February 2022 Auction Ends Thursday, February 24th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/24/2022
Incredible collection of aviation documents, letters, telegrams, photos and patents owned by aircraft manufacturer Grover Loening, one of the first aeronautical engineers, and the second manager of the Wright Company. Archive includes a letter signed by Orville Wright concerning the famous dispute between him and the Smithsonian, as well as a letter signed by John F. Kennedy as Senator. Numerous photos of the earliest days of flight with the Wright family are also included, as is Loening's signed Pilot's License (he was taught to fly by Orville Wright), and copies of early patents filed by the Wright Company, along with dozens of documents from Loening's storied career.
Several letters in the collection from 1925 concern the famous dispute between Orville Wright and the Smithsonian Museum, arising from the Museum's reluctance to credit the Wright Flyer as the first flying machine. One of the first Secretaries of the Smithsonian, Samuel Langley, believed that he built the first plane capable of human flight, even though his plane failed several times to launch. In an almost comical series of letters between Wright, Loening, Charles Manly (representing the Langley estate), and Charles Walcott of the Smithsonian, proposals are made to restore the Langley machine -- with Orville Wright fronting half the bill -- to settle the question once and for all, a challenge which Wright politely declines. Other correspondence goes into great detail as to the language of the display should Wright donate the Flyer to the Smithsonian, as well as the reasons that Wright believed Langley's plane was flawed. In one letter, Wright excoriates the Museum for failing to provide a secure environment for its valuable objects.
In the letter signed by Wright (''Orville Wright'') on his personal stationery dated 22 May 1925, Wright writes to Loening in part, ''When I offered our first aeroplane to the South Kensington Museum it was with the understanding that I could withdraw it after a period of five years...The Smithsonian, of course, is the only museum in America suitable for such an exhibit, but knowing the American 'scientific mind' as I do I have not fooled myself with the idea that the officials of that Institution will acknowledge their errors and try to straighten matters out there. I would be glad to have the machine go into the Smithsonian if the museum were under an impartial management, and if the untrue labels on the machines now there, and the untrue statements published in the Annual Reports of the Institution are corrected. / Your statement published in the New York Times some time ago concerning this controversy was a corking good one, and I appreciated it very much. Very few people have the nerve to try to buck the Smithsonian, even when they know the case is perfectly clear...[signed] Orville Wright''.
Approximately 30 pages of letters and telegrams, some retained copies, are included in this section of the archive concerning the Smithsonian controversy and the Langley airplane. In addition to the Wright signed letter, archive also includes a telegram from Wright, a letter signed by Loening stating Orville Wright's specific requirements for the Wright Flyer to be displayed at the Smithsonian, a letter signed by Walcott, and other very detailed correspondence regarding the dispute. Interestingly, included in the collection is a large display document, ostensibly from the Smithsonian, wording the label as Wright demanded, although the Wright Flyer wasn't donated to the Smithsonian until 1948 with the debate continuing until then.
Archive also includes a letter signed ''Jack'' by John F. Kennedy, dated 6 November 1953 on Kennedy's U.S. Senate letterhead. Kennedy writes in part, ''I am taking the liberty of sending you a copy of my speech to the American Legion at Indianapolis [included], which will give you more detail what I was driving at. Your argument about the Army and Navy is a good one, but the point of this age it seems to me is the strategic air force and that the airpower of the Army and Navy is more of a secondary weapon and might not come into play until after the first few days of the war...[signed] Jack''.
Lot also includes a letter likely autopen signed by Richard Nixon as President on White House stationery, dated 5 November 1969, in which Nixon accepts Loening's resignation as a Member of the Board of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
Loening's signed Pilot's License is also included, dated 30 June 1935, accompanied by a letter from the Department of Air Commerce stating that Loening's aeronautical experience compensates for his ''physical defect'' of poor eyesight. Other items include many vintage photos of Loening as a young man with the Wright family and planes in flight. Numerous early aviation patents are included, several from the Wright Co., as well as dozens of documents related to Loening's long and impressive aeronautical career. Most items are in very good condition. An outstanding collection. With University Archives COA for the John F. Kennedy letter signed.
Incredible Aviation Collection Owned by Grover Loening -- Includes Letter Signed by Orville Wright on the Smithsonian Controversy, Plus Letter Signed by JFK, Loening's Pilot License & Photos, Patents
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