Source: David McCullough. The Wright Brothers (2015)
The Wright Brothers were inseparable and indispensable to each other (Wilbur, pictured right, was the older by four years). They lived in the same house, worked together six days a week, ate meals together, and had a joint bank account. The Wright Brothers even "thought" together, both liked to cook, and both were beyond-energetic . . . they were happiest and at their best when working together on their own projects at the same bench in their workshop.
However, they could be highly demanding and critical of each other, occasionally disagreeing to a point where they would shout. Often, they would be just as far apart in their views/perspective an hour after their shouting match, but by then they had taken each other's position. Neither brother had a yearning for the limelight, and did their best to avoid attention. For all practical purposes, Wilbur and Orville were "unidentical twins"; Wilbur was the more serious by nature, and remembered almost everything he saw, heard, and read. Orville's powers-of-concentration were immense, so much so that he largely lived in a world of his own.
However, they could be highly demanding and critical of each other, occasionally disagreeing to a point where they would shout. Often, they would be just as far apart in their views/perspective an hour after their shouting match, but by then they had taken each other's position. Neither brother had a yearning for the limelight, and did their best to avoid attention. For all practical purposes, Wilbur and Orville were "unidentical twins"; Wilbur was the more serious by nature, and remembered almost everything he saw, heard, and read. Orville's powers-of-concentration were immense, so much so that he largely lived in a world of his own.
Wilbur remained unperturbed and unruffled almost under any circumstances, and was an excellent speaker and writer; Orville was the more gentle of the brothers. Outside of home, Orville was painfully shy, and refused to take any public role an their behalf . . . that was Wilbur's job. But Orville was more cheerful, optimistic, and a natural entrepreneur, and his remarkable mechanical ingenuity was key in all their projects. Unlike Wilbur, Orville was extremely sensitive to criticism & mockery.
What the two brothers had in common above all else was unity of purpose and unyielding determination; they were both on a never-ending mission. In early-1899, Orville started a newspaper (he was still in high school) with his father's permission. A year later, both brothers published a money-making newspaper called "The Evening Item"; the business was Orville's, and he enjoyed it the most, working as hard as he could - Orville actually found Wilbur's performance in the newspaper business to be lacking. (Pictured: Wilbur and Orville on their front porch at home in Dayton, OH)
What the two brothers had in common above all else was unity of purpose and unyielding determination; they were both on a never-ending mission. In early-1899, Orville started a newspaper (he was still in high school) with his father's permission. A year later, both brothers published a money-making newspaper called "The Evening Item"; the business was Orville's, and he enjoyed it the most, working as hard as he could - Orville actually found Wilbur's performance in the newspaper business to be lacking. (Pictured: Wilbur and Orville on their front porch at home in Dayton, OH)
It was during these newspaper years that the Wright Brothers took up bicycling, which had become a national craze. Gone were the days of the "High Wheelers" of the 1870s/1880s; "Safety Bicycles" with two wheels the same size became the norm. While bicycles were acclaimed as a boon to all mankind by some, others felt they were morally hazardous, in that kids could be unsupervised. Also, according to this minority moral viewpoint, bicycles would mean less reading & education, and group bicycle "tours" would end with "seductions". These concerns had little effect; it seemed that everyone was riding a bicycle, including the citizens of
Dayton, Ohio.
In the spring of 1893, the Wright Brothers opened their small bicycle business; of the two, Orville loved bicycles the most. Competition was stout among bicycle businesses, and while Orville thrived, Wilbur wasn't experiencing the same level of fulfillment or joy. In 1895, the Wright Brothers started making their own model bicycles, available for order. The "Van Cleve" (pictured) sold for $60 (an attention-getting $1725 today); a second, less-expensive model called the "St. Clair" was introduced shortly thereafter. The Wright Brothers earned between $2000 and $3000 per year ($56k - $84k today).
Dayton, Ohio.
In the spring of 1893, the Wright Brothers opened their small bicycle business; of the two, Orville loved bicycles the most. Competition was stout among bicycle businesses, and while Orville thrived, Wilbur wasn't experiencing the same level of fulfillment or joy. In 1895, the Wright Brothers started making their own model bicycles, available for order. The "Van Cleve" (pictured) sold for $60 (an attention-getting $1725 today); a second, less-expensive model called the "St. Clair" was introduced shortly thereafter. The Wright Brothers earned between $2000 and $3000 per year ($56k - $84k today).
In 1896, during/after Orville's near-death bout with Typhoid Fever (105 degree temperature), Wilbur read about the German glider enthusiast Otto Lilienthal that was killed in an accident. Lilienthal took lessons from birds; in that he adapted the "Art of Flight" from their arched/vaulted wings . . . to fly, one had to be "with the wind". In 1896, Lilienthal had crashed while flying his #11 Glider, falling from an altitude of 50 feet, dying of a broken spine at age 48. After reading about Lilienthal's death, Wilbur passion towards flying was aroused; it was the first true passion he had experienced as an adult. Wilbur's reading on birds became intense . . . Wilbur was convinced that the structure of the fixed wing was key in order to achieve flight.
On 30 May 1899, Wilbur wrote the Smithsonian Institute, requesting all the information they had on flight. Books and pamphlets were sent to Wilbur, among them items by Samuel Pierpont Langley. Langley was an astronomer and a secretary of the Smithsonian, and was among the most respected scientists in America. In 1896, Langley flew a pilotless "Aerodrome" (pictured: a painting of the "Aerodrome" glider), launched by catapult on high ground by the Potomac River. The "Aerodrome" flew for about half-a-mile, and then crashed into the river. Among those trying to create a flying machine at the same time as Langley was Sir Hiram Maxim (famous for the modern machine gun); Maxim spent $100k of his own in his venture. Also, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison were researching air machines, as were inventors/innovators in France, where the word "avion" (airplane) was added to the French language.
On 30 May 1899, Wilbur wrote the Smithsonian Institute, requesting all the information they had on flight. Books and pamphlets were sent to Wilbur, among them items by Samuel Pierpont Langley. Langley was an astronomer and a secretary of the Smithsonian, and was among the most respected scientists in America. In 1896, Langley flew a pilotless "Aerodrome" (pictured: a painting of the "Aerodrome" glider), launched by catapult on high ground by the Potomac River. The "Aerodrome" flew for about half-a-mile, and then crashed into the river. Among those trying to create a flying machine at the same time as Langley was Sir Hiram Maxim (famous for the modern machine gun); Maxim spent $100k of his own in his venture. Also, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison were researching air machines, as were inventors/innovators in France, where the word "avion" (airplane) was added to the French language.
The Wright Brothers were not discouraged by the failures, humiliations, or deaths experienced by others. Wilbur & Orville were not college graduates, and didn't have any formal technical training, or any experience working with anyone else but themselves. The Wright Brothers didn't have any friends in "high places", financial backers, and had very little extra money of their own. Despite those obstacles, the Wright Brothers learned about LIFT, where the air moved faster over the top wing, thereby reducing the air pressure under the wing. Wilbur and Orville learned about PITCH (nose-up or nose-down) and ROLL (rotation of the wings, like a boat rocking) and YAW (applied to the direction, the turning of the plane, pointing the nose right/left) and EQUILIBRIUM (control: the ability to remain in the air, the most important factor).
Wilbur's study of birds in flight showed that birds adjusted their wings (e.g. tips), creating balance and equilibrium. For Wilbur, that meant shifting weight on the glider was out, and finding ways to manipulate air was in. Orville calculated that Lilienthal had only spent 5 total hours in the air; the Wright Brothers would test and fly many more hours to develop both their knowledge and skill. Orville, using cardboard wings, showed Wilbur how the top &/or bottom wings could be "warped" in order to manipulate the air, which would mean their glider could even bank-and-turn, just like birds. "Wing Warping" (a.k.a. "Wing Twisting") was an original advancement in aviation developed by the Wright Brothers.
Wilbur's study of birds in flight showed that birds adjusted their wings (e.g. tips), creating balance and equilibrium. For Wilbur, that meant shifting weight on the glider was out, and finding ways to manipulate air was in. Orville calculated that Lilienthal had only spent 5 total hours in the air; the Wright Brothers would test and fly many more hours to develop both their knowledge and skill. Orville, using cardboard wings, showed Wilbur how the top &/or bottom wings could be "warped" in order to manipulate the air, which would mean their glider could even bank-and-turn, just like birds. "Wing Warping" (a.k.a. "Wing Twisting") was an original advancement in aviation developed by the Wright Brothers.
In the summer of 1899, in the second floor of their bike shop, Wilbur and Orville started to build their first aircraft, a flying kite from split bamboo and paper with a wingspan of 5 feet. Their design of a biplane glider meant greater stability in the air; they tested the glider in an open field outside of Dayton (OH); when the wings were warped, the glider responded, but then started to descend by the nose, and crashed. Nonetheless, the Wright Brothers believed that they were ready for a man-carrying glider after their "Kite Test".
On 13 May 1900, Wilbur wrote Octave Chanute, the famous French flight researcher, asking for advice on where to conduct flying experiments without rain or bad weather, yet with sufficient wind. Chanute suggested South Carolina or Georgia, where the sand dunes on the beaches would aid with landing. Based on that advice, plus mounds of meteorological data from the U.S. Weather Service, the Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk (NC) on the Outer Banks, for the steady winds and sandy & soft beaches . . . and the isolation for the Wright Brothers to work in privacy.
In the final weeks of 1900, the Wright Brothers had built a full-size glider that could be taken apart and reassembled. The wingspan of their first glider at Kitty Hawk measured 18 feet, and cost $15, but still needed long spruce spars which were unattainable in Dayton, but the Wright Brothers hoped they would be able to find in the East Coast. The Wright Brothers also brought a box camera and a tripod, as well as all the necessary tools needed for the glider and camp. By this point, the Wright Brothers had made (and were making) enough money from their bicycle business so they could spend extended time in the Outer Banks . . .
On 13 May 1900, Wilbur wrote Octave Chanute, the famous French flight researcher, asking for advice on where to conduct flying experiments without rain or bad weather, yet with sufficient wind. Chanute suggested South Carolina or Georgia, where the sand dunes on the beaches would aid with landing. Based on that advice, plus mounds of meteorological data from the U.S. Weather Service, the Wright Brothers chose Kitty Hawk (NC) on the Outer Banks, for the steady winds and sandy & soft beaches . . . and the isolation for the Wright Brothers to work in privacy.
In the final weeks of 1900, the Wright Brothers had built a full-size glider that could be taken apart and reassembled. The wingspan of their first glider at Kitty Hawk measured 18 feet, and cost $15, but still needed long spruce spars which were unattainable in Dayton, but the Wright Brothers hoped they would be able to find in the East Coast. The Wright Brothers also brought a box camera and a tripod, as well as all the necessary tools needed for the glider and camp. By this point, the Wright Brothers had made (and were making) enough money from their bicycle business so they could spend extended time in the Outer Banks . . .