Wright brothers’ ‘myth’conceptions explained

Jim answers some common‘myth’understandings about the Wrights.

Did they use a bicycle chain on the Flyer?

"The propellers were turned by sprockets and very large chains. The chains that turned the propellers weren’t converted bicycle chains, and were in fact heavy duty chain purchased to withstand the power of the engine. They efficiently saved money when they could, by using parts and materials from their shop. But they were more then willing to spend money for the best quality supplies."

Weren’t they ‘only’ bicycle mechanics who stumbled onto the right airplane design?

"Alexander Graham Bell and Samuel P. Langley, secretary of the prestigious Smithsonian Institution, were just a few of the better-known inventors who also accepted the challenge of flight. "But one by one, they had been compelled to confess themselves beaten, and had discontinued their efforts,’ Wilbur said.
"The Wrights didn’t figure out a way to fly, they discovered the way to fly. They unraveled one of the greatest scientific mysteries in history. They Wrights were dedicated, hard working, and persistent. They could visualize the solution to a problem in their minds, and they refused to quit until they made that solution a reality."

Is it true they never married?

"Wilbur once said he couldn’t afford a family and a flying machine. The brothers remained in the family home with their father and younger sister while their older brothers took wives and raised families. Only their sister Katherine married late in life."

They were high school dropouts?

"Self -educated in a wide variety of subjects – Orville once tried to teach himself German using only a German language newspaper – the Wrights had something more important than a formal education. They had an unquenchable desire to learn. Through single-minded dedication, a boundless optimism and confidence in their abilities, the brothers simply refused to quit. "

Why did they fly in North Carolina? Weren’t they from Ohio?

"They needed three things for their gliding experiments: Wind to generate lift to get their gliders in the air; sand to cushion their fall when they crashed; and isolation to protect their secrets and to avoid embarrassment in case they failed. They found these three things in Kill Devil Hills, N.C."

What about the stories that other inventors flew first?

"If anyone flew successfully before the Wright brothers, meaning a controlled, powered, heavier than air flight, they didn’t reproduce it again later. Most importantly, they didn’t bother to patent their machine. The Wright’s uncovered scientific principles as fundamental as the law of gravity, and then they patented the machine that harnessed those principles. For several years after the creation of their factories, nearly every other successful flying machine in the world was either licensed through the Wright company or successfully sued by the Wright company."