The Wright Brothers: A BiographyIn this fascinating, highly readable biography, Fred C. Kelly, a former newspaperman, author, and an old friend of the Wrights, tells the story of the two brilliant, dedicated, flight-obsessed bicycle mechanics from Ohio who first realized mankind's age-old dream of conquering the skies. Long considered the definitive Wright biography (the manuscript was read and approved by Orville Wright), this book recounts the Wrights' small-town boyhood, their early interest in all things mechanical, the establishment of the Wright Cycle Shop, and the complete behind-the-scenes story of how they designed, built, tested, and flew (December 1903) the first "Flyer." Enhanced with sixteen rare photographs, Mr. Kelly's engaging account avoids minute technical description, yet describes simply and clearly the technological innovations that enabled the two brothers to succeed where so many others had failed. Anyone interested in the mechanics of flight or early aviation will find this volume a splendid introduction to the Wright brothers and their epochal achievement. |
Contents
Prologue | 3 |
BOYHOOD | 5 |
BACKGROUND | 19 |
PRINTINGAND BICYCLES | 29 |
FIRST THOUGHTS OF FLIGHT | 45 |
GLIDING AT KITTY HAWK | 58 |
FIRST POWER FLIGHT | 83 |
AFTER THE EVENT | 104 |
EUROPE DISCOVERS THE WRIGHTS | 158 |
THE WRIGHTS IN EUROPE | 186 |
A DEAL WITH THE U S | 199 |
END OF DISBELIEF | 218 |
WHEN WILBUR WRIGHT WON FRANCE | 225 |
FURTHER ADVENTURES IN 1909 | 246 |
IN AVIATION BUSINESS | 260 |
PATENT SUITS | 279 |
EXPERIMENTS OF 190405 | 114 |
IT STILL WASNT NEWS | 131 |
US ARMY NOT INTERESTED | 139 |
WHY THE WRIGHT PLANE WAS EXILED | 292 |
Index | 327 |
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