NO. 5 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION AND WRIGHT BROTHERS KJ 



" Dayton, Ohio, 



March 26, 1910. 

 " Mr. Charles D. Walcott, 

 Washington, D. C. 



" My dear Dr. Walcott : 



" Your letter of the 7th of this month has heen received. If you 

 will inform us just what your preference would be in the matter 

 of a flier for the National Museum we will see what would be 

 possible in the way of meeting your wishes. At present nothing 

 is in condition for such use. But there are three possibilities. We 

 might construct a small model showing the general construction of 

 the" airplane, but with a dummy power plant. Or we can recon- 

 struct the 1903 machine with which the first flights were made at 

 Kitty Hawk. Most of the parts are still in existence. This machine 

 would occupy a space 40 feet by 20 feet by 8 feet. Or a model show- 

 ing the general design of the latter machine could be constructed. 



Yours truly, 



Wilbur Wright." 



" Smithsonian Institution, 

 Washington, U. S. A., 



April II, 1910. 



" Dear Mr. Wright : 



" Yours of March 26th came duly to hand, and the matter of the 

 representation of the Wright airplane has been very carefully 

 considered by Mr. George C. Maynard, who has charge of the 

 Division of Technology in the National Museum. I told him to 

 indicate what he would like for the exhibit, in order that the matter 

 might be placed clearly before you and your brother. In his report 

 he says : 



The following objects illustrating the Wright inventions would make 

 a very valuable addition to the aeronautical exhibits in the Museum : 



I \ quarter-size model of the airplane used by OrviUe Wright at hort 

 Myer Virginia, in September, 1908. Such a model equipped with a 

 dummy power plant, as suggested by the Wrights, would be quite smtable. 

 ^ If there are any radical differences between the machine referred to 

 and the one used at Kitty Hawk, a second model of the latter macliine 

 would be very appropriate. 



3 A full-size Wright airplane. Inasmuch as the machine used at I^ort 

 Myer has attracted such world-wide interest, that machine, if it can be 

 .repaired or reconstructed, would seem most suitable. If, however, the 

 Wright brothers think the Kitty Hawk machine would answer the pur- 

 pose better, their judgment might decide the question. 



