Wilbur Wright Working on the Wright Flyer Motor, Camp d'Auvours, near Le Mans, France, 1908-1909
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Artifact Overview
Wilbur Wright was a cautious pilot who never took unnecessary risks. During his demonstration flights in France in 1908-1909, Wilbur made a thorough, personal inspection of his airplane before each takeoff. The danger was real. Orville Wright was seriously injured, and passenger Thomas Selfridge was killed, in a crash at Fort Myer, Virginia, caused by a split propeller in 1908.
Artifact Details
Artifact
Negative (Photograph)
Subject Date
1908-1909
Creators
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2000.53.111
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Glass (Material)
Technique
Gelatin dry plate process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 5.000 in
Width: 7.000 in
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Related Content
SetThe Wrights: Wowing the World
- 20 Artifacts
Wilbur Wright's many demonstration flights in France in 1908 and 1909 were spectacular events. Some in Europe had begun to doubt the Wrights' achievement at Kill Devil Hills. When Wilbur took to the skies over Le Mans, demonstrating more control and achieving more distance than his rivals, crowds flocked to watch his apparent mastery of the airplane. The skeptics were silenced.