I think that this RAeS group is being fair.
NB. "This Paper represents the views of the Historical Group of
the Royal Aeronautical Society. It has not been discussed
outside the Learned Society Board and, as such, it does not
necessarily represent the views of the Society as a whole,
or any other Specialist Group or Committee.
Royal Aeronautical Society copyright."
(Please bear in mind that neither the apparent author of this paper, nor of his references ( e.g. Charles Gibbs Smith ) IIRC appear to have any recognized formal background or qualification whatsoever in aerodynamics, aviation engineering or pilotage)
The contributions toward aviation development have to be weighed against so called "achievements".
We may ( I hope) continue to debate the impact of the Wrights' work in their contribution toward the ongoing development of the aeroplane.
What is not in dispute ( I think ) is that the Wrights undeniably assisted in this process regarding , for example, developing and demonstrating 3 axis control practicability to a wide audience.
Unfortunately none of Whitehead's work can be seen to have demonstrated any input whatsoever toward the development of a practicable aeroplane.
Last edited by Haraka; 30th Jun 2015 at 19:25.