LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 MAR Grand Format Air & Space Sale #6000  / 

58206

Piece of Original Fabric from the Wright Flyer

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Transportation Start Price:1,700.00 USD Estimated At:2,000.00 - 3,000.00 USD
Piece of Original Fabric from the Wright Flyer
<B>Piece of Original Fabric from the Kitty Hawk Wright Flyer. </B></I> Small quarto sheet bearing a printed statement of authenticity inscribed to William P. MacCracken, Jr., the first federal regulator of aviation, and secretarially signed by Lester D. Gardner, founder of <I>Aviation Magazine</B></I>. The statement reads as follows: "Original Fabric From Kitty Hawk 'Wright Flyer' Certification for Wm. P. MacCracken, Jr. When Orville Wright, at my suggestion, assembled the Kitty Hawk machine for the first time, in 1916, at the opening of the new buildings of M.I.T. in Cambridge, he found that the original fabric could not be used and substituted new fabric of the identical material. When he died, his executors found that he had preserved some of the original coverings of the wings and entrusted several pieces of this most valuable relic to me for distribution to notable aeronautical friends. I certify that this piece was used in the first successful flight in history by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, N.C." A 1.5" x 1.25" square of fabric has been glued to the certificate which is brittle and age toned; a few chips and water stains along the edges; one significant fold along right border. We believe the Gardner signature is secretarial as it does not match that on a similar lot previously sold by us; however, we have found a similar example of a Kitty Hawk fabric owned by the Wright State University Libraries. <BR><B><BR>William P. MacCracken </B></I>served as the first federal regulator of aviation. He was an experienced aviator who served as a flight instructor during World War I. In 1926 Herbert Hoover appointed him as the first Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. MacCracken also has the distinction of being the first recipient of a pilot's license to be issued by the U.S. Government which was issued on April 6, 1927.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Flat Material, Small (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot