Wright Company
Wright Company factory, Dayton Ohio, 1911 | |
| Founded | November 22, 1909 |
|---|---|
| Founders | |
| Defunct | 1916 |
| Fate | Merged with Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 |
| Successor | Wright-Martin |
| Headquarters | , United States |
The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright brothers, established by them on November 22, 1909, in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on their invention of the practical airplane.[1][2] The company maintained its headquarters office in New York City and built its factory in Dayton, Ohio.
History
The two buildings designed by Dayton architect William Earl Russ and built by Rouzer Construction for the Wright Company in Dayton in 1910 and 1911 were the first in the United States constructed specifically for an airplane factory and were included within the boundary of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in 2009.[3]
The Wright Company concentrated its efforts on protecting the company's patent rights rather than on developing new aircraft or aircraft components, believing that innovations would hurt the company's efforts to obtain royalties from competing manufacturers or patent infringers. Wilbur Wright died in 1912, and on October 15, 1915, Orville Wright sold the company, which in 1916 merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company to form the Wright-Martin Company.[4] Orville Wright, who had purchased 97% of the outstanding company stock in 1914 as he prepared to leave the business world, estimated that the Wright Company built approximately 120 airplanes across all of its different models between 1910 and 1915.[5] This would later merge with Curtiss to form Curtiss-Wright, which is (among other things) a manufacturer of airplane components today.
Many of the papers of the Wright Company are now in the collection of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, while others are held by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[6] The Library of Congress also holds the papers of Grover Loening, the second Wright Company factory manager, while the papers of Frank Henry Russell, the first plant manager, are at the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center.[7][8]
Factory
The original Wright Company factory was turned over to AC Delco and was expanded over the years until it was surrounded by other buildings. After it closed in 2008, plans were made to preserve the original buildings at the center of the campus.[9] A year later, demolition began on the non-historic buildings.[10] In 2014, plans were announced to build a replica Wright Flyer in the buildings.[11]
The factory was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.[12]
A fire in 2023 significantly damaged the plant.[13] One year later, the National Park Service had yet to acquire the property.[14] The top portion of the façade of Building 1 collapsed in July 2025.[15]
Products
Aircraft
| Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wright Model B | Around 100 | Single engine biplane sport airplane | |
| Wright Model EX | 1911 | 1 | Single engine biplane sport airplane |
| Wright Model R | 1910 | 1 or 2 | Single engine biplane racer |
| 1911 Wright Glider | 1911 | 1 | Glider |
| Wright Model C | 1912 | 7 | Single engine biplane scout |
| Wright Model D | 2 | Single engine biplane observation airplane | |
| Wright Model CH | 3 | Single engine biplane floatplane scout | |
| Wright Model G Aeroboat | 1+ | Single engine biplane floatplane sport airplane[16] | |
| Wright Model E | 1913 | 1 | Single engine biplane experimental airplane |
| Wright Model F | Single engine biplane sport airplane | ||
| Wright Model H | Single engine biplane experimental airplane | ||
| Wright Model HS | Single engine biplane experimental airplane | ||
| Wright Model K | 1 | Single engine biplane floatplane experimental airplane[17] | |
| Wright Model L | Single engine biplane trainer[18][17] |
Engines
References
Notes
- ^ "Big Men of Finance Back the Wrights". The New York Times. November 23, 1909.
- ^ Tom D. Crouch. "Aero Club of Washington: Aviation in the Nation's Capital, 1909-1914": 44.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Entries for 27 August 1910 and 5 April 1911, Box 3, Frank Henry Russell Papers, Collection 11624, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming; Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, P.L. 111-11, 30 March 2009.
- ^ Roach, Edward (2014). The Wright Company: From Invention to Industry. Athens: Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821420515.
- ^ Sales number in Orville Wright to Pliny W. Williamson, telegram, 21 June 1915, General Correspondence: Williamson, Pliny W., 1915, Box 66, Wright Brothers Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- ^ O’Neill, Craig (February 26, 2002). "Museum of Flight Acquires "Lost" Wright Archives". Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
- ^ "Inventory of the Frank Henry Russell papers, 1901-1947". Rocky Mountain Online Archive. 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "Grover Cleveland Loening papers". Library of Congress. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ Marsh, Alton K. (December 11, 2012). "Wright Factory to be Preserved". AOPA. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "America's First Airplane Factory Reappears". General Aviation News. December 29, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ "Wright "B" Flyer Inc. to Build New Airplane at Original Wright Company Factory With Support From EAA". Vintage Aviation News. December 15, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Filby, Max (September 16, 2019). "Wright Airplane Factory Placed on National Historic Registry". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Holpuch, Amanda; Negroni, Christine (March 27, 2023). "Wright Brothers' Airplane Factory is Badly Damaged in Fire". New York Time. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Frolik, Cornelius (April 15, 2024). "Wright Brothers Factory in Limbo Year After Fire; National Parks' Purchase on Hold". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Frolik, Cornelius (August 30, 2025). "Wright factory building has partial collapse, which officials say is 'unfortunate' but not a 'dealbreaker'". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
- ^ Thede, Kyle (June 22, 2017). "Flying Boats, Part II: "The Wright Brothers"". Wright State University. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ a b Eckland, K. O. (October 7, 2008). "Wright, Wright-Bellanca, Wright-Martin". Aerofiles. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ "1916 Wright Model L". Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
External links
Media related to Wright Company at Wikimedia Commons