NOTE: This entry covers joint activities only. For individual
activities, _see below_--Wright, Orville, and Wright, Wilbur.
_See also_ Wright Co., W. medals, W. monuments, W. patents, W.
planes, W. records, etc., below.
Ancestors and parents, 19–22;
boyhood, 5–18, 23–28;
early interest in mechanics, 5–9, 25;
lathe, 12–13;
circuses, 15–18, 33–34;
reading, 26–27;
weekly paper, 38;
start bicycle business, 38–39;
begin manufacture and repair work, 39–44
Early interest in aeronautics, 45;
reading on it, 46–47;
experiments in building gliders, 48–55;
first Kitty Hawk experiments (1901), 55–72;
make wind-tunnels, 74–78;
at K. H. (1902), 79;
meet tail-spin problem, 81–83
Develop engine, 84–90;
transmission and propeller problems, 89–90;
power flights at K. H. (1903), 90–95;
first successful flight, 95–103;
get flying field near Dayton, 122–23;
early public trials, 124–26;
track and launching problems, 127–29;
improve records, 130, 137–38;
first complete circular flight, 130, 142;
their first three planes described, 84–94, 112–13, 121–22, 130–34
Early relations with public and press, 103–11, 134–46;
first eye-witness story printed, 143–43;
early dealings with U. S. and British govts., 147–65;
abandon project to demonstrate at Jamestown, 160–61
Their work discussed in France, 166–71;
asked for information and prices, 171–73;
their letter shown at Aéro Club, 174–75;
visited by Weaver, and demonstrate for him, 175–79;
investigated by Coquelle, 179–80;
approached by Ferber for French govt., 182–83;
visited by Fordyce, 183–85;
visited by French Commission, 187–91;
by Alexander, 191;
by _Herald_ reporter, 191–92;
meet Flint in N. Y., 194–96;
go to Paris, 202–204;
to Berlin, 204–206
Negotiations with U. S. War Dept., 208–14;
their bid accepted, 211–12;
add improvements to 1905 plane, 214–15;
go to K. H., 215–25;
publicity begins, 216–25;
in France (1909), 250–53;
to Rome, 255;
plan formation of German Wright company, 257;
to Le Mans for gift bronze, 257–58;
to London for medals, etc., 258;
to Washington for Aero Club medals, 258
Return to Dayton celebrated, 258–59; get Govt. bonus after Fort
Meyer tests, 260;
organize The Wright Company, 268–71;
their only joint flight, 276;
build house at Hawthorn Hill, 282
Wright, “Buster,” 281
Wright Company, 268–71, 278, 279, 281, 283, 285, 286, 288, 295, 296
(_see also_ French--German--British Wright Co.)
Wright Cycle Co., 39–44, 77, 114, 120–21, 148, 176, 271
Wright, Dan, 21–22
Wright, Mrs. Dan, 21
Wright exhibition flights, charges for, 277
Wright, Katharine, 13, 23, 37, 47, 106, 113, 217, 250–53, 261, 262,
266, 280, 284
Wright, Lorin, 22, 25, 31, 81, 106, 281
Wright medals, prizes, etc., 248–49, 250, 257–58, 259, 264
Wright, Mrs. Milton, 5, 6, 7, 11, 20, 22, 26, 34, 91
Wright, Rev. Milton, 5–8, 11, 21–23, 26, 27, 103, 106, 107, 115, 259,
276–77, 278
Wright monuments--Kitty Hawk, 221;
Pau, 250; Dayton, 275 n.
Wright, Orville
NOTE: For joint activities with Wilbur, _see above_, Wright
brothers.
Birth, 23;
boyhood enterprises, 7, 9–12, 13–15;
schooling, 24–25, 37;
letter-press, 29;
printing work, 30–38;
builds press, 34–36;
interest in bicycle racing, 38;
starts bicycle business, 38–44;
illness, 46;
first trip to Kitty Hawk, 61–72;
makes wind-tunnel, 74;
his story of first successful power flight, 96–102;
telegram announcing it, 103–104
Goes to Europe, 202–206;
orders engines in Paris, 206;
to K. H. for practice (1908), 216–25;
to Fort Myer for tests (1908), 226–32;
establishes new records, 229;
to France, 250;
in train accident, 250
Govt. trials at Fort Myer (1910), 260;
goes to Germany, 261–64;
in Paris, investigates French Wright company, 266–67;
trains pilots in Alabama, 274;
opens flying school at Dayton, 275;
further experiments at K. H., 281;
succeeds W. as pres. of The Wright Co., 283;
last trip to Europe (1913), 284;
acquires almost complete ownership of Company, 285;
and sells entire interest, 285–86, 296
Relations and correspondence with Glenn Curtiss, 288–96, 308–33
(_see also_ lawsuits and Wright patents);
dealings with Smithsonian in regard to Langley machine, 307–33
Style of flying, 276;
flying dress, 275–76;
memory, 202;
effective demonstration at a patent-suit trial, 297–98;
comment on cyclists’ notions about steering, 298–99
Wright patents, 49, 83, 130, 271, 273, 281, 284, 287–99
Wright planes: Kitty Hawk (1903), 84–94, 112–13, 300, 315, 318;
1904 model, 121–22, 170;
1905 model, 130–34, 214–15;
1907 model, 202, 204, 206, 233, 234–53;
plane sold to U. S. Signal Corps, 208–13, 226–32;
planes built in Europe from parts sent over, 255;
Model B, 285
Wright planes, prices of, 172–73, 184–85, 208, 211–12, 282
Wright records, 228–29, 238, 240, 263, 264, 281
Wright, Reuchlin, 22, 113
Wright, Wilbur
NOTE: For joint activities with Orville, _see above_, Wright
brothers.
Birth, 22;
boyhood enterprises, 7, 8–9, 12–13, 15;
schooling, 23–24;
illness, 26;
joins O. in printing newspaper, 37–38;
in bicycle business, 38–44;
makes warping device for glider, 49–50;
goes to Kitty Hawk, 58–72;
makes Chicago address, 73–75
Goes to England, 196–97;
Paris, 197–204;
Berlin, 204–206;
appears before U. S. Ordnance Board, and bids, 208;
to K. H. (1908), 215–25;
to France for demonstrations, 226, 227, 233–53;
his records, 238, 240;
at Le Mans, 234–44;
guest of Aéro Club (Sarthe), 244–45;
wins altitude prizes, 248–49, 250;
at Pau, 250–53;
to Rome, 255;
trains Italian flyers, 255–56
Flies at Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 265;
begins training U. S. pilots, 265–66;
last flight as pilot, 276;
dealings with Smithsonian in regard to Langley machine, 301–307;
illness and death, 282–83
Character, 235, 236, 241–43;
memory, 204;
athletic activities, 38
Zahm, Dr. A. F., 309, 322–25
Zens, Ernest, 245
Zeppelin airships, 228
Transcriber’s Notes
Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a
predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they
were not changed.
Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced quotation
marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left
unbalanced.
Illustrations in this eBook have been positioned between paragraphs
and outside quotations. In versions of this eBook that support
hyperlinks, the page references in the List of Illustrations lead to
the corresponding illustrations.
The index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page
references.