The Wright brothers Type A Flyer

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912) On May 22, 1906 – The Wright brothers were granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine".

Title: WRIGHT BROTHERS AIRPLANE, ETC. TYPE A PLANE AT FORT MYER. Creator(s): Harris & Ewing, photographer. Date Created / Published: 1909. Medium: 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-hec-06070 (digital file from original negative) (first image)

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.

Call Number: LC-H261- 5303 [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print.

Notes: Title and date from unverified caption data received with the Harris & Ewing Collection. Gift; Harris & Ewing, Inc. 1955. General information about the Harris & Ewing Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.hec Temp. note: Batch one.

Subjects: United States--District of Columbia--Washington (D.C.) Format: Glass negatives. Collections: Harris and Ewing Collection.

Between October 1905, and February 1908, the Wright brothers did no flying. They were afraid that spies would steal their invention, so they kept it hidden from public view. In February 1908, they finally signed a contract with the United States Army, and in March of that year they negotiated a contract with a French company. They developed a new aircraft called the "Type A." Wilbur took one to France to demonstrate it while Orville tested one for the Army. On September 17, 1908, during the last test flight for the Army, the plane developed propeller troubles and crashed killing Lieutenant T. E. Selfridge and breaking Orville's leg. However, this accident did not deter the Army's interest in the plane and the contract was fulfilled. By an unknown photographer, September 1908. Wright Aeroplane, Ft. Myer, VA. Orville Wright in plane. Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer. (111-RB-826) (second image) The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case Circa 1908) are now in the public domain.