Compared to today's aircraft, the Wrights' controls seem awkward and confusing. Orville's defense of the system was that the fore and aft motion took better advantage of arm strength, which was needed for wing warping. The Wrights' concern was for a reliable mechanical solution to control, and though the system started from a simple foundation, the ultimate design was one which never went further than the Wright machines. There is an exception: today's helicopter controls are remarkably similar to the Wrights.