Wright Company

Wright Company
	File:Wright Company factory-Dayton Ohio-1911.jpg Wright Company manufacturing plant, Dayton, Ohio, 1911
Founded	November 22, 1909
Founders	Orville Wright; Wilbur Wright;
Defunct	1916
Fate	Combined with Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916
Successor	Wright-Martin
Headquarters	New York, New York, Dayton, Ohio, United States

The Wright Company was established as the Wright brothers' commercial aviation enterprise on November 22, 1909, collaborating with influential industrial leaders from New York and Detroit to bring their functional airplane invention to market. Its corporate headquarters were based in New York City, while manufacturing operations took place in Dayton, Ohio.

History

Constructed between 1910 and 1911, the Wright Company’s factory buildings in Dayton were designed by architect William Earl Russ and represented the first purpose-built aircraft manufacturing facilities in the United States. These buildings now form part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Rather than prioritizing the development of new aircraft designs, the company’s strategy centered on enforcing its patent rights to collect royalties from competitors. Following co-founder Wilbur Wright’s passing in 1912, Orville Wright gained majority control by acquiring 97% of the company's shares by 1914. In 1915, Orville divested the company, which then merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1916 to create the Wright-Martin Company. Between 1910 and 1915, the Wright Company manufactured roughly 120 airplanes spanning multiple models.

Archival documents related to the company are maintained at the Museum of Flight in Seattle and the Library of Congress. These collections include records from key personnel such as factory managers Grover Loening and Frank Henry Russell, whose papers are housed at the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center.

Factory

Ownership of the original Wright Company manufacturing plant passed to AC Delco, which expanded the site over time until it became surrounded by additional structures. After ceasing operations in 2008, preservation efforts concentrated on safeguarding the historic core of the facility. The removal of non-historic buildings began in 2013, followed by plans announced in 2014 to construct a replica of the Wright Flyer at the location.

In 2019, the factory was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its importance as a historic industrial site. A fire in 2023 inflicted significant damage, and as of 2024, the National Park Service has yet to finalize acquisition of the property.

Aircraft

Model name	First flight	Number built	Type
Wright Model B		Approximately 100	Single-engine biplane sport aircraft
Wright Model EX	1911	1	Single-engine biplane sport aircraft
Wright Model R	1910	1 or 2	Single-engine biplane racing aircraft
1911 Wright Glider	1911	1	Glider
Wright Model C	1912	7	Single-engine biplane scout aircraft
Wright Model D		2	Single-engine biplane observation aircraft
Wright Model CH		3	Single-engine biplane floatplane scout aircraft
Wright Model G Aeroboat		min. 1	Single-engine biplane floatplane sport aircraft
Wright Model E	1913	1	Single-engine biplane experimental aircraft

|- |Wright Model F|| || ||Single-engine biplane sport aircraft |- |Wright Model H|| || ||Single-engine biplane experimental aircraft |- |Wright Model HS|| || ||Single-engine biplane experimental aircraft |- |Wright Model K|| ||1||Single-engine biplane floatplane experimental aircraft |- |Wright Model L|| || ||Single-engine biplane trainer |}

Engines

Wright Vertical 4

External links