)
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
THE DRAMATIC STORY BEHIND THE LEGEND
Author: David McCullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Pages: 320
Price: £14.99
The tale of Wilbur and Orville Wright, the brothers who designed and flew the first powered aircraft, is often presented stereotypically. They are dismissed as two ingenious mechanics who did jugaad and stumbled upon a working design. In reality, as described in this meticulously researched book with its magnificent photographs, they were two complex individuals hailing from an unusual family.
Orville and Wilbur were indeed self-educated. But both had good school records. Injury and family illness prevented them from going to college. Wilbur's speeches and lectures are lucid, technically detailed examples of effective application of scientific methods.
At that point in aviation history, everybody was an autodidact anyhow. The Wrights were mechanically gifted, a quality inherited from their mother. They were widely read, and prepared to research the hell out of things that interested them.
In May 1899, the Smithsonian Institution responded to a letter from Wilbur, which asked for a list of useful works on aeronautics. The brothers read and absorbed every detail of those works and improved upon the theory. They selected Kitty Hawk as the field station for their experiments by applying to the American Meteorological Bureau, studying wind reports from a hundred weather stations and then writing to the Kitty Hawk postmaster for details of local weather and geography. They endured long periods of privation, living in a tent on that remote beach because it had ideal wind conditions.
The Wrights spent three years building gliders, experimenting with rudders, controls, varying wing ratios and angles before they attempted to put an engine onto a plane. A wind tunnel was constructed in their cycle workshop to test wing designs and controls, all based on ornithological studies. Later, they constructed a launch catapult. All the experiments were painstakingly documented. They were pioneers in using photography (one of their many hobbies) to back up their work.
Every single part of their machine was designed and machined by them, often amidst loud fraternal arguments. They were cautious and ensured that they were never in the air together. Both survived multiple crashes. Their "hobby" was frugally self-financed, from the profits of the bicycle business.
It was, therefore, no accident that history was made on December 17, 1903, precisely at 10.35 am, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. That was the fourth year that the brothers had spent experimenting on the beach, 700 miles from home.
The first-ever powered flight lasted just 12 seconds. Orville was at the controls of the biplane, referred to only as the Flyer. Wilbur had made the previous failed attempt. There were five witnesses-cum-helpers and a classic photograph was snapped by one of them the instant the Flyer took off.
After that, they spent several years in an Ohio meadow, improving upon the design with multiple iterations. At first, their claims were not believed until they made long controlled flights. The US government was initially uninterested in funding them, having spent huge sums on failed designs.
The French invited Wilbur over. He concluded spectacular demonstrations, sold planes and also trained pilots. The Americans then got onto the bandwagon, as did other nations. At one time, Wilbur was flying in Paris, negotiating deals with the French, while Orville flew and conducted similar negotiations in the US.
The brothers were not really interested in money. But they did eventually become wealthy. They were lionised by European monarchs and US presidents. Unaffected by fame, they just continued to work through sundry engagements and ceremonies. The Wrights also fought many intellectual property actions. Their ingrained habit of documenting everything ensured that they won every patent suit they ever fought.
Wilbur died early, of typhoid. But Orville lived through the horror of both World Wars. The family was unusual in many ways and their interpersonal dynamics are fascinating. Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) were the third and fourth sons of Bishop Milton Wright and Susan Koerner Wright, of Dayton, Ohio. The two boys were very close to each other and also close to the youngest Wright sibling and only daughter, Katherine (1874-1929). Kate was the first college graduate in the family and a proper bluestocking, teaching Latin and Greek.
The bishop was a very erudite, open-minded man. He filled the house with all sorts of books, although he never bothered to get a degree. Susan was mechanically gifted. She could design, make and repair toys of all kinds. Wilbur and Orville inherited both the mechanical skills and the love of reading.
In his youth, Bishop Wright had preached fiery sermons arguing for the emancipation of slaves. In his 80s, he marched with his daughter for the cause of women's suffrage. Wilbur and Orville were agnostics, as was Kate. Their devout father actively encouraged them to read up on agnostic philosophy. After Susan's death in 1889, the four continued to live together (the two older sons had long since married and moved out). The lifelong correspondence among Kate, the bishop, Wilbur and Orville is a rich source of information and McCullough has mined it effectively.
The brothers differed in temperament although both men were lifelong bachelors, non-smokers and teetotal. Orville was flamboyant. Wilbur was articulate and intellectual. As they worked together, they frequently struck up a rhythm where they spontaneously whistled the same tunes.
In both cases, the interest in aeronautics was triggered during convalescence. Wilbur suffered a major injury playing ice-hockey, which prevented him from going to Yale. He became interested in the mechanics of flight while reading up on ornithology as he recovered. Similarly, Orville's interest in flight was triggered by reading about gliders as he recovered from typhoid. When Mrs Wright contracted tuberculosis, Orville also shelved college-going plans in order to nurse his mother.
The brothers went into business and their bicycle dealership soon became a boutique design workshop. The handcrafted "Van Cleve" and "St Clair" model cycles they designed and produced were popular enough. The business always turned a modest profit, which funded the flying.
A little over a decade after Kitty Hawk, World War I showed that the mastery of the air had a very dark side. By then, Wilbur was dead and dozens of companies were churning out war-birds. This book vividly recreates the golden period before aviation became a weapon of war, with its comprehensive depiction of two men who held centrestage at that time.
