JF Ptak Science Books  Quick Post

Here’s a clearer picture, which is from the front cover of the magazine, and which identifies the fliers–as you can see the middle flyer that looks like a Wright plane was Octave Chanute, and which was moved over to the left in a new design to accommodate the title of the journal in the ad. Chanute was really very helpful to the Wrights and gave them support at nearly all times during their experiments…but I think it was his interest in them early on that was most beneficial, as the Wrights were just starting out and Chanute was a recognized world-wide authority who actually traveled to Dayton to meet them.  Anyway, that’s his flyer, though not Chanute himself, who I’m pretty sure never flew one of his own inventions–the Wrights on the other hand insisted upon that, saying it was of the most supreme importance for understanding motion in the air and controlling the aircraft. As the Wrights realized at the outset, it wasn’t getting into the air that was the problem–it was staying there. And in order to stay there you had to be able to move the aircraft, and so move different parts of the aircraft. Everything else flowed from that. 

It was in volume 1 issue 7 that Chanute was quoted saying that the Wrights “flew like a vulture” which was a high compliment, given the ability of vultures, and that with them “soaring flight was almost an accomplished fact”. (p. 147). See Internet Archives for the magazine: https://archive.org/details/aeronauti111118021903glen/page/148