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Article: Aircraft Industry
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY.
The Wright brothers' successful flights on 17 December 1903 were the culmination of a century of experimentation on both sides of the Atlantic. The reality of powered, controlled flight was not recognized for almost five more years, however. The U.S. Army ordered a Wright flyer in 1908, and in 1909 Glenn Curtiss and his associates made the first commercial sale of a flyer, an act that led the Wright brothers to sue Curtiss for patent infringement. The formation of the Curtiss-Herring and Wright Companies (both in 1909) for series production followed. Other aspirants, most significantly Glenn Martin in California, formed companies in 1911, and the ...