Wilbur and Orville

In his biography of aviation pioneers the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville (1987), Fred Howard takes the position that Wilbur and Orville were scientists—not mere experimenters or tinkerers—and that they hold a crucial place in both the development of air travel and in the pantheon of aeronautical engineering. The fact that neither brother graduated from high school nor had any engineering training only underscores the remarkability of their accomplishments. This comprehensive account covers the years from the brothers' births to Orville's death.

The book opens with background on the Wright family, leading up to the birth of Wilbur in 1867 and Orville in 1871. They are two of seven children born to minister Milton Wright and his wife, Susan. Milton encourages his children's intellectual and creative curiosities. In 1878, he buys his sons a toy helicopter, which captures their imagination and launches a lifelong interest in the mechanics—and possibilities—of flight.

Milton's job takes the family all around the Midwest until they finally settle in Ohio, where Susan dies in 1889. Not long after, Wilbur and Orville build a printing press and publish their own local newspaper. A few years later, they open a bicycle repair company, which eventually evolves into a bicycle design and manufacturing concern.



After the much-publicized death of German aviator Otto Lilienthal, the Wright Brothers take an interest in gliders. They request educational material from the Smithsonian, which they study diligently before launching a flying contraption of their own design: a biplane, only about five feet in length that they intend to fly like a kite. By observing how pigeons fly, the brothers learn how to control their biplane, tweaking the design in order to make the machine as steady as possible.

Soon, the brothers go to work on an even bigger glider. To give it the best chance of a successful flight, they go to one of the windiest places in the country, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. There, the Wrights continue perfecting their design, and, in 1900, they send up their first glider, able to carry the weight of a single human being. The following year, they launch a larger glider, but it crashes when Wilbur cannot control the landing; he breaks his ribs in the process.

Undeterred, the brothers return to Ohio, committing themselves to a better understanding of the science of flight. They delve into textbooks and scientific data to find answers, and in 1902, they have a glider that they hope can keep its equilibrium while turning. This is accomplished with a vertical rudder, a breakthrough that makes flight possible—one still used on aircraft today.



The brothers continue to fine-tune their design. They come up with a way to outfit a wood biplane with a fuel-injected motor. In 1903, despite some initial hiccups, they get the craft airborne. They take turns flying, with Wilbur clocking the longest time in the air: 59 seconds and a distance of 852 feet.

The brothers return to Ohio, quit the bicycle business, and obtain a patent for their new design. But that doesn't mean their work ends. They devote their lives to improving the plane and mastering the skill of piloting.

Wilbur and Orville attempt to drum up public interest in their invention, if for no other reason than to see some return on all the time they put into their experiments. However, neither the American nor European governments nor businesses express any interest.



Finally, in 1908, they land two clients: a French company and the US government. Orville flies in the US, while Wilbur takes to the air in France. Wilbur's flights garner particular attention, and the trailblazing efforts of both brothers finally receive recognition.

The following year, Wilbur introduces New Yorkers to the brothers' invention, circumnavigating the Statue of Liberty as part of a citywide celebration. This is one of Wilbur's final flights.

For the next few years, the brothers must defend their patent in court from imitators seeking to steal their invention. It is long, litigious, and exhausting. The process takes its toll, and Wilbur contracts typhoid fever. He dies in 1912, at age 45.



Orville lives another 36 years and continues building the reputation and legend he and Wilbur started all those years ago. As he gets older, Orville strives to see the brothers' 1903 biplane in the Smithsonian, but the honor eludes him, and he instead donates the plane to a British museum. He also wants the brothers' legacy to be one of scientific discovery, not one of random experimentation. These two goals become the focus of his later life. Ultimately, the Smithsonian agrees to accept the 1903 biplane, but World War II prevents it from crossing the ocean. This is only accomplished in December of 1948—less than a year after Orville's death.

Wilbur and Orville contains extensive footnotes, a bibliography, an index, and photographs.