ORVILLE WRIGHT
He signs a Wright Cycle Co. check, payable to future Dayton mayor Frank B. Hale. Presented in a 10x13 Gallery of History style leather portfolio.
Check filled out and signed: "Wright Cycle Co./OW", 8¼x3. Dayton, Ohio, 1905 May 8. Not numbered. Drawn on the Winters National Bank, payable to F. B. Hale for $4.32. Not windowed to show endorsement. Wilbur (1867-1912) and Orville (1871-1948) Wright had formed the Wright Cycle Company in 1892 and manufactured bicycles. The brothers designed and built the first motor-powered airplane and conducted its first successful flight on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The historic flight of the 12-horsepower biplane, Flyer, covered 120 feet and lasted 12 seconds. In May 1905, the Wright brothers began construction of Flyer III, the first practical airplane that could be maneuvered to turn, bank, circle and fly figure eights. They were granted the first U.S. patent for their flying machine in May 1906. Following Wilbur's death in 1912, Orville became President of the Wright Company and continued as a pioneer in the aviation industry. During WWI (1914-1918), he was a consultant to the Aviation Service of the Army Signal Corps. Frank B. Hale was a founder of the Dayton Aeroplane Club, and would attend Wilbur Wrights' funeral as one of its representatives. Later, as Mayor of Dayton, he would be active in the movement to memorialize the Wright brothers' achievements, and would name Orville Wright to serve on a commission to honor John H. Patterson, who had founded the National Cash Register Company in Dayton. Lightly creased with folds, light vertical fold at the "r" of Wright. Circular bank cancellation hole at the upper portion of the "y" in Cycle. Slightly soiled. Pinhole at blank left margin. Overall, fine condition. Presented in the Gallery of History style in a leather folio, 10x12¾x¾ when closed.