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Flyer III at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
Image credit: Library of Congress

Another surviving Flyer?

Of the handful of original surviving Wright aircraft, perhaps the most significant after the Flyer is the Wrights' third machine, now restored and on permanent display at Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio. A dramatic revision of the design begun by the 1903 Flyer, it was flown successfully in 1905, culminating with flights over 40 miles, with the Wrights mastering complete control of the machine.

It was refurbished and taken to Kitty Hawk for flight practice in 1908. The image to the left is the only picture the Wrights made of the machine there. When the flights were complete, it was, like the gliders before it, left to the mercy of the elements, sheltered only by the Wrights' flimsy shed. The engine alone was returned to Kitty Hawk.

It lay in the sand for three years, until Mr. Zenas Crane secured the parts for a museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Eventually Orville became interested in a restoration project, and it became the last major work of his life. The restoration was begun under his supervision and was finished after his death. It is about 60 percent original. Like the 1903 Flyer, it offers a direct link to the actual workmanship of the Wrights' own hands (McFarland, p. 1192).