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This collection consists of 15 black and white negatives, photographs created by photographer Percy Trenchard Jones of Orville Wright testing the Wright (Brothers) 1911 Glider at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in October 1911.
In early October 1911, Orville Wright traveled to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with his brother Lorin Wright, Lorin's 10-year-old son Horace Wright (nicknamed "Buster"), and Alexander (Alec) Ogilvie, an early British aviation pioneer and friend of the Wright brothers. Wilbur Wright, recently returned from Europe and busy with business issues, did not accompany his brothers on their trip. Their plan was to carry out more experiments with gliding and soaring flight and to test an automatic stabilizer design which the Wright Brothers had been developing since 1905. The Wright team constructed a new glider, the Wright (Brothers) 1911 Glider, on site at Kill Devil Hills, making several changes to the aircraft's design as the test flights proceeded. Orville Wright and his party had arrived at Kitty Hawk on October 10. On October 13, four journalists arrived, with two more (including Arnold Krockman from the New York American) showing up at the Wright's camp a week later on October 20. This intense scrutiny from the press—and uncooperatively high winds—led Orville to decide not to test the automatic stabilizer, instead concentrating on improving the glider's performance. On October 24, Orville made several successful flights including one establishing a new soaring record of 9 minutes 45 seconds, a flight which would stand as a world's record for the next 10 years. The 1911 glider's last flights were made on October 26; these would be the last experimental flights conducted by the Wrights at Kitty Hawk. In the early 1910s, photographer Percy Trenchard Jones (1887-1948) worked as a journalist for the New York American newspaper before joining the Underwood News Photo Service branch of photography producer and distributor Underwood & Underwood (based in New York City); for many years Jones managed the Underwood & Underwood Studio in Washington, D.C. Jones left Underwood to form a news photo syndicate, Photograms, with two partners, but the business did not survive the Depression. Jones turned to photography of pure-bred dogs, a specialty which he would pursue throughout the rest of his career.
NASM.XXXX.1226
October 20-26, 1911
Frederic Lewis for Phyllis Jones (Mrs. Percy Trenchard Jones), gift, 1963 [NAM R-45-63], NASM.XXXX.1226.
0.05 Cubic feet (15 black and white 4 x 5 inch copy negatives)
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of 15 black and white 4 x 5 inch negatives copied by the Smithsonian Institution's National Air Museum in 1963 from original 5 x 7 inch glass plate negatives created by photographer Percy Trenchard Jones (likely when employed by the New York American newspaper) and loaned by the donor for copying. The photographs depict Orville Wright and his team testing the Wright (Brothers) 1911 Glider at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, during the period of October 20 to 26, 1911. People depicted in the photographs include Orville Wright, his brother Lorin Wright, Lorin's 10-year-old son Horace Wright (nicknamed "Buster"), English pilot Alexander (Alec) Ogilvie, unidentified Wright assistants, men from the local lifesaving station, and journalists sent to cover the flights. Identified journalists include Vann Ness Harwood of the New York World, Arnold Kruckman of the New York American, and John Mitchell of the Associated Press. Unidentified, but also believed to have been present were Mr. Mitchell from the New York Herald, Mr. Verges (or Berges, possibly from the American News Service), and D. Bruce Salley, a reporter from Norfolk, Virginia.
Negatives are arranged in NAM negative number order (NAM A-52372 through A-52386). Negatives are physically located inside the National Air Museum Photography Collection, NASM.XXXX.0572, 8 x 10 Negatives Series.
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Wright (Brothers) 1911 Glider Tests, Kitty Hawk [Jones], Acc. NASM.XXXX.1226, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Aeronautics
Gliding and soaring
Gliders (Aeronautics)
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Glass plate negatives