On a hilltop overlooking Huffman Prairie where the Wright brothers
accomplished so much, stands this shaft, made of North Carolina pink
granite and erected by the citizens of Dayton in their memory. To
the east lies Wright Field, the great government air center named in
their honor. The principal bronze plaque tells in a few words the
story of their great contribution to the progress of mankind. A
smaller tablet records the names of those early flyers who were
trained by the Wright brothers. In the simplicity of design and the
strength of structure, it reflects the characters of the men it
honors.
The report to the Aero Club continued, “The 1905 flyer had a total
weight of about 925 pounds, including the operator and was of such
substantial construction as to be able to make landings at high speed
without being strained or broken. From the beginning the prime object
was to devise a machine of practical utility, rather than a useless and
extravagant toy.... The favorable results which have been obtained have
been due to improvements in flying quality resulting from more
scientific design and to improved methods of balancing and steering....
The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from
seeking more knowledge rather than more power.”
The submission of this report was followed by the adoption of a
resolution by the Aero Club commending the Wrights upon their
accomplishment. This, it might be said, marked official recognition on
the part of the public that the Wrights really had flown. Despite
numerous flights made in 1904 and 1905, there was considerable
skepticism and grave doubts on the part of most people that flights were
being made. In fact, the unwillingness of the world to believe that man
could fly was one of the ironies of the Wright story. It was many months
before the last doubting Thomas was convinced that practical flight had
actually been achieved.
Improvements had been made on the 1905 plane, including the engine. In
1908 the plane was taken to Kitty Hawk for further tests. After several
successful flights, an accident occurred which so badly damaged the
plane that it was dismantled and stored there in frame hangars. Over the
years parts of the plane were given to several museums and others were
acquired by residents of the area as mementoes. The engine, the
propellers and other parts were shipped back to Dayton.
[Illustration: The restored 1905 aeroplane in process of
reconstruction. Engineers and others who inspected the plane during
its rebuilding, marveled at the craftsmanship reflected in its
original construction.]
When it was decided to reconstruct an early Wright plane for Carillon
Park, the first thought was that it should be a replica of the Kitty
Hawk, which of course would have been accurate in appearance but would
have contained no original parts.
Orville Wright himself suggested that if the original parts of the 1905
plane could be brought together, a plane which could truly be called a
restored Wright aeroplane could be built. An exhaustive search was begun
and with the co-operation of the museums and the residents of Kitty
Hawk, many of the original parts were secured. Orville Wright located
the original drawings and supervised much of the reconstruction. His
death occurred shortly before the plane was finished.
At least 60 per cent of the parts in the plane are original. These
include the engine, the chain guides, control levers and pilot’s cradle,
the propellers, the greater part of the wing structure as well as some
of the front rudder struts. Construction of the plane was supervised by
Mr. Harvey D. Geyer, an early employee of the Wrights, who was uniquely
fitted for this responsibility and who, in contributing his services,
has done much to perpetuate the achievements of the Wrights in their
home city. As does the original Kitty Hawk in the Smithsonian
Institution, this restored plane will, for generations to come, help to
tell the story of the genius of the Wrights.
[Illustration: Newspaper headlines]