One of the rarest and most historically important displays ever released by Cole's Aircraft - Original un-doped linen from the Wright 1903 Flyer (also known as Flyer I) that first flew in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17th, 1903.
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The 1903 Flyer was the first manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft - the first airplane - to fly. Designed and built by Wilbur and Orville Wright, it first flew from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17th, 1903. The flyer was in storage in Dayton in 1913 when a flood damaged the machine’s linen covering. Pending a tour of Europe, the Wrights recovered the flyer with all new material, but saved the original linen.
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In the 1930s, George B. Jarrett, owner and operator of the Steel Pier Amusement Company and The Jarrett Museum of World War History, obtained some of this original linen from Ivonette Wright Miller, who was the Wright family historian until her passing in 1995. In 1937, Jarrett shared some of this material with Robert (Bob) Boehme and mentioned that he'd obtained it from 'Ivonette Miller (Wright)'.
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Original letter from Col. George Jarrett describing Wright Flyer material. A copy of this letter will be included with each display.
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After the passing of Robert Boehme in 2012, Ron Cole and Cole's Aircraft obtained most of the latter's aviation collection in 2022.
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Each framed display is 8.5x11-inches and is signed & numbered. Each piece of linen is slightly larger than .5x.5-inches and retains stains and rust spots from the Dayton 1913 flood.
