Great-grandniece says famous uncles had Wright stuff

Mel Torre
ASME Public Information

ASME's "Celebration of Flight" event, which takes place this month during the Congress in Washington, D.C., will feature a presentation to Amanda Wright-Lane, the great-grandniece of Orville and Wilbur Wright, of an honorary Spirit of
St. Louis award.

Before the event, ASME NEWS spoke with Wright-Lane about the achievements of her famous uncles, who were the brothers of Wright-Lane's great-grandfather, and how the family history portrays the founders of aviation.

ASME NEWS: When did you first learn about the accomplishments of your famous great-uncles?

Wright: I was probably in the third or fourth grade before I realized that Uncle Orv and Uncle Will were the Wright brothers. They had just always been wonderful uncles that I had heard family stories about. And, the stories were always about the men, not the machine.

Amanda Wright-Lane

As a youth, most of my family time was spent with my great-aunts and uncles who were the direct nieces and nephews of the Wright brothers who had spent many hours in their home and bicycle shops. I heard many stories about two loving men with great senses of humor, insatiable curiosities, and immense integrity.

ASME NEWS: What do you think motivated or inspired Orville and Wilbur to venture into the mechanical world of printing machines, bicycle shops and airplanes?

Wright: Uncle Orv and a friend, Ed Sines, got interested in printing. And Orv's father, Bishop Milton Wright, and his brothers, Lorin and Wilbur, bought the boys a set of used type and a press. Uncle Orv and Ed printed their first paper in the eighth grade, "The Midget," with their classmates in mind.

After the first issue, the Bishop shut them down due to content, or the lack of it.

As the bicycle craze hit the nation, Daytonians were caught up in it as well. Both Orv and Will became cyclists, and realized there was money to be made in the sale and repair of bicycles. They both entered bike contests. Uncle Orv actually won a few and became known as quite a "scorcher." Both men were actually good athletes.

Plans for the 1903 Wright Flyer 1 that the Wright brothers drew on brown paper.

As for the mechanical side of them, they were both always curious as to how things worked, and they never hesitated to take things apart and put them back together again — sometimes with improvements. The story goes that they got their mechanical ability from their mother, Susan. She was the repair person and craftsman in their home.

In thinking about the development of the aeroplane, this mechanical ability and the possibility of visualizing how something might work was very important to their theorizing when it came to the problem of flight.

The printing business brought them news from the wire that interested them as to the attempts of others to fly. And, the bicycle business gave them some important clues about balance and control that they were able to translate to flight.

ASME NEWS: What is the most overlooked aspect of the Wrights? Before they committed their life's work to aviation, did they have other dreams? Were they known for other inventions?

Wright: The Wrights were incredibly well-read even though they didn't finish high school. They both played instruments, and, as mentioned before, were good athletes. Will became quite a good writer as a result of helping his father wage a battle in the church against those who were trying to change and cheat the church. Orv was the entrepreneur from an early age, collecting bones to sell to a fertilizer plant and junk for the junkyard.

Both loved a good joke, and both were extremely kind and great fun when it came to babysitting their nieces and nephews.

Uncle Will actually thought about going to Harvard to study, but didn't make it to school as a result of an injury he incurred playing ice hockey.

The Wrights built this engine to power the 1903 Flyer 1.

They weren't really known for other inventions outside of aviation, but Uncle Orv, particularly, tinkered his whole life with anything and everything that wasn't bolted down. He rigged his phonograph to change records — after breaking quite a few; he fooled around with improvements to his car; he broke lots of toys, and he created many props for practical jokes, like tin cockroaches.

The most overlooked aspect of the brothers is what incredible scientists and engineers they were. They didn't stumble onto the secrets of flight. They took the problem of controlled heavier-than-air flying apart, broke it down into smaller problems, and solved them one by one.

ASME NEWS: Since she was involved in the company, why is the role of Katharine, their sister, largely ignored? What did she, and older brothers Reuchlin and Lorin do for a living?

Wright: Aunt Katharine was involved in their businesses only as a manager when the boys were in Kitty Hawk. It is a misnomer that she had anything to do with their flying success. She was a tremendous asset after their fame spread, as a wonderful ambassador and PR person in Europe and when they all traveled together during the demonstration flights.

Both older brothers held different jobs. Lorin, my great-grandfather, did some bookkeeping and had a toy business for a while. He did help the brothers manage their affairs. Reuchlin, I believe, did farming and bookkeeping. I'm not as sure about him.

ASME NEWS: Although your great-uncles had died before you were born, if you had the opportunity to meet them, what would you want to know most about them?

Wright: First, I would like to hear their voices and see the famous twinkle in Uncle Orv's eyes. Then, I would want to ask them what was the moment when they knew that they would be successful in flight.

Wilbur in the 1903 Wright Flyer 1 after attempting to fly on Dec. 14, 1903. Note that the front elevator is broken.

ASME NEWS: During this, the centennial year of the Wright brothers' first powered flight, how did you become the family spokesperson?

Wright: The honor of being a spokesperson for the Wright family is one I share with my brother, Stephen. It came to us when our father, Wilkinson Wright, died in 1999. I think because Steve and I still live in the Dayton area, we are sought out more readily because of our work with Dayton's organizations that are preserving aviation history.

Our great-grandfather, Lorin, stayed in the Dayton area his whole life as well and was very close to his two younger brothers. The role, especially in this centennial year, has been humbling, educational, and so much fun.

ASME NEWS: What special plans do you have for Dec. 17?

Wright: Our families plan to be front and center at Kitty Hawk, when the Wright Experience, which is sponsored by Ford, Microsoft, EAA and a host of others, flies its authentic replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer at 10:35 a.m. — 100 years to the day of another famous flight. I can't wait!

 

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