December 2019 Auction Ends Thursday, December 12th, 5pm Pacific

Large 1.75'' Square Fabric Swatch From the First Airplane, the Wright Flyer

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/12/2019

Fabric from the first airplane, the Wright Flyer, which made its debut flight at Kitty Hawk on 17 December 1903. Large swatch of fabric measures 1.75'' square, affixed to a certificate signed by Ivonette Wright Miller, niece of Orville and Wilbur Wright and co-executor of the Orville Wright estate. She was also the third American woman to fly in an airplane, and instrumental in bringing the Wright Flyer to the Smithsonian. Certificate to Bill Cullen reads in part, ''When Orville Wright prepared the Kitty Hawk machine for public exhibition, the original fabric had to be replaced as it had been under water during the Dayton Flood of 1913...After his death we found that he had preserved some of the original coverings of the wings. We certify that this piece of fabric was used by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, N.C. in the world's first heavier-than-air flight in which man made free, controlled, and sustained flight. [signed] Ivonette Wright Miller''. The recipient Bill Cullen was a famous 20th century radio and TV personality and also a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during WWII; his photo accompanies the lot. Certificate measures 8'' x 10''. Apart from some discoloration to fabric, presentation is near fine. Accompanied by an LOA from the family of Bill Cullen.