Postcard
Curtiss with Langley's Aerodrome
| The Aerodome, invented by Samuel Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, as reconstructed by Glenn Curtiss at Hammondsport. |
| Image ID: | 10193 |
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| Creation Date: | 06 1914 |
| Creator Name: | Unknown |
| City: | Hammondsport |
| County: | |
| State: | New York |
| Collection Name: | John G. Kaminski papers, 1912-1960 |
| Genre: | Postcard |
| Original Format Type: | photographic print, b&w |
| Original Format Number: | Milw Mss 146 |
| Original Dimensions: | 5.5 x 3.5 inches |
| In addition to the bitter patent litigation with Glenn Curtiss, the Wrights also experienced patent problems with the Smithsonian Institution. With financial support from the federal government, Samuel Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian, had built a flying machine that he named the Aerodrome. In the public mind, if anyone had the qualifications to fly it was Langley. In 1903, shortly before the Wrights successfully flew at Kitty Hawk, Langley tested the Aerodrome. It crashed into the Potomac during the first trial. This experience is part of the reason that the U.S. government was wary of involvement with the Wrights' machine. It also made the Smithsonian jealous of the Wrights. In 1914, at the height of the Curtiss-Wright patent litigation, the Smithsonian asked Curtiss to rebuild and fly Langley's Aerodrome. If the Aerodrome as built in 1903 could have flown, it was reasoned, the Wright patent claims would be endangered. Curtiss did fly the Aerodrome in 1914, but only with major reconstruction. Orville Wright did not forget the experience, and in 1926 he sent the 1903 Wright Flyer for display in England. Not until shortly before Orville's death did the Smithsonian apologize, and the Flyer return to the United States. |
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| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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