This post highlights aviator Arthur L. Welsh, a member of the Wright Brothers Exhibition team, and then eventually sole pilot for the Wrights after the Exhibition Team was dissolved in November of 1911. Some of the other members of the team are mentioned but no attempt is made to present a complete account of Welsh's or the team's accomplishments. Many gave their lives to the advancement of aviation, as did Arthur L. Welsh.
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| Marker in College Park, Maryland on Cpl Frank Scott Drive, 0.2 miles west of College Avenue. |
As stated on the Marker in College Park, Maryland, "The extraordinary life of the first American Jewish aviator began as a typical Jewish immigrant story. Laibel Willcher was born on August 14, 1881, in Russia. In 1890 the family immigrated to Philadelphia and two years later moved to Washington, DC.....In 1901, Willcher joined the Navy, giving his name as Arthur L. Welsh. He returned to Washington in April 1905, working as a bookkeeper and attending meetings of the Young Zionist Union, where he met his wife, Anna Harmel. They were married in the Adas Israel synagogue in 1907. Welsh resolved to become a pilot after witnessing Orville Wright's demonstrations at Fort Myer, Virginia in 1908 and 1909. Welsh was trained by Orville Wright, first in Montgomery, Alabama, and later in Dayton, Ohio. He immediately became an instructor and member of the Wright Exhibition Team. The Wright brothers sent Welsh and his teammates out to promote the airplane across the United States. By November 1911, they had performed in over 77 locations across the country. At the International Aviation Meet in Chicago in August 1911, Welsh won a $3000 prize as the first aviator to fly more than two hours with a passenger. The team was disbanded in November of 1911...." (1)
From Milton Wright Diary entries- (2)
Saturday, May 21, 1910- "We went to Sim[m]s and saw Orville fly about 2,000 feet high. He prepared and tried a new machine once. He flew with A. L. Welsh, LaChapelle, and Lorin. The wind was pretty still. We came home in an automobile with Mr. Thresher."
Friday, May 27, 1910- "I went out to Sim[m]s at 3:30, on the car. Orville was flying with A. L. Welsh. He flew several times with Welsh & Chapelle. Welsh led many times. I came home on 5:30 car. Prof. Robert Koch, the bacterialist, died to day."
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| Arthur L. Welsh |
July 5, 1910, Aurora, Illinois -
"Five thousand persons stood breathless as A. L. Welsh sent his aeroplane straight at a group of picnickers when he lost control of its steering gear at the Aurora Driving Park Tuesday and five thousand cheered when the reckless little driver risked his own life in making a landing further up the hillside. Welsh was swooping down to the only available landing where he might expect to save his machine and his life when the cries of men and women reached him above the roar of his engine. With a jerk he reversed the planes in the front of his machine and rose again to dash into the hill side beyond. Tall grain made a cushion for his landing and he escaped without a scratch. The fall came after eleven minutes of spectacular flying"
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| Postcard postmarked June 16, 1910 advertising the upcoming Home Coming event, Aurora Illinois. The event was formally advertised to include Tuesday, July 5. Due to windy weather, the event extended to Thursday, July 7th. From Author's collection. |
"Welsh was toying with death in reckless turns at a height of five hundred feet when the wire controlling his rudder refused to work. Below and on three sides of him were orchards and groves. Luckily his machine was pointed west toward a level cornfield a quarter of mile away. With a dip like a swallow he dropped to the far edge of the field watching his wind indicator and oblivious to the men and women and children in his path. The men ran and women screamed the warning which saved their lives. With no hope of being able to rise again, Welsh threw up his planes and shot to the hill beyond. "There were the three scares of my life," said the little Welshman after he landed. (Welsh was not a Welshman; he was born in Kiev, Ukraine.) "Finding out that the rudder wouldn't work and being directly over an orchard was enough to bleach my hair. Then to hear the women's screams and realize I was about to kill some one was another jar and the prospect of hitting that hill, without knowing how hard or where, was another. I will remember those sensations for a long time." As Welsh fell, the crowd rushed through the ripening grain, expecting to find the aftermath of a tragedy. The machine was turned around to resume its aerial contortions. In attempting to rise the grain caught the wings and turned the machine around, breaking one of its wings. Again Welsh escaped unhurt and smiling." (3)
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| Welsh's Wright Flyer, July 1910, Aurora, Illinois. Man standing on center of wing may be Arthur Welsh, but certainly not a spectator. Courtesy of Aurora Historical Society. |
September 5, 1910, Minneapolis State Fair, Hamlin, Minnesota -
"Welsh, driving a Wright machine, who, unlike Mars, had never flown here before, was less fortunate in his attempt. After getting away to an apparent good start, his machine struck a wind current that proved disastrous. Welsh was at a height of about 45 feet when he attempted to turn. His aeroplane tilted, dipped, and turning, crashed head foremost to the ground. Welsh retained his seat and fell with his machine. He suffered a severe cut on the ankle of his left leg, being caught under the mechanism, and his escape from more serious injury was considered miraculous. The projecting planes in the front of the aeroplane were wrecked. (4)
In another account, "After reaching a height of about sixty feet in an aeroplane shortly after he had left the ground in an attempt to circle the track at the fair grounds, A. L. Welsh of the Wright Flying Machine company, a resident of Washington, D. C., fell to the ground. A gust of wind caught his machine, causing it to turn and crash to the earth with the aviator beneath the wreckage. Mr. Welsh had a narrow escape from death, as he fell beneath the machine. Had the heavy engines been over him he surely would have been killed. His right foot was crushed, a wire from the rear of the machine cutting the flesh to the bone. Mr. Welsh was taken to the emergency hospital at the fair grounds, where his wound was dressed. The front part of the machine was badly damaged. The cause of the accident, said Mr. Welsh after his wounds had been dressed, was a gust of wind, which made the machine helpless in his hands. "It caught me willy-nilly, and I just had to take the fall," was the way Mr. Welsh put it." The start was made in the face of the wind, in the large field northwest of the grandstand. Mr. Welsh pointed his machine in a southwesterly position and after a run of about 100 feet left the ground. After another 100 feet had been traversed, this time in the air, the machine swerved sharply to the north and without a moment's notice the machine turned over and dashed to the ground, with the aviator beneath it. In addition to having his foot bruised, Mr. Welsh was shaken up. It took him a minute or more to make his way from beneath the wreckage, but by the time other persons had reached the scene of the accident, he was out and limping around, taking in the extent of the damage to the biplane. D. La Chapelle of Paris accompanies Mr. Welsh with the machine that was damaged yesterday. It is the first Wright machine to be seen in this territory and is a two-passenger biplane. The motor is a four-cylinder Wright, water cooled, with two air propellers. Mr. Welsh, at the time of the accident yesterday, was endeavoring to get into the right position, but the wind came in gusts, and in the twenty minutes preceding the time he left the ground the wind changed its direction several times. This is what caused the accident. Before the attempt was made to fly yesterday, Mr. Welsh, Mr. La Chapelle and J.C. Maras [Mars], the aviator of the Glenn Curtiss biplane at the fair this week, walked over the ground they contemplated starting from. Every little hole in the ground was inspected, the telephone and telegraph wires looked at, and fences, numerous in this part of the ground, carefully located. The starting-place did not find much favor with the bird men, who said, however, that if the fences, poles and holes were taken care of, it would be an ideal starting-place. It took them some time to finally decide from what part of the field the start should be made. While President Taft was making his closing remarks, the Wright machine was taken from the tent and wheeled to a position about a half mile northwest of the grandstand. Then without any hesitation, Mr. Welsh climbed to his seat and with a very brief preliminary test of the levers, started the engine. After running across the ground about 100 feet it left the ground, only to fall again within a moment or two. J. C. Maras [Mars] was one of the first on the ground after the accident and assisted his comrade to a waiting carriage. Before the crowds had time to reach the spot, the injured aviator was on his way to physicians. The machine Mr. Maras [Mars] uses is also a biplane, but not much like the Wright machine. It is a Glenn Curtiss machine and is the machine the Wrights allege is an infringement on their patents, the case now being before a court for judgement. "We expect to fall once in a while," said Mr. Welsh, "but it's a part of this business and must be reckoned in with the rest of the day's cares." (5)
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| A piece of the Wright Flyer flown by Arthur Welsh September 5, 1910 at the Minneapolis State Fair, Hamline, Minnesota. The piece is spruce. (6) (7) |
"After treatment at a hospital, Welsh, who had attended the Wright brothers' first flight school, retired to quarters at the Dyckman Hotel in Minneapolis, his flying finished for the duration of the fair. His aircraft was so damaged that it could not be repaired, despite the fact that the Wright people had brought a large supply of spare parts with them. This turn of events obviously put the Wright contract in jeopardy. On receiving Welsh's explanatory telegram, the Wright firm acted with alacrity and immediately shipped a new aircraft from Dayton, Ohio. The company ordered a change of itinerary for its star pilot, Arch Hoxsey, sending him to Minnesota as a replacement for the injured Walsh...Just two days before he arrived in St. Paul, Hoxsey had had a mishap at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln. While taking off from the infield of a small race track surrounded by barns, tall trees, and a grandstand, he collided with the side of a barn.....When he arrived in Minnesota, a Minneapolis newspaper reported that he "looks today as if he were suffering from a combination toothache and the after results of fighting a hornet's nest. His left cheek is puffed and his left eye is closed; he limps [and] wobbles." .....At last on Friday the bedeviling wind abated, and in the light breezes of late afternoon both Hoxsey and Mars made splendid flights. Perhaps 10,000 people had jammed the grandstand finally to see some flying, and they were rewarded with a "first in Minnesota" when they witnessed "two modern airships in action", a Curtiss and a Wright in the air at the same time." (8)
Arch Hoxsey's and J. C. (Bud) Mars' flights occurred Friday September 9, 1910. Two witnesses of these flights were the brothers who obtained the souvenir piece pictured above from Welsh's wrecked aeroplane; one writing in his diary entry for that day, "Spent all day at the fair. Seen Curtiss and Wright Brothers Airships in action. Superb! My first view of an airplane." (6)
Milton Wright letter to Grand-niece Grace Frazier, November 7, 1910, " .....To-day, one of their men flies from their station at Simms, to Columbus, with five bolts of silk, for which the Columbus merchant gives them $5000. It seems a nice day to fly. I do not know how they will come out. Brookins, one of their pupils, flew from Chicago to Springfield, a few weeks ago. Wilbur followed him on the train. Then, another pupil took the machine and flew thence to St. Louis. They had three days with any number of stops, from Chicago to Springfield. They did it with three stops, and all in one day. At New York, their men, Hoxsey and Johnson [Johnstone] went up a windy day and were floated off to Long Island, Johnson [Johnstone] 55 miles. Next day they both flew back. They had a flyer at New York, which could fly nearly 80 miles an hour, but by mismanagement they did not win the Gordon-Bennet cup. They went out all kinds of weather at New York when other machines did not dare to venture; hence they entertained the crowd and made the meet a succes [sic]. Their man Johnson [Johnstone] took the worlds record for high flying, reaching 9714 feet. The New York papers gave them the preference. The Associated Press sent out over the country reports, as if they were behind. They do not pay the Associated Press for mentioning them.....P. S. After I wrote the foregoing, Mr. Parmalee took his machine and the bolts of silken goods and flew to Columbus. He was on the way an hour and a minute, over sixty-one miles. He landed nicely and delivered the goods, and sent us a telegram...." (9)
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September 18, 1880 - November 17, 1910 Ralph Johnstone
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Milton Wright letter to Grand-niece Grace Frazier November 18, 1910, "....Orville is on the way to Germany to teach the Germans to make flying machines. Wilbur who was in New York passes through Dayton tonight on the way to Kansas City to be at Ralph Johnstone's funeral. Johnstone was killed yesterday afternoon by collapse at Denver of his machine, imperfectly repaired...." (9)
Apparently, Arthur's employment with the Wright's was not a steady on-going engagement with weekly paycheck. On November 23, 1910, Welsh, from Washington, D.C., wrote a letter to Wilbur Wright, "When I saw you in New York, on the 14th inst, you informed me that you would probably be able to give me regular work at flying and that you would let me hear from you in a few days, and that I should do nothing until I had received word from you. I know that you have been very busy the last week in connection with the unfortunate and untimely death of Ralph Johnstone, but when you find the time would you kindly let me know what the prospects are for regular employment...". Wilbur wrote back on the 28th, " I have just returned home after having attended Johnstone's and Mr. Chanute's funerals. The possibility of an opening for you to which I referred was with a party who was negotiating with us to take a machine out with a circus. However he seems to have dropped the matter and I would not advise you to wait any longer in the hope of something coming of it....". (10)
In December of 1910, Welsh was offered employment with The National Aviation Company in Washington D.C. as a flight instructor, and so he wrote Wilbur, "My dear Mr. Wright: The National Aviation Company of this city having offered me a position as instructor, I would be glad to have you advise me if I may accept this position or if you will exercise the clause in our contract which states that I am not to fly for pleasure or profit in any aeroplanes not owned by the Wright Company. I am withholding my signature to a contract with the above company pending a statement from you that you will not exercise the clause above mentioned. In this connection, I wish you would quote me price and terms on one of your machines, and the earliest possible date delivery can be made; also kindly advise me as to whether we can make some arrangements whereby I would be able to serve in the capacity of instructor to those who will purchase your machine during the coming year...." . Wilbur responded, "It is impossible for us to give a definite answer to your question without knowing what kind of business the National Aviation Company intends to engage in. We could not consent if it is the intention to have you fly a Wright machine for exhibition purposes. Neither could we consent that you should fly any machine that infringes our patents unless the company pays license on all the infringing machines it uses. We naturally could not consent to have you give the benefit of the training obtained from us to assist a pirate company to compete with us.....If the machines of the National Aviation Company should be free from infringement and this is made clear to us, we will consider further the question of waiving the provision of our contract referred to by you. We would be glad to help you in any work you may wish to engage in provided it does not compromise our patent rights." Welsh responded, "Yours of the 16th instant to hand, and I beg to state in reply that the National Aviation Company is an organization which intends to open up an aviation school and to act as an agency for the sale of the Curtis, Bleriot and other makes of flying machines, including the Wright provided they can secure the agency for your machine. The company does not want to do anything that will antagonize the Wright patents, and is entirely willing to pay a royalty for any machine other than the Wright that they may sell and to operate under a license from you. The National Aviation Company desires my services as teacher on the Wright machine and to take part in exhibition flights around Washington, with the understanding that a percentage of the receipts from such flights is to go to your company providing a percentage basis can be arranged.....P.S. The reason for my telegraphing for your address, was because Mr. Fox, a member of the National Aviation Co. and myself had intended to go to Dayton to see you, on Thursday, but have postponed our trip until next week." (10)
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October 15, 1884 - December 31, 1910 Archibald Hoxsey
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From Milton Wright's diary entries- (2)
Saturday, December 31, 1910- "...Arch Hoxsey, fell to his death this afternoon, at Los Angeles, California..." And in notes for the year, Milton wrote, "It seems hard to get the facts about the manner of Hoxsey and Johnstone's death. It seems as if witnesses can not see when excited. It seems probable that Hoxie [sic] may have fainted from his high flight...."
Milton Wright to Grand-niece Grace Frazier January 13, 1911, "...Johnson [Johnstone] ran away from home when a boy to become a showman. The cause of his death must remain a mystery, as witnesses differ entirely about how he and Hoxsey acted in their fall. Had they lived they could have told us what the difficulty was. Orville inclines the think that Hoxsey lost consciousness on coming out of thin air to the lower air. Our boys will try to induce greater caution, and better observance of their repeated warnings. Johnson [Johnstone] and Hoxsey were among the best fliers, though they have several as good. Their best flyers remaining are Walter Brookins, P. O. Parmalee, and Clifford Turpin. Not one of them has flown a year yet. Frank Coffyn, who flies well, is to have charge of their August school....." (9)
"Hoxsey's death is a direct result of the dangers confronting all aviators attempting the spiral dip or dive," said A. L. Welsh, one of the original quartet of Wright aviators...."When he tried this vaudeville stunt it was in violation of a precaution urged by both Orville and Wilbur Wright. Johnstone met his death last November in a similar attempt to thrill the crowds. Instead of trying to astonish spectators, aviators should spend their efforts in a practical use of the flying machine. Their familiarity with the machines seems to breed a contempt for danger. Any aviator who attempts the spiral dive is simply flirting with death." In speaking of Hoxsey's daring, Welsh related that when in Grand Fork last July, the dead aviator could not bring his machine to earth without colliding with the grand stand, thus jeopardizing the lives of many people. To avoid this he drove his machine downward at terrific speed, but escaped without injury, and with the satisfaction of not causing injury to spectators.
When Welsh was making flights in Minneapolis Hoxsey was in Lincoln, Nebr. Welsh was badly bruised in a fall, which kept him in bed for a couple of weeks. The same day, in Lincoln, Hoxsey jammed his machine into a barn and was badly bruised. Despite his injuries, Hoxsey took a train for Minneapolis and made flights three days in Welsh's place to avoid disappointing the crowds. Hoxsey, according to Welsh, has had more accidents than any other aviator. They were caused, said Welsh, by "Hoxsey's mettle in wanting to do a little better than the other fellow."........Welsh last saw Hosxey in November at Belmont park. He first knew him in the Montgomery , Ala., training camp. Johnstone and Hoxsey were rivals, and it was their attempting to overdo each other that resulted in the deaths of both, according to Welsh. The Washington aviator does not think a damper will be put on future aviation efforts..." (11)
Milton Wright letter to Grand-niece Grace Frazier May 24, 1911, mentions, "At Simms the aeronauts are flying many times every day. Orville only goes out some days. They are having quite a number who are learning to fly. Not one in forty who wish to fly, is qualified to be accepted..." (9)
Saturday, August 13, 1911, Chicago International Aviation Meet-
"Twenty-five aeroplanes flew over Chicago yesterday.....According to the records of the meet association a world's record was broken when A. L. Welsh carried a passenger with him in a Wright biplane for more than two hours. A special prize of $8000 had been offered for this feat and Welsh made the attempt for it, as soon as the flying hours were opened. It was well that he did so, for a few moments later another Wright machine went into the air with a passenger and stayed there for seven minutes longer than Welsh and his guest had." (12)
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| 25 aeroplanes flew at Chicago, with 9 in the air at one time. (12) |
From Milton Wright's diary entries: (2)
Tuesday, September 12, 1911- "....Orville meets Charles Taylor at O's office. A. L. Welsh calls....."
Wednesday, November 22, 1911- "....Wilbur came home at noon. Mr. A. L. Welsh called."
Wednesday, December 6, 1911- "A. L. Welsh called at noon to tell of trouble he had with frozen ground."
January 2nd of 1912, Welsh wrote from Washington D.C. to Orville Wright, "I am in receipt of a letter from A. Holland Forbes, who wants to know if I can come to New Haven, Connectivcut [sic] on the 11th to carry a few passengers, who are members of the Aero Club and to use Mr. Robert J. Collier's machine......The terms are to be the same as those under which I flew at Collier's housewarming party in September. Hoping that I can have your permission to fly.....". Orville wrote back, "....There is no work here for the present, so that you are at liberty to accept the proposition from Mr. Forbes, if you wish." (10)
That same month, Welsh arranged a purchase of a Wright hydroplane for mid-April delivery to New Haven, Connecticut for a client. In June, Welsh wrote Orville indicating he had to discontinue tests of the hydroplane due to a number of design issues- leaky pontoons, misplacement of the pontoons due to weight distribution differences when flying without a passenger, propellers striking the water, etc. Welsh then mentions in addition to the hydroplane testing, "In trying out the army machine yesterday afternoon we found it necessary to send for a new magneto, as the dripping of the gasoline from the carbureter [sic] has caused the armature and fields to rust badly. We also had to send for a new gasoline manifold, because the present one shows a decided tendency to leak at the joining bolts." (10)
The Washington Post, Thursday, January 18, 1912, reported, "Aviator A. M. [sic] Welsh, representing the Wright brothers, yesterday called at the War Department to confer with the chief signal officer, Brig. Gen. James Allen. Major Squier, assistant to Gen. Allen, received the aviator. Welsh let it be known that his firm is now ready to deliver a new machine to the government which will work a revolution in military aviation. The new features of the machine are: Automatic lateral stability; muffled engine; portable wings that come off and can be put on in fifteen minutes by one man,....and a 6-cylinder, 50-horsepower motor, instead of a 4-cylinder, 30-horsepower motor...." (13)
The Dayton Herald, Thursday, March 21, 1912, reported, "The aviation school of the Wright company has been resumed at Huffman prairie with Aviator A. L. Welsh in charge. Mr. Welsh has three pupils, all purchasers of Wright machines. It is expected that the company will have a large number of pupils this spring and summer, drawn principally from purchasers of Wright biplanes. On April 15 the company will begin delivery to the United States government of six of the new type six cylinder aeroplanes, each having 60 horsepower capacity." (14)
The Dayton Herald, Saturday, April 27, 1912, reported, "Word has been received in Dayton by aviators-students and exhibitors- of the proposed formation of a national organization of aviators. The object of the proposed national body, it is stated, is to eliminate rate cutting and to standardize the compensation of men who fly for a living. General matters of professional interest, study of aviation problems and agreement to refrain from the various forms of dare-devil flying are also declared to be part of the work proposed for the aviators' association. The movement, it is understood, is the issue of Walter Brookins' plan given out in the East a few weeks ago following the death of Cal P. Rodgers, in which he suggested among aviators to cut out dangerous stunts in flying. A. L. Welsh, aviator and aviation instructor of the Wright company, said today that he has received no notice of any meeting having been called, but warmly endorsed the plan of aviators agreeing to cut out dangerous stunts." (15)
Wilbur Wright's battle with Typhoid began in May. From Milton Wright's diary entries: (2)
Thursday, May 16, 1912- "Wilbur's fever is unchanged. Orville left for Washington City, at 9:00, to deliver a machine to the Government."
Wednesday, May 22, 1912- "Frank J. Southard picked the lock, got out his machine, early yesterday morning, and dashed to his death, at Simm's flying grounds. He was the first to lose his life there, contrary to advice! The doctors had Dr. Bushheimer of Cincinnati come in to consult in Wilbur's case. The doctor's think him better."
Thursday, May 30, 1912- "This morning at 3:15, Wilbur passed away, aged 45 years, 1 month, and 14 days...
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March 8, 1887 - June 1, 1912 Philip Oren Parmelee
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Tuesday, June 11, 1912- "Orville received word of A. L. Welch's [sic] death at Washington City, and with Lorin goes to the factory and sends Mr. Arthur Gaible to Washington, and comes home. Rev. Maurice Wilson called. (Probably Mr. Welsh aimed at a dip and to rise again. But he miscalculated the distance to the ground.)"
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| "A. L. Welsh killed this evening College Park." Telegram courtesy of Library of Congress. |
Wednesday, June 12, 1912- "Orville
and Katharine conclude to go to Washington D.C., and they start at
3:47. Carrie Grumbaugh & Nettie are here. I wrote letters to several
before and slept an hour. I went to Lorin's for supper, and they came
and stayed all night with me."
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| Wreckage of Wright Flyer, College Park, Maryland. Courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives. |
"In discussing the tragedy, shortly after it occurred Tuesday night, Orville Wright said, "I am especially grieved to learn of the death of Mr. Welsh. He was an exceptionally fine fellow and possesses those personal attributes that are too often lacking in the young men of today. Then in addition to his personal qualities, he possessed such an accurate and well-defined knowledge of the art of aerial navigation that his place will be hard to fill. I considered him one of the best aeroplane pilots in the world. His loss is almost irreparable. As to the conditions under which the accident occurred...I have not yet learned the circumstances in sufficient detail to warrant a discussion of this phase of it. However, I am not yet ready to believe that the accident was due to a weight of the engine and two men. I know too much about the strength of the machine in which they were flying to accept the theory that it collapsed under the burden. I am inclined to believe the unfortunate occurrence must be traced to some other source, and, if it is ever found possible positively to disclose the cause, it will consist of some other than the collapse of the machine." The machine in which the two men were flying when the accident occurred had been taken to Washington about three weeks ago and placed in commission on the army aviation fields there by Orville Wright, who was accompanied by Aviator Welsh, who had expected to spend the season there as a teacher for the Wright Company. About five years ago Mr. Welsh married Miss Anna Harmel of Washington, D. C. who, together with a little three year old girl, survives....During their residence here they have lived at 1221 Grand Avenue, Dayton View.....Fifteen flights had been made in the machine without accident since it had been at College Park. Both Lieutenant Hazelhurst and Welsh separately had made successful trips in the machine earlier in the afternoon. Although an army board was immediately appointed to determine the cause of the accident, it is probable the real cause of the machine's failure never will be known....it was shortly after 6 o'clock that the Wright machine was run out in front of the long line of hangers. For several days Aviator Welsh had been busy demonstrating the aeroplane. All of the war department's requirements had been met except a climb of 2000 feet within 10 minutes carrying a load of 450 pounds. Welsh knew the machine was capable of meeting the test. "I'm going to make that climb tonight or know the reason why", he said as he began to tune up. "I am tired fooling, " he added." (16)
From "The Dayton Jewish Observer", May 25, 2011, "When
news of the fatal plane crash that killed Arthur L. Welsh reached
Orville Wright and his sister Katharine, both hastily rearranged their
schedules to travel from Dayton to Washington, D.C. for the funeral.
This was not an easy time for Orville and Katharine. Just two weeks
before, their beloved brother Wilbur, at the age of 45, had died of
typhoid. Still in mourning for Wilbur, both were now grieving for the
sudden loss of their friend and Wright Company colleague, who had been
performing test flights with a new plane at College Park, Md. for the
War Department. At the time of Welsh's death, he was the only pilot
employed by the Wright Company." (17)
Arthur Welsh's widow wrote a letter to Orville June 22, 1912, "Dear Mr. Wright: Words are inadequate to express my appreciation of the extreme kindness of both you and your sister in coming to Washington to attend the funeral of my beloved husband. Your presence here was a source of much comfort to me in the hour of my deep sorrow, for it testified not only the great esteem in which you held my husband, but also your warm friendship for him, and this has proved no little consolation to me. I can not sufficiently thank you for it. Your kind consideration and courtesy will always remain a cherished memory with me. With kindest regards and best wishes for both of you, believe me Most sincerely yours, Anna Welsh." (10)
%20cropped.jpg "Army Officers killed in Aeroplane accidents 1908-1912") |
| From The Washington Post, Wednesday, June 12, 1912. The note on Welsh requires correction, as Arthur's family moved to Philadelphia when he was 9 years old, but Arthur was born near Kiev, Ukraine. |
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| Plaque at Wright Memorial in Dayton, Ohio listing "Pioneer Flyers Who Were Trained At Wright Brothers Field". A. L. Welsh's name can be found in first line of list of names below Flyer image, listed to the left of Frank T. Coffyn. Walter Brookins, Ralph Johnstone, Arch Hoxsey, & Duvall La Chappelle, are listed to the left of Welsh. |
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| List of Flyers for 1911 from Milton Wright's 1911 diary, courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives. Milton wrote comments adjacent to a number of the flyers, and next to Arthur Welsh's name, he wrote "Honest". |
Copyright 2025- Getting The Story Wright
Notes-
1. HMdb.org The Historical Marker Database- Arthur "Al" Welsh, 1881-1912: Pioneer Aviator.
2. Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.
3. Belvidere Daily Republican, Thursday, July 7, 1910, "Aviator Gave Crown a Scare".
4. The Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Tuesday September 6, 1910, "Aviators Perform Evolutions and One Has Slight Mishap."
5. The Minneapolis Journal Tuesday Evening, September 6, 1910, "Aeroplane Falls At Fair Grounds".
6. Piece was obtained by Author in 2019 from Bob Johnson, grandson of Frank G. Johnson who obtained it at the Minneapolis State Fair in September of 1910, who then displayed it in his museum in Fullerton, ND into the 1960's. Frank, and his brother Rob took a train from Fullerton, ND on September 2, 1910 for the Minnesota State Fair. Rob wrote in his diary on September 9, "Spent all day at the fair. Seen Curtiss and Wright Brothers Airships in action. Superb! My first view of an airplane." They returned by train September 12.
7. Per discussion with Wright expert Nick Engler, Nick shared that Welsh's damaged craft was a convertible B/AB, and that the wood most likely was part of a struct from the wing section, or one of the parts from the appendage frame that held the tail section. Wright skids were made of ash, so the piece would not be from the skids.
8. Quoted from "The Birth of Powered Flight In Minnesota" by Gerald N. Sandvick, Summer of 1982, Minnesota Historical Society.
9. From Author's collection.
10. Library of Congress General Correspondence: Welsh, Arthur L., 1910-1912, 1928-1930, Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers 1809-1979.
11. The Washington Post, Sunday, January 1, 1911, "Hoxsey's Fate Warns- Aviator Welsh Cites Peril in Aerial Maneuvers."
12. The Chicago Sunday Tribune, August 13, 1911, "Record Crowds Sees 25 Planes Fly Above City".
13. The Washington Post, Thursday, January 18, 1912, "Has Wonderful Aeroplane".
14. The Dayton Herald, Thursday, March 21, 1912, "Big Year Expected at Aviation School".
15. The Dayton Herald, Saturday, April 27, 1912, "Aviators May Organize Into National Body".
16. Dayton Daily News, Wednesday, June 12, 1912, "Two Aviators Killed; One a Wright Teacher". The article is interesting in that it falsely mentions the aeroplane was the first to be provided with aluminum wings. "Officers of the army signal corps point out today that the collapse of the aluminum wings of the big [bi] plane probably was caused by an unusual strain thrown upon them when Welsh sharply increased the speed of his engine and suddenly shot the nose of the plane upward at a terrific speed. It was the first army machine to be equipped with metal wings, and their strength was more or less an unknown quantity." In lieu of aluminum wings, the fabric on the wings had been painted an aluminum color.
17. The Dayton Jewish Observer May 25, 2011, "The First Known American Jewish Airplane Pilot" by Robert Thum.
