As a result of this thread, I am rereading some of my Wright material , including a series of articles by Dr. Richard P. Hallion.
I rather like his comment on the Wrights having " Taught the World to fly" as being perhaps better phrased as having "Taught the World to fly better".
Consensus emerges on the Wrights, I think, as important pioneers, and, as it happens, probably the first, but by no means the inventers.
I ask, how much did they actual
teach the other pioneers? Obviously, they impressed in France, but were later developments dependent on knowledge gained by the Wrights, or were they rather a stimulus to the others to do better?
There are people here who could answer this question, I'm sure: it is a genuine question.