1903 Propeller fragment, collection of the National Park Service

The cutting edge, circa 1903

This shattered fragment is almost all that remains of the original 1903 Flyer propellers. The propellers were the most advanced propellers ever made - the first to be based on sound aerodynamic theory, and designed to meet a specific requirement. They are arguably the Wrights most significant contribution to aviation. They were certainly the most complex single element in the 1903 Flyer.

This fragment also illustrates the Wrights' attitudes toward their machines: they were the tools of their experiments. The 1903 propellers were not broken in the wreck of the 1903 Flyer. They were damaged during the trials of the 1904 Flyer. The later 1904 propellers were in turn used on their 1908 machine in France.

After Wilbur's death and Orville's retirement from business, the few surviving propellers, engines, and aircraft began to be collected and preserved. Like the Flyer, they helped support Orville's defense against other claimants to the invention of the airplane.

For more on the development of the propellers, see In Depth: The Propeller.