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.

NASM.1987.0006

Taylor, Charles Edward, 1868-1956

1928-1966

bulk 1928-1956

Charles Edward Taylor, II, Gift, 1986, 1987-0006, NASM

0.23 Cubic feet ((1 slim legal document box))

No restrictions on access

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Biographies

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.

Correspondence

Biographies

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Wright-Martin Aircraft Co.

Taylor, Charles Edward, 1868-1956

Wright, Orville, 1871-1948

Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912

National Air and Space Museum Archives