Published Writings of Wilbur and Orville Wright - NASA's History Office

A general but comprehensive history of flight
worldwide, from the earliest times to the end of the
First World War. Includes several references to the
Wright brothers, particularly in chapters 6 ( From the
Glider to the Airplane ) and 7 ( The Development of
Airplane Design 1904-1909 ).
In Russian.
1996—2001
Delear, Frank J. First-Flight Controversy. Aviation
History, Mar. 1996, pp. 46—52, 69—70, 72.
The author discusses the controversy concerning
Gustave Whitehead and whether he did indeed
achieve powered flight on August 14, 1901, over two
years before the Wright brothers.
Harrison, James P. Mastering the Sky: A History of
Aviation from Ancient Times to the Present. New York:
Sarpedon, 1996, 338 pp.
A popular, detailed history; the author devotes a
chapter to the Wrights.
Includes photographs and illustrations, bibliographical
notes, a bibliography, and index.
Stoff, Joshua. Picture History of Early Aviation, 1903-
1913. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1996, 136
pp., +illus.
Popular history of aviation from 1903 through
1913, illustrated by 307 photographs of the significant
personalities and aircraft of the time, each described
by a short paragraph of text. About 90 of the photographs
are of the Wright brothers and their airplanes.
Includes an index.
Jakab, Peter L. Otto Lillienthal: The Greatest of the
Precursors. AIAA Journal, Apr. 1997, pp. 601—607,
+illus.
Technical discussion of the German Otto
Lillieanthal s (1848-1896) aeronautical contributions,
particularly his experiments with gliders, his table of
lift coefficients used by the Wright brothers but
revised by them in their wind tunnel experiments
and, ultimately, his inspiration to the Wright brothers
which they fully acknowledged. Wilbur Wright called
him without question the greatest of the precursors.
Mohler, Stanley R. Human Factors Contributions of the
Wright Brothers. Air Line Pilot, May 1997, pp. 22—24,
+illus.
Technical article on the automatic stabilizer invented
by the Wright brothers and its significance in
decreasing pilot workload. Also included are three
Aeroplanes and Flights
illustrations from their patent for this device, No.
1,075,533.
Anderson, John D., Jr. Foreword by Von Hardesty.
History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying
Machines. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1997, 478 pp.
The author devotes chapter 5, pp. 201—243, to the
Wright brothers; additional references to them may be
found throughout the text. This authoritative history
includes numerous photographs, technical drawings,
and mathematical equations.
Yenne, Bill. National Aviation Hall of Fame. Foreword
by Frank Borman. Legends of Flight. Lincolnwood,
Illinois: Publications International, 1997, 216 pp., +illus.
A chronicle of human flight from hot-air balloons
to the Wright brothers to space shuttles. Includes an
excellent view of the Wright Model A and a list of
National Aviation Hall of Fame recipients.
Crouch, Tom D. Thrill of Invention. Air & Space
Smithsonian, Apr.-May 1998, pp. 22—30, +illus.
Popular journal article on the construction and test
flights of replicas of the Wright gliders of 1900, 1901,
and 1902, particularly of the successful test flight of
the 1902 replica in 1997, by Rick Young, Jay Gretten,
and Ken Hyde. The 1902 glider solved the problem of
control, was the basis of the Wright brothers patent
for a flying machine, and was the model for the 1903
Wright Flyer, which was in effect the powered version
of the 1902 glider. Includes photographs of the replicas
and a 19 by 29-inch detailed foldout drawing, by
Bruce Morser, of the 1902 glider.
Unitt, Pete. Charlie Taylor and the World s First Military
Airplane. American Aviation Historical Society Journal,
Fall 1998, pp. 228—235.
Unitt sketches the biography of Charles Edward
Taylor (1868-1956), who contributed to the Wright
brothers aeronautical efforts during the 1900s. In
addition to serving as an engineering consultant of
sorts to the Wright brothers, Taylor also built the first
engines for the Wright Flyer. Includes assembly drawing
of 1903 Wright engine.
Armentrout, Patricia. Miracle of Flight: Extreme
Machines in the Air. Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke Press,
Inc., 1998, 5 pp.
Briefly describes the Wright brothers flying
machine.
Van der Linden, F. Robert, editor. Aircraft of the National
Air and Space Museum, 5th edition. Washington, D.C.:
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1998, +illus.
A Bibliography 75