Pendulum : the story of America's three aviation pioneers--Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Glenn Curtiss, the Henry Ford of aviation / by Jack Carpenter
This donation is a photomechanical reproduction enlargement ( 17 1/8 inch by 10 3/4 inch ) of the Wright Brothers drawing of their flying machine Patent No" 821,393 sheet one (original date March 22, 1903- patent date May 22, 1906). The patent has been expertly removed from the frame and restored to a presentation level. The dimensions of the framed patent are 18.25 inches by 26 inches.
Biographical / Historical:
The Wright brothers inaugurated the aerial age with the world's first successful flights of a powered heavier-than-air flying machine. The Wright Flyer was the product of a sophisticated four-year program of research and development conducted by Wilbur and Orville Wright beginning in 1899. After building and testing three full-sized gliders, the Wrights' first powered airplane flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, making a 12-second flight, traveling 36 m (120 ft), with Orville piloting. The best flight of the day, with Wilbur at the controls, covered 255.6 m (852 ft) in 59 seconds. John Daniels was a crew member at the Kitty Hawk lifesaving station who took a photograph of the first flight that day.
Provenance:
Paul, John, and Eugene Keferl, Gift, Year received, 2013
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, armed service memorabilia, invitations and one large photograph of Commander Sweet. The clippings are about Commander Sweet and also about the Wright Brothers.
Biographical / Historical:
Commander George C. Sweet (1877-1953) was a US Navy officer significant in promoting the early use of aircraft by the Navy. In September 1908, Commander Sweet, serving as a Naval observer, reported favorably on the Wright Brothers airplane demonstration at Fort Meyer, near Washington, DC. Following his appointment to the Naval Aeronautical Board, Commander Sweet received an opportunity to fly with the Wright Brothers, becoming the first Navy officer to travel in an airplane.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
No donor information, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0017, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
The collection contains letters, telegrams, brochures, photographs and miscellaneous ephemera pertaining to Orville and Wilbur Wright. Included with the correspondence are letters written to William J. Hammer, who was an aeronautical pioneer and associated with the Wright Brothers, as well as other individuals including C. R. Peterkin. Additional items are, brochures from the Wilbur Wright Memorial, a brochure of the 25th Anniversary celebration of the first successful airplane flight, December 17, 1928, a sketch on an envelope by Wilbur Wright of a flight around the Statue of Liberty in 1909, a sympathy acknowledgment card for the Wrights' for Wilbur's death, and a photograph signed by Orville Wright. Also enclosed with the collection is a piece of wood from the Wright Brothers hangar at Kitty Hawk, presented by Orville Wright.
Biographical / Historical:
Wilbur Wright was born April 16, 1867, his brother Orville Wright on August 19, 1871. They, along with sister Katharine and brothers Reuchlin and Lorin, were raised near Millville, Indiana and in Dayton, Ohio by their mother, Susan Wright, and father, Milton Wright, bishop of the United Brethren Church. As young men, Wilbur and Orville launched a printing business and a bicycle shop. An interest in aeronautics, spurred by the accounts of the experiments of Otto Lilienthal, prompted Wilbur to request information on the subject from the Smithsonian Institution in 1899. In August of 1900, Wilbur built his first glider and that year and the next the brothers tested gliders at Kitty Hawk. The Wrights constructed a wind tunnel to gather accurate aeronautical data and, benefiting from this new information, another glider was built in 1902. In 1903, the brothers were ready to began construction of a powered craft. With the assistance of mechanic Charles Taylor, they added a 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine and propellers to the 1903 Flyer and it was sent to Kitty Hawk for testing. At 10:35 am, December 17, on Kill Devil Hill, Orville achieved a flight of 12 seconds--traveling a distance of 120 feet. By 1908 the Wrights were demonstrating their machines in Europe. The U.S. Army Signal Corps advertised for bids for a two-seat observation aircraft and in 1908 and 1909, the Wrights flew at official Army trials at Fort Myer, Virginia. (It was here that powered flight's first fatality occurred: the tragic death of Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.) The Army was to purchase the Military Flyer (Signal Corps No. 1) for {dollar}30,000 in 1909. In that same year, The Wright Company was established to manufacture Wright aircraft. Wilbur died in Dayton, Ohio on May 30,1912. Orville Wright would live until January 30, 1948.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Various Donors, Gift, unknown, XXXX-0079, unknown
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of two scrapbooks and several folders of correspondence, bills and accounting information involving early attempts to develop a flying machine, the flights of the Langley Aerodrome, and the flights of the Wright Brothers at Fort Myer in 1904 and 1908. Covered in detail are the unsuccessful attempts of Emile Berliner and his son Henry to construct a helicopter capable of stable, controllable, forward flight. Also covered is helicopter development in Europe during the same period.
Biographical / Historical:
Emile Berliner (1851-1929) was an inventor best known today for his innovative helicopter designs. He began experimentation with rocket propulsion as early as 1903 and began exploring the possibilities of vertical flight shortly thereafter. After his service in World War I, Emile's son Henry Adler Berliner (1895-?) joined his father in his helicopter experiments. During the early nineteen-twenties, the Berliners produced several helicopter designs. Henry Berliner later became involved in the development of fixed-wing aircraft and in 1929 joined with Temple-Joyce to form Berliner-Joyce.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Col. Henry Berliner, gift, XXXX-0247, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists mostly of correspondence between the Wright brothers and the following people: J.W. See; Ralph H. Upson; Henry Ford; Ernest Jones; Frank Coffyn; O.G. Simmons; C.R. Peterkin; Otto Mallery; Maynard; and Lester Gardner. Also included are sketches, an NAA letter signed by witnesses: Etheridge, Dough and Moore attesting to the 1903 flight, and the Wright Brothers' original bid for the military contract.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists mostly of correspondence between the Wright brothers and the following people: J.W. See; Ralph H. Upson; Henry Ford; Ernest Jones; Frank Coffyn; O.G. Simmons; C.R. Peterkin; Otto Mallery; Maynard; and Lester Gardner. Also included are sketches, an NAA letter signed by witnesses: Etheridge, Dough and Moore attesting to the 1903 flight, and the Wright Brothers' original bid for the military contract.
Arrangement:
Correspondence is arranged by recipient, other materials are arranged by topic.
Biographical / Historical:
Wilbur Wright was born April 16, 1867, his brother Orville Wright on August 19, 1871. They, along with sister Katharine and brothers Reuchlin and Lorin, were raised near Millville, Indiana and in Dayton, Ohio by their mother, Susan Wright, and father, Milton Wright, bishop of the United Brethren Church. As young men, Wilbur and Orville launched a printing business and a bicycle shop. An interest in aeronautics, spurred by the accounts of the experiments of Otto Lilienthal, prompted Wilbur to request information on the subject from the Smithsonian Institution in 1899. In August of 1900, Wilbur built his first glider and that year and the next the brothers tested gliders at Kitty Hawk. The Wrights constructed a wind tunnel to gather accurate aeronautical data and, benefiting from this new information, another glider was built in 1902. In 1903, the brothers were ready to began construction of a powered craft. With the assistance of mechanic Charles Taylor, they added a 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine and propellers to the 1903 Flyer and it was sent to Kitty Hawk for testing. At 10:35 am, December 17, on Kill Devil Hill, Orville achieved a flight of 12 seconds--traveling a distance of 120 feet. By 1908 the Wrights were demonstrating their machines in Europe. The U.S. Army Signal Corps advertised for bids for a two-seat observation aircraft and in 1908 and 1909, the Wrights flew at official Army trials at Fort Myer, Virginia. (It was here that powered flight's first fatality occurred: the tragic death of Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.) The Army was to purchase the Military Flyer (Signal Corps No. 1) for $30,000 in 1909. In that same year, The Wright Company was established to manufacture Wright aircraft. Wilbur died in Dayton, Ohio on May 30,1912. Orville Wright would live until January 30, 1948.
Provenance:
Various Donors, Gift, unknown, NASM.XXXX.0376
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
This collection consists of two 4 by 4 inch leather bound autograph books, and includes autographs from the following aviators: Lady Heath, Clarence Chamberlain, Roger Williams, Howard Hughes, Elinor Smith, Frank Hawks, George Haldeman, Edith Keating, Horace B. Wild, Marchesa Theodora Marconi, Noble Estey, Laura Ingalls, Casey Jones, W. N. Lancaster, Amelia Earhart, Orville Wright, Charles Holman, Will Rogers, Wiley Post, James Mollison, Amy [Johnson] Mollison, Jimmie Mattern, Charles Kingsford-Smith, Arthur Goebel, Ruth Elder, Clema Granger, Lincoln Ellsworth, Berndt Balchen, Clyde Pangborn, Roscoe Turner, Jimmy Doolittle, Benjamin Foulois, Hap Arnold, Dick Konter, Richard Byrd, Ryotaro Kumakawa, Frank Miller, K. McGinnis, Dick Merrill, Igor Sikorsky, Charles E. Rosendahl, Eddie Rickenbacker, Italo Balbo, P.F. M. Fellowes, Ernie Smith, C. C. Mosely, Ruth Nichols, Lee Ya-Ching, and Jeanette Piccard. News clippings and small photographs of the specific aviator are sometimes placed on the page adjoining the autograph. The books also include two event ribbons, one from the Minneapolis Airport Dedication, September 19, 1930, and one from the Aero Club of Minneapolis Field Day, June 12, 1921.
Biographical / Historical:
Mabel Vernet Perkins (circa 1880 - circa 1950) was born in California to William and Sarah Perkins. Shortly after Perkins' birth, her family moved to Minnesota where her father was a successful businessman. By 1920 Mabel Perkins was attending aviation events and become a member of the Aero Club of Minneapolis. During the 1920s through the early 1940s, Perkins collected aviator autographs, mostly from fairs and barnstorming events in the Midwest. She also collected autographs in Miami in 1933, at the New York Word's Fair in 1939, and in Los Angeles and Riverside, California
Provenance:
Grey Marie Dutton, Gift, 2009
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of two scrapbooks kept by Glenn H. Curtiss and filled with photographs of himself and Samuel Langley. The photos show the two men and their experiments with Langley's aircraft, the Langley Aerodrome. The trial flights were conducted on Lake Kewka, near Hammondsport, NY. Each photo is labeled with a caption and a date. The second (chronologically) book of the set is a continuation of the photos of the Langley experiments by Glenn H. Curtiss, and while the photos are numbered, they have no captions or labeling on them. Some dates are available on the photos. Curtiss' autograph appears inside the cover of one scrapbook.
Biographical / Historical:
Nine days before the Wright brothers' first successful flight, Smithsonian Secretary Samuel Langley had the trial for his steam-powered machine, called the Great Aerodrome. Heavily funded by the United States government, the Aerodrome broke apart almost immediately upon takeoff in a highly-publicized event, and Langley and the Smithsonian Institution suffered embarrassment over the incident. After Langley passed away in 1906, his successor, Charles Walcott, claimed that although Langley may not have flown that December morning the Aerodrome was certainly capable of it. Walcott's "proof" was in a rebuilt version of Langley's Aerodrome, which was later successfully flown by American airplane manufacturer Glenn Curtiss. Curtiss, who was engaged in a patent suit with the Wright brothers, rebuilt and flew Langley's Aerodrome with 1914 modifications with the hope of showing the courts that the Wrights did not invent the airplane. While Curtiss eventually lost the patent suit, the flight was used by the Smithsonian to redeem Langley's role in the history of flight.
General:
NASMrev
Provenance:
Glenn H. Curtiss, gift, unknown, XXXX-0294, NASM
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
This collection consists of four 3.5" x 5.5" black and white photographs of the Wright Type A Transitional in flight at Huffman Prairie during May of 1910.
Provenance:
Joseph Estabrook and Jane Marlow, Gift, 2004
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Pendulum II : the story of America's three aviation pioneers: Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Glenn Curtiss, the "Henry Ford of aviation" including how the partnership of Alexander Graham Bell and Glenn Hammond Curtiss led to the founding of the American Aviation industry / by Jack Carpenter
The Wright Brothers collection [microform] : guide to the technical, business and legal, genealogical, photographic, and other archives at Wright State University / by Patrick B. Nolan and John A. Zamonski
Author:
Nolan, Patrick B (Patrick Bates) 1942- Search this
