Sign-In
Cart
The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry
Paperback
Business GeneralTechnology & EngineeringAviation
ISBN13: 9780821420515
Publisher: Ohio Univ Pr
Published: Jan 6 2014
Pages: 208
Weight: 0.65
Height: 0.70 Width: 5.90 Depth: 8.90
Language: English
Fresh from successful flights before royalty in Europe, and soon after thrilling hundreds of thousands of people by flying around the Statue of Liberty, in the fall of 1909 Wilbur and Orville Wright decided the time was right to begin manufacturing their airplanes for sale. Backed by Wall Street tycoons, including August Belmont, Cornelius Vanderbilt III, and Andrew Freedman, the brothers formed the Wright Company. The Wright Company trained hundreds of early aviators at its flight schools, including Roy Brown, the Canadian pilot credited with shooting down Manfred von Richtofen-the Red Baron-during the First World War; and Hap Arnold, the commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Pilots with the company's exhibition department thrilled crowds at events from Winnipeg to Boston, Corpus Christi to Colorado Springs. Cal Rodgers flew a Wright Company airplane in pursuit of the $50,000 Hearst Aviation Prize in 1911.
But all was not well in Dayton, a city that hummed with industry, producing cash registers, railroad cars, and many other products. The brothers found it hard to transition from running their own bicycle business to being corporate executives responsible for other people's money. Their dogged pursuit of enforcement of their 1906 patent-especially against Glenn Curtiss and his company-helped hold back the development of the U.S. aviation industry. When Orville Wright sold the company in 1915, more than three years after his brother's death, he was a comfortable man-but his company had built only 120 airplanes at its Dayton factory and Wright Company products were not in the U.S. arsenal as war continued in Europe.
Edward Roach provides a fascinating window into the legendary Wright Company, its place in Dayton, its management struggles, and its effects on early U.S. aviation.
Also in
Aviation
Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War
Katz, Catherine Grace
Hardcover
Bird Men: The Rise of American Airpower and the Machine That Ended World War II
Baime, A. J.
Hardcover
Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America's Forgotten Flier
Callanan, Liam
Paperback
Far-Amt 2027: Federal Aviation Regulations for Aviation Maintenance Technicians
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)/Aviation Supplies & Ac
Paperback
Fbo Management: Operating, Marketing, and Managing as a Fixed-Base Operator
Prather, C. Daniel
Hardcover
Pocket Flyers Paper Airplane Book: 69 Mini Planes to Fold and Fly
Blackburn, Ken
Lammers, Jeff
Paperback
Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know about Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections
Smith, Patrick
Paperback
The Complete Book of Spacecraft: Rockets, Shuttles, Satellites, and Space Stations
Sivolella, Davide
Gorn, Michael H.
Hardcover
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook--Powerplant (2026): Faa-H-8083-32b
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Into Unknown Skies: An Unlikely Team, a Daring Race, and the First Flight Around the World
Randall, David K.
Paperback
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook--General (2026): Faa-H-8083-30b
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Aircraft Inspection, Repair and Alterations (2026): Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices (AC 43.13-1b, AC 43.13-2b)
U S Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Paperback
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
Landdeck, Katherine Sharp
Paperback
His Majesty's Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine
Gwynne, S. C.
Paperback
Instrument Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-15B (Color Print): IFR Pilot Flight Training Study Guide
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Glory Lost and Found: How Delta Climbed from Despair to Dominance in the Post-9/11 Era
Shabat, Jay
Kaplan, Seth
Paperback
Exploring Airline History with David H. Stringer, Volume Three, Subjects O-W: The Airways Magazine Articles
Stringer, David Hubert
Paperback
Let's Make a Race Of It!: The Story of Those Daring Women Who Flew The Powder Puff Derby, 1947-1977
Rickman, Sarah Byrn
Paperback
Flying Creatures Paper Airplane Book: 69 Mini Planes to Fold and Fly
Lammers, Jeff
Blackburn, Ken
Paperback
Flying on Film: A Century of Aviation in the Movies, 1912 - 2012 (Second Edition)
Carlson, Mark
Paperback
The Alaska Bush Pilot Chronicles: More Adventures and Misadventures from the Big Empty
Mason, Mort D.
Paperback
2027 Airframe Mechanic Test Guide: Essential Prep to Pass the FAA Knowledge Test
ASA Test Prep Board
Paperback
Black Pioneers in Aviation: A Multicultural History Book for Kids: Discover the Men and Women Who Broke Barriers in the Sky
Beautiful Voices
Paperback
Miracle on the Hudson: The Extraordinary Real-Life Story Behind Flight 1549, by the Survivors
Prochnau, William
Parker, Laura
The Survivors of Flight 1549
Paperback
Modern Military Aircraft: Multi-Role Fighters * Interceptors * Bombers * Transports
Ward, Edward
Paperback
2027 General Mechanic Test Guide: Essential Prep to Pass the FAA Knowledge Test
ASA Test Prep Board
Paperback
2027 Powerplant Mechanic Test Guide: Essential Prep to Pass the FAA Knowledge Test
ASA Test Prep Board
Paperback
Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters
Sullenberger, Chesley B., III
Zaslow, Jeffrey
Paperback
The Long Way Home - Revised Edition: A Journey Into History with Captain Robert Ford
Dover, Ed
Paperback
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook--Powerplant (Black & White): Faa-H-8083-32b
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
Essentials of Advanced Composite Fabrication and Repair
Dorworth, Louis C.
Gardiner, Ginger L.
Hardcover
Come Fly with Me: The Rise and Fall of Trans World Airlines
Rust, Daniel L.
Hoffman, Alan B.
Paperback
The Piasecki H-21 Helicopter: An Illustrated History of the H-21 Helicopter and Its Designer, Frank N. Piasecki
Brandt, Robert J.
Davies, William J.
Paperback
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook-Powerplant - Volume 2 (FAA-H-8083-32)
Transportation, U. S. Department of
Administration, Federal Aviation
Paperback
Secrets of the P-39 Aircobra Fighter Plane World War II: Royal Gifts of Lawrence Dale "Larry" Bell of the Bell Aircraft Company
Long, Patricia E.
Paperback
The World's Greatest Military Aircraft: The Combat Aircraft That Dominated the Skies and Revolutionised Warfare
Madden, April
Thomas, Carolyn
Hardcover
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook--Airframe (2026): Faa-H-8083-31b
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
U S Department of Transportation
Paperback
The Crash of Delta Flight 723: The Worst Air Disaster in New England History
Houle, Paul D.
Paperback
Air Power: The Men, Machines, and Ideas That Revolutionized War, from Kitty Hawk to Iraq
Budiansky, Stephen
Paperback
Fire Eaters: The People and Aircraft Combatting Wildfires Over the Last Century
Pigott, Peter
Paperback
Becoming A Pilot (Second Edition): What Every New Pilot Needs To Know To Navigate Flight School While Saving Time and Money
Kofford, James D.
Paperback
Aviation Mechanic Oral & Practical Exam Guide: Comprehensive Preparation for the FAA Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe, and Powerplant Oral & Practi
Anderson, Keith
Crane, Dale
Paperback
Exploring Airline History with David H. Stringer, Volume Two, Subjects D-N: The Airways Magazine Aarticles
Stringer, David H.
Paperback
Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook--Powerplant (Color): Faa-H-8083-32b
U S Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Paperback
Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail
Rosenberg, Barry
Macaulay, Catherine
Paperback
80 Years, a Tribute to the Pby Catalina: The Ultimate Color Photo Album of the Best Flying Boat Ever Made
Wiesman, Hans
Hardcover
Boeing Versus Airbus: The Inside Story of the Greatest International Competition in Business
Newhouse, John
Paperback
Glenn Martin's Masterpiece: The Martin B-10 in US Army Air Corps Service: The B-10 in US Army Air Corps Service
Cahill, William M.
Hardcover
Nuts!: Southwest Airlines' Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success
Freiberg, Jackie
Freiberg, Kevin
Paperback
Space Flyers Paper Airplane Book: 63 Mini Planes to Fold and Fly
Blackburn, Ken
Lammers, Jeff
Paperback
Military Aircrafts in the Sky: Air Combat from World War II Planes to Modern Fighter Jets That Changed History
Modern Daily Press
Paperback
Being a Blue Angel: Every Kid's Guide to the Blue Angels, 2nd Edition
Sutherland, Mark I.
Sutherland, Amy C.
Paperback
Private Pilot Test Prep 2025-2026: The All-in-One Ground School and Test Prep for Student Pilots, Featuring Realistic Questions and Key Flight Maneuve
Mercer, Spencer Brooks
Paperback
Birdmen: The Wright Brothers, Glenn Curtiss, and the Battle to Control the Skies
Goldstone, Lawrence
Paperback
Judgment on Erebus: A Notorious Air Disaster on Antarctica's Mount Erebus Tests a Nation's Conscience
Sheehan, Joey
Hardcover
Prairie Flyers of Central Illinois: A Century of Aviation in America's Heartland
Hambucken, Denis
Warner, John
Brady-Lunny, Edith
Paperback