I emailed Jack Carpenter, author of Pendulum II and GlennHCurtiss.com, and asked his opinion of the Wright brothers. This was his reply: "You've done a wonderful piece of work, which I commend you most highly for. As to the Wrights, they were interesting fellows that contributed their bit to the advent of manned flight after the development of the lightweight internal combustion engine -- and then, whether because of greed, ignorance, or simply human frailty, proceeded to destroy much of what they'd achieved."
A viewpoint to take into consideration is that of the Wrights themselves. They thought they were the best and no one could compete with their ideas. They tried selling their invention to numerous war offices in different countries, yet they were repeatedly rejected.
As the negotiations spun out fruitlessly, the Wrights' sales prospects started to dim. Yet they weren't worried about competition. Wilbur wrote to Chanute in late 1906, "...we are convinced that no one will be able to develop a practical flyer within five years."
(Hise, Phaedra http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/19/1119aviation.html)
No good came of the Wrights' demand for outrageous prices when trying to sell their invention to other countries. With their patent battles, the Wrights caused hundreds of people to resent them.
Even when a great majority of other inventors began to surpass them in 1907, Wilbur told an associate, "I want the business built up so as to get the greatest amount of money with as little work. Sell few machines at a big profit, so that we can close out..."
No good came of the Wrights' demand for outrageous prices when trying to sell their invention to other countries. With their patent battles, the Wrights caused hundreds of people to resent them.
Even when a great majority of other inventors began to surpass them in 1907, Wilbur told an associate, "I want the business built up so as to get the greatest amount of money with as little work. Sell few machines at a big profit, so that we can close out..."
A French aviator, Louis Paulhan, returned to France commenting: "I am most happy to be safe in France. I have finally escaped the nightmare of the past few weeks" branding the Wrights "veritable birds of prey." (Carpenter, Jack p.253)
Next: 100 Years Later
