 243, 267, 337–38, 359, 365, 481, 516
safety precautions urged by, 430–31
shared analytical abilities of, 15–16, 33, 221, 225, 238–39, 243
showmanship of, 407
siblings’ relationship with, 48–50
single flight together of, 12
skepticism about, 292–93, 304–5, 307, 314, 315, 317, 319, 322, 326, 332, 336, 345, 355, 366, 368, 369
social life of, 116–19, 173, 336, 383, 389–90
suits brought against, 423
theoretical testing procedures of, 221–28,
223, 224, 227, 230, 231, 234, 235, 254
toy helicopters of, 56–57
toys made by, 15, 127, 515–16
triumphant homecoming of, 390–94, 393
value as inventors stressed by, 293, 300, 303. 306, 316, 403. 412, 419
White House visit of, 391–92
world seen as hostile by, 302–3, 380
Wright Brothers, The: A Biography Authorized by Orville Wright (Kelly), 521
Wright Brothers, The: Fathers of Flight (McMahon), 517–18
“Wright Brothers’ Aeroplane, The” (Wright), 362
Wright Brothers’ Home Day Celebration, 390–91, 392–94, 393
Wright Brothers National Memorial, 505–7
Wright Cycle Company, 109–14, 116, 161, 204, 454
Wright Cycle Exchange, 108
Wright Field, 502–3, 511
Wilbur Wright Field, 510–11
Wright-Fliers, 426–33, 434–35
accidents and fatalities among, 430–31, 432, 434–35
exhibition flights of, 428–33, 434–35
training of, 426–28, 427, 429
Wright Flyer (1903):
American retrieval of, 495–96, 526–29
damage to, 269, 269, 273, 354, 454
design and construction of, 255, 256, 259, 260–61, 263–64
English museum as recipient of, 491–92, 506, 509. 520, 525
first successful flights of, 265–70, 275, 289, 291
flying times achieved in, 268, 269, 270, 271, 274, 280
museum label of, 527, 529
photographs of, 265, 267, 268, 268, 269, 291, 454, 497
press accounts of, 270–72, 274, 279, 280–81
repairs of, 264, 265
size and weight of, 255, 259, 260, 264
survival of, 269, 454, 488, 491–92
tests of, 261, 263, 264, 265
world’s first powered flight in, 265–70, 485, 528, 529
Wright Flyer (1904), 278, 279–86, 281, 286, 454
accidents involving, 283, 285, 286
banking and turning of, 285–86
descriptions of, 279–80, 284–85
design and construction of, 274, 276, 279
difficulties with, 281–84, 285. 286
engine of, 276, 280, 281
flights of, 284–86, 291, 292, 295
flying times of, 284, 285–86
muslin covering of, 280
takeoffs of, 281–84
Wright Flyer (1905), 280, 295–96, 297–300, 298, 349, 454
capabilities of, 299, 310
descriptions of, 295, 298–99
design and construction of, 295, 297
flying times of, 297, 298, 299, 303, 338
photographs of, 310
preservation and restoration of, 521–23, 524
press accounts of, 300
takeoffs of, 299
Wright Flyer (1907), 412
capabilities of, 339–40
design and construction of, 331, 332, 338
shipping of, 338, 339
Wright Flyers (1908–1915), 338, 342, 359
Army demonstration flights of, 372–78, 376, 395–99. 397, 408, 445. 451, 456
Army purchase of, 424, 446, 457, 463–64
automatic stability developed in, 443–45, 459–60
banking
and turning of, 436
climbing and diving of, 458–59
crashes and fatalities involving, 124, 163, 237, 238, 283, 285, 296, 375–78, 384, 395, 396–97. 430–31, 432, 434–35. 438–39. 444. 456, 458–59, 463–64
Curtiss aircraft vs., 436, 458, 463
design and construction of, 355, 365–66
eyewitness accounts of, 356–57, 368
feedback mechanism in, 443
first full drawings of, 389
first passenger aboard, 358
first published photograph of, 357
flight films of, 387, 388
flying times of, 356, 357, 358, 367
freight carried on, 433
license-built, 389, 433–34, 435, 440–41. 442
maintenance of, 464
modifications of, 442
offer made for foreign rights of, 329–30
passengers aboard, 381–82, 382, 385, 386, 387, 397–99, 406, 408–9
pilot control of, 435, 443
public demonstrations of, 90, 366–70, 367, 380–90
shipping of, 365, 394
wheels added to, 428, 430
Wright glider (1900), 178–91, 196–99, 209, 212, 219, 235, 269
design and construction of, 183, 184, 187–88, 197, 199
manned trials of, 188–91, 196–99, 200, 505
unmanned tests of, 189, 190, 197–98, 197, 203
weight of, 178, 179, 188, 196
Wright glider (1901), 208–12, 209, 219, 232, 235, 248, 269
design and construction of, 131, 203
manned flights of, 208–9, 210, 211–12
size and weight of, 203
unmanned flights of, 212
Wright glider (1902), 235–41, 238, 240, 246, 249, 251, 256, 260, 269, 281
drawings of, 318, 362
remains of, 354, 359
Wright glider (1911), 443–45, 522, 523
Wright-Martin Company, 466, 467, 469, 497
Wright Memorial Bridge, 507
Wright Memorial Committee, 504
Wright Model A, 412, 426, 430
Wright Model B, 428, 430, 431, 433, 438, 439, 443. 458
design and construction of, 412, 424, 426
Wright Model C, 457, 458, 463–64
Wright Model CH, 458
Wright Model C-1, 451
Wright Model E, 459
Wright Model EX, 438–39
Wright Model K, 466
Wright Model L, 466
Wright Model R, 431, 432, 432
design and construction of, 412, 424
Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, 511
Wright Special bicycle, 113, 119
Wright State University, 526
Wright v. Herring-Curtiss, 402–3, 404–5, 407, 412–15, 422, 423, 430, 443, 447, 448, 452, 456–57, 460–61
Wu Ting Fang, 360
XPS-1 airplane, 471
Yale College, 65, 74, 75, 502
yaw control, 167–69, 201, 443
Yeager, Charles, 528–29
yellow journalism, 98
“Yellow Kid, The,” 136
YMCA Wheelmen, 107
Yon, Gabriel, 249
Younger brothers, 72
Zahm, Albert Francis, 151, 154–55, 329, 371, 422–23, 486–87, 488, 490, 500, 501, 502, 520, 525
Zens, Paul, 368
Zeppelin, Ferdinand Von, 250–51, 406
Copyright © 1989 by Tom D. Crouch
All rights reserved.
Reissued as a Norton paperback 2003
Book design by Charlotte Staub
Photos drawn from the collection of the Wright State University Archives appear on pages 20, 34, 45, 62, 70, 73, 74, 95, 120, 126, 141, 147, 155, 187, 189, 209, 238, 263, 266, 386, 397, 480, 483. Photos drawn from the collection of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution appear on pages 59, 61, 112, 197, 223, 224, 227, 240, 245, 265, 268, 269, 281, 286, 298, 367, 376, 382, 389, 393, 427, 432, 474, 478, 514 524, and frontispiece.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Crouch, Tom D.
The Bishop’s boys: a life of the Wright brothers/Tom D. Crouch
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Wright, Orville, 1871–1948. 2. Wright, Wilbur, 1867–1912. 3. Aeronautics—United States—Biography. I. Title
TL540.W7C76 1989
629.13′0092′2—dc19
[B] 88–19585
ISBN 978-0-393-34746-3 (e-book)
W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
www.wwnorton.com
W. W. Norton & Company Ltd.
Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT
The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright Page 74