Charles E. Taylor Collection
Charles Edward Taylor (1868-1956), sometimes referred to as 'the first airplane mechanic,' worked intermittently from 1901 to 1920 for Orville and Wilbur Wright and the Wright-Martin Company. Born in Nebraska in 1868, Taylor built the first engine that powered an airplane in flight, a little four-cylnder, gasoline engine which was used in the Wright 1903 Flyer at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903.
Identifier
NASM.1987.0006
Creator
Taylor, Charles Edward, 1868-1956
Date
1928-1966
bulk 1928-1956
Provenance
Charles Edward Taylor, II, Gift, 1986, 1987-0006, NASM
Extent
0.23 Cubic feet ((1 slim legal document box))
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
General
NASMrev
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Correspondence
Biographies
Scope and Contents
This accession includes Taylor's correspondence with his son, Rueben W. Taylor, (1928-1948), and the Garrison Machine Works, (1953-1956), makers of gears used in the Wright flyer engines. The letters to Rueben Taylor are originals, while the Garrison Machine Works correspondence are mostly xerox copies. Also included are brief biographical sketches of Taylor.
Genre/Form
Correspondence
Biographies
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Creator
Taylor, Charles Edward, 1868-1956
Names
Wright-Martin Aircraft Co.
Taylor, Charles Edward, 1868-1956
Wright, Orville, 1871-1948
Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912
Topic
Airplanes -- Motors
Airplanes -- Design and construction
Airplanes
Wright (Brothers) 1903 Flyer
Aeronautics -- 1903-1916
Aeronautics
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
