
The Wright Brothers were owners of a bicycle shop called the Wright Bicycle Exchange located on 1005 West Third Street in Dayton. They moved the shop several times and changed the name as the business grew, and they began to manufacture their own bicycles with innovations such as pedals mounted to the crank by threaded posts rather than regular screws, the latter which could easily come undone as the rider pedaled and the former which is still used on bicycles today. However, by the early 1900s, the brothers had become so engaged in the development of airplanes that they sold the company.
In 1902, Orville and Wilbur took turns pedaling down the street with a third wheel attached to the handlebars. It spun freely, with two metal plates on top of it, one which was flat and the other curved, a setup that allowed the Wrights to measure air resistance. Oh yes, bicycles were very instrumental in the invention of the airplane. The drivetrain of a bicycle was used in the development of the propeller. A crushed bicycle box inspired the shape of the wings. The aluminum engine was built by their bike shop mechanic, Charlie Taylor.
The photo above was taken at a point along the Mount Vernon bike trail at National Airport. If I had thought about it more, I would have taken the water bottles and the bag off the bike for a better picture, but as standing at the end of a runway watching planes take off was a bit nervewracking, I only stood around to watch two planes take off, so close I felt like if I lifted my hand, I could touch them. It was a heartpounding experience that I shared with many other cyclists.


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