Visiting Dayton Ohio Wright Brother Sites

Passing through Dayton, Ohio this year? If you only have a couple of hours, stop at Carillon Historical  Park and see the world's first practical airplane, the Wright Flyer III and reproduction of the fifth and final Wright Cycle Shop. The park is open Mon-Sat, 9:30am to 5pm, and Sunday 12pm to 5pm. Admission is $14 per adult, $12 per senior, $10 per child, age 2 and under are free. If you plan the visit during meal time, you can eat on site at the Carillon Brewing Company Wed-Sun, 11am to 9pm. Or, you can eat at Culp's Cafe Tue-Sunday, 10am to 2pm. If you have more than a couple hours, take a train ride through the park, $5 a ticket. There is so much to see and do, including the carousel ride inside for the kids, $1 per ticket. 

Carillon Park Wright Brothers Aviation Center with Wright Cycle Shop reproduction, and restored Wright Flyer III, world's first practical aeroplane. Photo by Author.

 

If you plan ahead and can pass through Dayton on a Wednesday or Saturday, make a reservation through Carillon Historical Park to visit the home of Orville Wright, Hawthorn Hill, in Oakwood. A 14 passenger shuttle will transport you and others from Carillon to Hawthorn Hill for a guided tour. Tours are available at 10am and 12:30pm, $16 per person. The tour is not recommended for children aged 10 and under. Most likely you'd combine your Carillon Historical Park visit with your Hawthorn Hill visit, and combined ticket cost is $26 per person. Hawthorn Hill tours are only available Wednesdays and Saturdays, so be sure to make the reservation before your visit, as the vans fill up quickly.

Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood, Ohio, Wright family home 1914-1948. Photo by Author.

 

More time available? Head for the Air Force Museum, open 9am to 5pm, seven days a week, and admission is free! If you want to watch an I-Max movie while you're there, there is a fee of $7.50 per ticket. Food is available at two locations within the museum. See a reproduction of the 1909 Wright Military Flyer, and a modified 1911 Wright B Flyer. A 250 sf bundle of fabric from the 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer is on display, as is Orville Wright's 1916 Wind Tunnel utilized at his Aeronautical Lab. There is so much more to see, such as the Air Force One aircraft that carried President Kennedy's casket, and in which Lyndon Johnston was sworn in as President as Jackie Kennedy stood by his side. You can stand right there in the airplane inches from where that history took place. Be sure to also view the actual Apollo 15 Command module on display. The museum is huge, so be prepared for a lot of walking. If you spend 3 hours here viewing, you'll not see everything.

 

Apollo 15 Command Module Endeavour. Launched to the moon July of 1971, just 68 years after the Wright's flights at Kitty Hawk in December of 1903. Photo by Author.

 

Planning on spending a couple days to see more sites? If so, head for West Third Street to the Wright's neighborhood and business sites and visit the Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center. This site is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 9am to 4pm. Admission is free. If visiting during meal time, the West Social Tap & Table is located immediately west of the museum. The Wright's print shop business from 1890-1895 was located at the second floor level of the Hoover Block, the building which is now occupied by the museum. The Wright's fourth Wright Cycle Shop location at 22 South Williams Street is located just south of the museum with tours available on the hour. The fifth and final Wright Cycle Shop location at 1127 West Third Street is an empty lot with signage, as the original structure was relocated to Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan in 1936/37. The former location of Orville Wright's Aeronautical Lab is a short walk west from the museum on North Broadway, where a reproduction facade, signage, and statue can be seen. A short stroll to the south of the museum takes you to the former location of the Wright home at 7 Hawthorn Street. A reproduction partial porch, and outline of the home with signage is at the site. The home was also relocated to Greenfield Village in 1936/37.  A reproduction of the home has been built across the street from 7 Hawthorn, and is a private residence. Ed Sines residence at 15 Hawthorn still stands, but is also privately owned. 

Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center, West Third Street, Dayton, Ohio. Photo by Author.

 

Next, visit the Wright Brother's Memorial and Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center. The museum is small, and free to enter. The museum is only open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9am-4pm. The memorial site is open from dawn to dusk. The Wright Memorial sits on 27 acres, with an overlook of Huffman Prairie in the distance, and of Huffman dam. 

Wright Brother's Memorial and Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center. Photo by Author.

 

Huffman Prairie is easily accessible on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base property. The site has been preserved much as it existed when the Wright's used the field from 1904-1915. There is no admission fee. The park is open 6am-8pm. An adjacent prairie at the site has been restored and is available for walking the trails. There are no restroom facilities at this site. To fully appreciate the site, it is best to know the history of the efforts of the Wright Brothers here in 1904 and 1905 in perfecting the world's first practical airplane, the Wright Flyer III.

Huffman Prairie Flying Field, reproduction hangar and launching derrick. Photo by Author.

Check the websites for each site for the latest information on hours of operation, costs. and driving directions. If any questions, leave a comment below, and I'll respond likely that day.

Websites:

Carillon Historical Park

Hawthorn Hill, Oakwood, Ohio

National Museum of the United States Air Force 

Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center 

Huffman Prairie Interpretive Center

Huffman Prairie Flying Field brochure

 

I have found the more historical background I have learned of a site prior to visiting makes the experience much more meaningful. Otherwise, when visiting West Third Street in Dayton, your mind's eye will be focused on the buildings standing there today, in lieu of imaging how the street and neighborhood existed in the early 1900's. When facing the empty lot at 1127 West Third, read the signage about the Wright Cycle Shop, and realize that here, the Wright's sold their bicycles, performed their wind tunnel experiments, designed, built, and eventually stored the Kitty Hawk Wright Flyer. As you stand there, imagine the year of 1913, with flood waters six to eight feet at this location, the Kitty Hawk Flyer submerged under water and mud. You'll miss that experience unless you do some reading on the history.

 

For historical information on West Third Street, see post:

West Third Street, Dayton Ohio Wright Brother Connection

For historical information on the Wright Print and Cycle Shops, see posts:

The Wright Brother's Print and Cycle Shop Locations 

1127 West Third Street- The Wright Cycle Company

For historical information on Orville Wright's Aeronautical Lab and the Boyd Building, see post:

15 North Broadway- The Wright Aeronautical Laboratory 

For historical information on the Wright's neighborhood, see post:

Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Ohio- Neighborhood of the Wright Brothers 

For historical information on the Wright Memorial site, see post:

The Wright Memorial, Wright Brother's Hill, Wright-Patterson AFB 

For historical information on Huffman Prairie, see post:

Witnesses of the Wright Brother's Simms Station (Huffman Prairie) 1905 Flights

For historical information on Dayton's 1913 flood, see posts:

The 1913 Dayton Flood, and the Wright Family

The 1913 Dayton, Ohio Flood- As Told by Bishop Milton Wright

 

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

 

The Wright Brother 1903 Western Union and Postal Telegraph Telegrams

Updated March 12, 2025 

There is a vast number of non-genuine Wilbur and Orville Wright signatures available for sale, as is true for all historical figures. Forging a signature onto an old envelope cover, postcard, or photograph of the time period is a common practice, and there are hundreds of examples of these sold on the market. Occasionally, a false document is created with the forged Wright's signatures, which goes a step beyond of just relieving an unsuspecting collector of his savings. It potentially can alter history if left unchallenged. This post presents the genuine telegrams sent by the Wrights in December of 1903, and then follows with historically inaccurate modern alterations.

The Wright Brother December 1903 Telegrams:

 

On December 14th, 1903, Wilbur attempted a test run with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk resulting in confirmation that the machine design and construction was sufficient for an eventual successful flight. The first four successful flights occurred three days later on December 17th. Orville composed a message on the 14th to send to their father Milton Wright.

 

Initial note written by Orville, eventually delivered by Wilbur through the Kitty Hawk Weather Station to Norfolk where it was relayed to a local telegraph office for transmission to Dayton Ohio. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Wilbur took the message to the Kitty Hawk Weather Station to connect with Norfolk, where the message was relayed to the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company on the 15th, where it was then transmitted by Morse code to be eventually received in Dayton. (6) The message received in Dayton was then typed on to a Telegram form, with the original telegram now held in the Library of Congress Wright Brother archives. This December 15th telegram is pictured below:

December 15, 1903 telegram sent by Wilbur to Milton Wright. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Wilbur's name was misspelled in the transmission. Hawthorn street historically, has been spelled with and without the e, having two variations. Note that the form indicates received location as Dayton, Ohio, as it should.

Milton recorded the following in his diary for that day-

Tuesday December 15 Katharine sick; misses School the first time in about four years. Dr Spitler came. About 4:00 came the telegram "Misjudgment at start reduced flight (to) one hundred (and) twelve (feet)- power and control ample- rudder only injured- success assured keep quiet." Wilbur Wright.  It was from Kittyhawk,  North Carolina, and related to Wilbur & Orville's Flyer. (1)

Two days after receiving this telegram, Milton Wright's sons would successfully complete four flights. A telegram was sent that day to Milton announcing the accomplishment, and also resides today in the Library of Congress Archives. Again, using the Kitty Hawk Weather Station's government wire, Norfolk was contacted with this time the message sent to The Western Union company where the telegrapher when transmitting the message by morse  code misspelled Orville's name as "Orevelle", and mistakenly transmitted the length of time of the last flight as "57" in lieu of 59 seconds.

Milton recorded in his diary-

Thursday, December 17 In the afternoon about 5:30 we received the following telegram from Orvill [e], dated Kitty Hawk, N.C., Dec. 17, "Bishop M. Wright: "Success four flights Thursday morning all against twenty-one mile wind started from level with engine power alone average speed through the air thirty one miles- longest 57 seconds. XXX home Christmas. Orville Wright." (1)

 

December 17, 1903 telegram sent by Orville Wright to his father Milton Wright, "Success four flights thursday morning all against twenty one mile wind started from level with engine power alone average speed through air thirty one miles longest 57 seconds inform Press home Christmas. Orevelle (Orville) Wright. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress. Telegram was received at Dayton, Ohio, but was not stamped as such. This is not unusual.

 
 

Robert Clowry is listed as President on the Western Union 1903 telegrams sent by the Wright Brothers, these forms were utilized from 1902 through 1910. Image courtesy of National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian.

 

The story appeared in the Dayton Daily News evening edition of December 18th, and read in part as follows: Kitty Hawk, N.C., Dec 17. "'We have made four successful flights this morning, all against a 21-mile wind. We started from the level, with engine power alone. Our average speed through the air was 31 miles. Our longest time in the air was 57 seconds.' Orville Wright. 

The above telegram was received by Bishop Wright of this city last evening from his sons Wilbur and Orville Wright, who have been for several months at Kitty Hawk on the coast of North Carolina experimenting with a flying machine, announcing the complete success of their invention which they call the 'Wright Flyer'. 

Thursday morning they made four successful flights against a wind of 21 miles an hour, starting from a level and going at the rate of 10 miles per hour, which would be equal to a rate of 31 miles per hour in a calm. No power was used in starting the flight except two aerial propellers driven by a powerful but light gasoline engine. The landings were all made easily and without injury to either the machine or operator. The Wright brothers have been carrying on experiments for the past six or seven years, and have built three previous machines for gliding by means of which they attained proficiency in the control of their apparatus. This year is the first time they have attempted to drive their machine by power. (Then details of the Wright Flyer are given, and then....)

The dispatch from Norfolk, Va., published in the morning dailies contains much that is inaccurate and was based on imperfect or unauthentic information. The credit for the success of the 'Wright Flyer' is totally due to both Wilbur and Orville as the invention has been the result of their joint labors." (2)

 

 

Dayton Daily News Dec 18th, 1903 page from Dayton Metro Library archives. Associated original print plate is from author's collection.

Wilbur and Orville sent a letter dated 1903 December 28 to Carl Dienstbach of the Illustrirte Aeronautische Mitteilungen, clarifying the details of the day, including the 59 second final flight, "We have given out no description or photographs of our 'flyer' and the account given in the dispatch from Dayton, that you read, probably came nearer to the truth than the other accounts. On the morning of the 17th inst. we made four flights, my brother and myself each making two. The wind at the time of the trials was blowing a little over twenty miles an hour.....The government anemometer at Kitty Hawk recorded from 24 to 27 miles an hour at the time of our trials. We started all four flights from the level, and not from the side of a hill as we had formerly done with our gliding machines. The machine was given no assistance in starting, and depended entirely upon the power of the engine and the thrust of the propellers to give its initial speed. After a run of 35 to 40 feet on the monorail, which held it only eight inches from the ground, the flyer rose gradually from the track and by the time it had gone 50 to 75 feet it would reach a height of about 10 feet from the ground....Our measured speed....was ten miles per hour, which, added to the speed of the wind, gave us a speed through the air of 31 to 35 miles per hour. We used a four cylinder engine...of the four cycle type of our own design and construction. The engine speed while in flight was about 1035 turns to the minute on account of the gears used, and was not the maximum power of the engine. We had no propellers either above or below the machine to give it lifting power, but depended entirely upon two aerocurves, superposed, for that purpose. We used two air propellers, placed at the rear....to propel the machine forward. The weight of the machine and operator was 745 pounds. The area of the main lifting surfaces was 510 square feet. Our methods of control are entirely different from those used by Lilienthal, Pilcher, or Chanute, and were found to be highly effective....Our longest flight was 59 seconds from the time of lifting from the rail to that of landing...."

 

 

Orville sent another telegram, this one to Katharine's attention, dated December 23. The Virginian-Pilot, December 23 paper had reported "In order to escape the ubiquitous news hunter, the Wrights sent two of their associates on ahead, they having decided to follow with their machine today. The two decoys went  to Elizabeth City, N.C., and from there to Norfolk by way of the Norfolk and Southern railway, going on through this city by way of Richmond to Ohio. The advance guard was besieged by newspaper men, but were as silent as the sphynx [sic]. Doubtless many alleged interviews were obtained from the decoys in question. The schooner Nancy Hall, with the flying machine on board, left Roanoke Island at 10:30 o'clock yesterday morning, bound for Elizabeth City. The machine had been taken apart and packed in big wooden boxes in sections. Both the Wright brothers are aboard the vessel closely guarding their invention...." (3)

 

 

Milton recorded in his diary-

Wednesday, December 23 I was at home. Wrote some. Bert Strang called in the interest of the Commercial Gazette. Katharine got a telegram from Orville, saying He and Wilbur would be at home to night. They came at 8:00. They had some interviewers on the way, but suppressed them." (1)

 

 

December 23, 1903 telegram sent by Orville to Katharine Wright. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Telegram was received at Dayton, Ohio, and received a stamp indicating this.

 

 

Attempts to Alter History-

The genuine Wright Brother December 1903 telegrams survive, and their content is known. Oddly, an alternative Western Union Telegram was sold recently, differing from the original in the Smithsonian Archives, dated Dec. 17, 1903, addressed to Bishop M. Wright, with a message, "Success on our flights, even though winds picked up. With the engine power, steady average speed through air were thirty one miles longest 57 seconds." The names Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright are written under the message. The message is entirely handwritten in what appears to be a poor attempt of mimicking Wilbur's handwriting, with the 57 second error included.

Offered at auction July 7, 2022, this item sold for $1500. The Auction house listed an estimated value of $25,000-$40,000, and included a letter of authentication. 

 

Western Union telegram dated Dec. 17, 1903 made to appear as a genuine document. Note that the "Received At" location is indicated as Norfolk, Va. The Wrights were not at Norfolk on December 17; they were still at camp near Kitty Hawk.

This telegram dated Dec. 17, 1903 is written on a Western Union form that was not in use until after April of 1914, two years after the death of Wilbur Wright. Newcomb Carlton is listed as President on this form under the word "Telegram".

 

Image courtesy of National Museum of American History, The Smithsonian.

Historical Facts-

• Newcomb Carlton was elected vice president of the Western Union Telegraph Company November 23, 1910. (4)
• Newcomb Carlton was then elected president of the Western Union Telegraph Company April of 1914. (5)
• This Western Union Telegram form dates to after April 1914. 
• Wilbur Wright died May 30, 1912, two years before this W.U. Telegram form existed. Wilbur Wright could not have written or signed this document. 
• Messages were sent through the Kitty Hawk Weather Station and relayed to Norfolk. At Norfolk, the message would have then been sent by morse code to Dayton. A handwritten message by the Wright's would not have been received at Norfolk.

Another Western Union Telegram form was sold recently, differing from the original in the Smithsonian archives, dated Dec. 15, 1903, addressed to Bishop M. Wright, with the message, "We had some issues at the beginning of flight, power was a little off at start, but gained control and was a success." Orville Wright & Wilbur Wright.  The names Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright are handwritten under the message.

 

The message was typed onto a blank Western Union Telegram of a style that was not used until after April 1914. The text line under the word "Telegram" has been removed such that the names of the vice presidents, and president Newcomb Carlton do not appear. Note, this item is identified as Form 1, which included those names, and once removed, have left a band of discoloration in their place.

Offered at auction January 19, 2022, this item sold for $4500. The auction house listed an estimated value of $8,900-$9,900, and included a letter of authentication.

Western Union telegram dated Dec. 15, 1903 made to appear as a genuine 1903 document. Note that the telegram "Received At" location is indicated as Norfolk, Va. This, in lieu of being received at Dayton, Ohio.

  

Remnants of "Newcomb Carlton, President" remain on the Telegram, an incomplete attempt of erasure to hide the true later date of the document. A telegram form in this style without the names was never produced by Western Union. 

 

 

The WU telegram form similar to the one used in Dayton for receiving the Wright's December 17th, and 23rd messages identifying Robert Clowry as President continued to be printed through 1910.

Western Union form, Robert C. Clowry, President, as used 1902 through 1910. Examples of 1908 and 1909 dated telegrams.

 

In November of 1910, Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone and Telegraph Company, gained control of Western Union and became president of Western Union.  Forms with the new WU logo depicting the Western Union name spanning the globe appeared with Vail's name listed below.

Western Union Telegram form in use 1910 through 1914, introducing the new WU logo.

In 1914, to avoid anti-trust action, Western Union and American Telephone & Telegraph separated, and Newcomb Carlton became Western Union's president. The telegram forms printed were similar, but with Newcomb's name replacing Theo Vail's name. The Newcomb 1914 form was modified in 1915 to include Class of Service tables at upper right and left of the document. Forms similar to this design were continued to be used into the 1920's.

Western Union Newcomb Carlton 1914 telegram form on the left, and 1915 form on the right.

The history of the Wright Brothers is not the only area under attack in the fabricated telegram market. Offered at auction in 2015, a Western Union telegram was described as "Unrecorded, Newly Discovered Titanic S.O.S. Telegram". Within the description, the auction house wrote, "Since the Marconi office in Cape Race had no facilities to deliver the telegram, it was transmitted to the Western Union office in New York and delivered by messenger to Mr. Franklin at 9 Broadway. This may be the telegram that was delivered, or it may be a retained copy, as we have evidence that these telegrams were sent "2-up". While it seems certain that the telegram was delivered (or the attempt made), we cannot say for sure whether Franklin saw it in a timely manner, or testified falsely before Congress. There is no contemporary provenance that accompanies the telegram. It was given to the consignor by a cousin around 1998.......We have examined the telegram extensively and conclude that all characteristics are "right", including type of paper, method of printing, aging of the paper and look of the typed message (variation in the lightness & darkness of the inked impression, visible signs of the weave of the ribbon). In summary, we are totally satisfied that the telegram is authentic and a new discovery." Really?

"Newly Discovered Titanic S.O.S. Telegram", printed on a Western Union form that did not exist in 1912. Newcomb Carlton is listed as President, who did not obtain this office till April 15, 1914. The Titanic sunk April 14, 1912.

Earlier telegrams dating to the 1890's unrelated to the Wright Brothers have been altered to appear as if they were sent by the brothers, with one or both of their "signatures" added. Collectors are advised to to know their history prior to making a purchase for an item which appears to alter that history. The burden of proof should be on the item, not the established history.

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright
 

Notes:

1. Bishop Milton Wright Diaries, 1857-1917, Wright State University Core Scholar Wright Brothers Collection (MS-1).
2. Dayton Daily News, December 18 Evening Edition, 1903, "Dayton Boys Emulate Great Santos-Dumont."
3. Virginian-Pilot Wednesday December 23, 1903 issue, "Wrights Give Talks On Airship". The article as a whole is obviously a fabrication.
4. Buffalo Courier Thursday November 24, 1910, "Newcomb Carlton Vice President Western Union". 
5. The Buffalo News, Friday, April 10, 1914, "New President of W. U. In Buffalo Many Years".
6. The National Air and Space Museum, C.D.B. Bryan, 1979, 5th printing 1984, "Milestones of Flight", "...they walked the four or so miles to the Kitty Hawk Weather Station, where they could send a telegram to their father. Since so few persons had occasion to send telegrams in this near-desolate section of North Carolina, people were permitted to use the weather station's government wire to connect with Norfolk, where the message would be relayed to one of the telegraph companies."

Orville Wright On Wright Flyer Control Systems

Updated March 16, 2025

Orville Wright, in two letters highlighted in this post, wrote of the differing flight control systems on the various models of Wright flyers. The first letter was written to his grand-nephew, George Russel, grandson of Reuchlin and Lulu Wright. Reuchlin and Lulu's daughter Helen married George Nichols Russel October 4, 1908. Helen and George had two daughters, Helen and Elizabeth, and one son, George Milton Russel. 

 

The envelope associated with the Orville Wright to George M. Russel December 31, 1946 letter was lost through the U.S. Postal Service when mailed within another enclosure to this Author's home January of 2025, but never received. If the envelope appears on the market, please know the rightful owner typing this post is hoping for its safe return. Unfortunately, it has likely found it's way into the Postal Service's Black Hole that sucks up 3% of all mail the Postal Service handles, never to be seen again. Fortunately, the two page letter is safe and archived within the Author's collection. (1)

 

 

December 31, 1946

"Dear George:

I am glad to hear that your company is getting on so well, and that you have an interesting and worth while job. I was afraid that after the war was over the aeroplane business would drop to less than five per cent. of what it was at its peak during the war.

[George, an aeronautical engineer, worked at Lockheed Aircraft.]

I can hardly imagine that the control of which you speak in your letter is basic and could be covered by a worth while patent. Unless it is basic it would have little money value. However, it may be a better mechanism. 

Our machine in 1903 required no separate control for the rudder. The rudder was connected to the wing control and worked simultaneously with it, as described in our original patent."

1903 Wright Flyer hip wing warping mechanism, Louis Christman drawing H-1, Smithsonian Institution. Note the dashed outline of aviator with hips in cradle, and left hand on elevator lever. (2)

 

"In 1908 we applied for a patent on a control in which two levers mounted on the same axle could be grasped in one hand. One lever was for operating the ailerons and the other for operating the rudder.  They could be adjusted with reference to each other and were kept in the adjusted position by a friction between the two disks, so that the operation of one lever through the friction operated the other. I used that system at Fort Myer in 1908."

Sketch by Orville Wright of control system used at Ft. Myer in 1908. (3)

 

 

Wright Model A Flyer at Ft. Myer, 1908, showing dual lever on one axle control system used by Orville Wright. Image courtesy of Wright State University Core Scholar archives.

 

"In 1908 your Uncle Will used a stick. Moving it fore and aft adjusted the rudder, and moving it side-wise moved the ailerons."

Wright control system as depicted in the Der Motorwagen Rozendaal prints published in 1909. Description in German translated to english, "Wilbur Wright ash arrangement of transverse balance disorder". (4)

  

Wilbur Wright with passenger Ernest Zens in Model A Flyer, Camp d'Auvours near Le Mans, September 1908. This photo is often mistaken to be that of Wilbur and Orville, even though Ernest Zens looks nothing like Orville Wright.

"In 1909 I used the system later used on most of the Wright Company's Model B's and other models. The fore and aft movement of a "stick" operated the wing warp or ailerons, and the side movement of a short hinged arm at the top of the stick operated the rudder. This device is illustrated and described in "Aeronautics" of September, 1911, page 96."

Sketch by Orville Wright of control system used in 1909 "on most of the Wright Company's Model B's and other models." (3)

 

 

Wright control system as depicted in the Der Motorwagen Rozendaal prints published in 1909. (2)

 

Arthur L. Welsh using the hinged-top stick controller, with separate elevator stick controller, in Wright Model B at Huffman Prairie, 1911. Image courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.

 

1912 Model C control system from the William J. Hammer Collection, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution. (5)

 

"In 1914 and 1915, we used a wheel control. The wheel was mounted vertically at the top of an upright arm. The fore and aft movement of the arm operated the elevator. Turning the wheel clockwise reduced the angle of the right aileron and increased the angle of the left one. A lever was mounted on the same stud as the wheel, and extended out to and partly around the rim of the wheel forming a hand hold, so that the lever and the rim of the wheel were gripped in one hand. The lever adjusted the rudder. The elevator, the rudder and the ailerons could be operated simultaneously with one hand. The engine throttle and spark controls also were mounted on the same stud as the wheel and rudder lever. All control of plane and motor was done on the one vertical arm. ("Aerial Age", June 14, 1915, June 28, 1915, October 4, 1915.)"

 

 

Wright Model G Flying Boat, 1914 wheel control. Image courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives, Core Scholar.

 

"The design shown in this illustration [to the right, excluding the wheel] was the one used on the first powered machine, and all machines thereafter that used a biplane forward elevator. The forward elevator shown in the illustration was constructed so that when the lever was pushed forward the trailing edge raised, the leading edge lowered, and the machine dived. Pulling the lever backward, the opposite action occurred....Triple control, all in one unit, was inaugurated in the 1914 Model G flying boat. This is shown on the left. The control wheel here illustrated operated the wing warp, being rotated to the right to produce a right bank. The hand grip shown at the right of the wheel and projecting over its rim operated the rudder. When moved downward a right turn was produced, and by holding both wheel and grip to a turn and bank could be made. For longitudinal control, the complete unit could be pushed fore and aft to produce an effect similar to that of the lever in previous machines." (6)

"The French early adopted a stick for control of ailerons and elevator, and a foot bar for the rudder. They thought to get around our patent with that system, but the French Courts decided otherwise. When we went into World War I, the French were using planes by the thousand equipped with the Esnault-Pelterie system described above. Our Government therefore adopted that system so that all machines would be alike.

We used a foot bar control of rudder in a few flights in 1904, but soon abandoned it. From 1908 to 1913 we used one foot to control the speed of the engine. 

Wilbur has been with me here in Dayton for more that a month. We haven't got down to real work yet. He has been wallowing in soot getting the shop cleaned up so we can use it. I am intending to do some experimenting on the hydraulic drive, cypher machine, and possibly on the automatic control for planes--maybe some other inventions. I have made no plans for going into manufacturing. All I have in mind at present is to see some of my inventions built and tried. The hydraulic drive no doubt will take years to eliminate the bugs. The cypher machine works and is fun to play with, but probably never would be a business proposition, since the only use for it would be Governmental. Honest people have too little chance in dealing with the Government."

[On December 17, the insulation on the furnace serving Orville's Lab caught fire, and filled the Lab area with soot. Orville's grand-nephew Wilbur Herbert Wright helped with the clean-up.]

 

Orville Wright's prototype 1944 Cypher Machine, courtesy of The Franklin Institute Archives.

 

"Burma Surgeon Returns" came in good shape, but on account of the many things around the holidays that have to be attended to I haven't been able to read it as yet. That is one of the pleasures reserved for the new year. 

Wishing you, Marjorie and little Chaddy the Happiest of New Years,"

Affectionately, 

Uncle Orv

 

Seven months after writing the letter above to his grand-nephew, Orville wrote to Dr. Alexander Wetmore, the sixth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

July 30, 1947

Dr. A. Wetmore, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

"Dear Doctor Wetmore: 

I am sorry to have been so long in answering your letter of June 10th in which you inform me that the Wright 1909 military plane now in the Museum has the split-lever control. I know this control was never at any time used on that plane, but at that time I could not find a clear photograph of the hinged-lever which was used. The split-lever was used only at Kitty Hawk and at Fort Myer in 1908, never afterward."

 

Orville Wright and Lt. Thomas Selfridge in 1908 Military Wright Flyer with split lever controls. Courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.

"In the demonstrations at Fort Myer in 1909 I used the hinged-top lever. Wilbur, later in that year at College Park, replaced my control with a stick control which he had previously used in Europe. Lahm, Humphreys and Foulois got their training from him with this stick control. Foulois continued the use of the stick at San Antonio, Texas, but after he saw, at the Belmont Park Meet in October, 1910, the flying of the Wright Company's pilots who were using the hinged-top lever, he had that mechamism [sic] installed on his machine."

 

Hinged-top wing warping & rudder lever. (7)

"The principle of operation was exactly the same in the 1909 Fort Myer lever as in the 1911 lever on the Rodgers plane, now in the Museum. The details of construction, however, were slightly different."

 

Cal Rodgers with Blanche Scott, at Tournament Park, Pasadena, California, November 5, 1911, with Vin Fiz Wright Flyer model EX, having just crossed the North American continent. Cal would complete the trip by December 10, reaching the Atlantic at Long Beach.  Note the hinged top controller. Photo from Author's collection.

Wright control system for "headless" machines. (7)

 

Wright Model B with "Blinder" modified at Chicago Meet. (7)

"After the receipt of your letter I examined with a magnifying glass the photographs made at Fort Myer in 1909, but  could not make out from them the exact mechanism used at that time. However, in looking through some of our European photographs a few days ago I found a clear picture showing the construction of the lever as used at Fort Myer. 

Since the split-lever was never used on the 1909 military plane I think it should be replace by one of the controls which at one time or another was used on that plane. I believe the device used in the trials at Fort Myer in 1909, and by Foulois at San Antonio in 1910, will be easier to duplicate than the stick control used by Wilbur in training Lahm, Humphreys and Foulois."

Controller as now installed on the 1909 Wright Military Flyer on display at the Smithsonian. Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

 

"Originally there were two aluminum castings on the split-lever. These same castings were used in the hinged-top lever in 1909. I assume that the split-lever now on the Army machine still has these castings and also a coil spring on the axle to hold the two halves of the split-lever in frictional contact. This spring also was used with the hinged-top lever. 

I am inclosing [sic] a sketch of the lever as used in 1909 and 1910. In 1911 the wooden disc was omitted and the rod from the top lever was connected directly onto a slightly modified aluminum casting as used in the Rodgers machine."

Sincerely yours, 

Orville Wright

Sketch of 1909 and 1910 lever enclosed with Orville Wright's July 30, 1947 letter to Dr. A. Wetmore.

 

For more on Orville's grand-nephew George M. Russel, specifically his visits to Orville's Lambert Island retreat with his cousin Wilbur H. Wright, see my post:

 

Raising Wilbur Herbert Wright

 

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

Notes:

1. This Author was blessed with the opportunity to obtain this letter directly through the great-grandson of George Milton Russel.
   
2. Wright Brothers 1903 Kitty Hawk Aeroplane National Air Museum, Smithsonian Institution Louis Christman drawing set, 1950, from Author's collection. 
3. Sketches drawn by Orville Wright on letter to his grand-nephew George Russel, December 31, 1946. From Author's collection.
   
4. From publication of 15 attachments in Der Moterwagen 1909 magazines of Rozendaal's publication. From Author's collection.
5. Source is from the William J. Hammer collection with the Smithsonian, but this copy was obtained through personal archive in Author's collection of E.W. Robischon, Asst. Director Information and Education with the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. 
6. From "The Evolution of the Wright Airplane", by E. W. Robischon, Aerosphere, 1943. 

From "The Evolution of the Wright Airplane", accompanying control description associated with diagram included in this post.

 

7. From Scrapbook compiled by James Means, later acquired by E. W. Robischon. From Author's collection.

Article from James Means scrapbook compiled in 1910, Author's collection.

 

 

 

 

Reuchlin Wright Family

Reuchlin Born March 17, 1861, married Lulu Billheimer April 27, 1886. Lulu died Jan 7, 1951

1901, worked 80 acre farm Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas

1910, lived in Stranger, Leavenworth, Kansas

1912, lived in Baldwin City, Douglas, Kansas

1920, lived in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri

Died May 23, 1920

Lulu’s mother Amanda Louise Billheimer died in 1926

Daughter- Catharine Louise born June 23, 1887, died January 10, 1892, age 4.

Daughter- Helen Margaret born September 14, 1889, died Jan 25, 1972.

Married George Nichols Russel Oct 4, 1908. (1888- 1956).

Daughters-Helen Louise 1909-1994, Elizabeth Leigh (Greenman) 1923-1996.

Son- George Milton Russel (1915-1998). Married Marjorie Sproule February 14, 1941.

Son- Herbert Abeckett Wright born February 7, 1893, died June 19, 1960 Riverside, CA.

Married October 21, 1917 Irene Matilda May (1895- Jan 6, 1931), Sister is Ruth May, born 1892.

Irene’s father died in 1909 when she was 14. Sister Ruth’s child Elizabeth “Betty Campbell, 1914-2002. Sally Campbell, 1930-2002. Irene’s mother Bessie Devon May.

Son- Wilbur Herbert Wright born Feb 28, 1920, died 1991.

Daughter- Katherine Wright born Nov 10, 1922, died 2007.

Married Jun 26, 1933 Edna Lily Fishouser Loevenguth (1896-1982). Edna’s first husband John died in 1929. Daughters Anna Louise, Eula,  and Aleda Loevenguth, and son John Loevenguth.

Daughter- Bertha Ellwyn born December 25, 1896, died April 30, 1977.

Married Oct 8, 1919 Harold William Steeper (1892-1979)

Son- Charles Harold Steeper (1928-1984)

Daughter- Margaret Ellwyn Steeper (1924-1995)

 

 

Reuchlin & Lulu Wright Family Tree courtesy of Ohio History Connection. Family tree as on display at the Hanby House, Westerville, Ohio. There are additional family members not listed; family tree is partial. Later generations not indicated.