Comments on: Not the First?

By: Richard Harris

Richard Harris — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:19:54 +0000

America is too invested, culturally, in the glorious myth of the Wrights. Whatever they did was holy and sainted, and cannot be questioned — that is the orthodox doctrine not merely of the Smithsonian, but of the United States and its people.

The Wrights, through evidence and exaggeration, history and hyperbole, have become legends transcending Mortality, and Reality, to become eternal, global Grand Icons of Americana.

At this point, with our culture so deeply dependent upon these Icons and what they represent to us, our culture simply cannot admit any doubt to that religion, and will not.

Whether anyone else in the universe had anything to do with the creation of the airplane, or not, America shall always (Wrightly or Wrongly) worship them as the sole Creators of Human Flight, forever and ever, Amen.

(Don’t believe me, ask Pope Crouch.)

By: Smithsonian releases Wright brothers contract detailing ‘first in flight’ claims – Fox News | PR NEWs Daily

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:02:42 +0000

[...] The contract does exist and still holds, said Tom Crouch, senior curator of aeronautics at the museum, in a recent blog post. [...]

By: ‘PLANE’ TRUTH: Museum Fine Print Adds Fuel to Wright Debate | Irascible Musings

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:04:15 +0000

[...] The contract does exist and still holds, said Tom Crouch, senior curator of aeronautics at the museum, in a recent blog post. [...]

By: Letters debate Whitehead first in flight claims | Fairfield-Sun.com

Letters debate Whitehead first in flight claims | Fairfield-Sun.com — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:45:30 +0000

[...] won’t help. In a response to the contract issue last week blogs.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/2013/03/not-the-first/ you wrote that the contract was “a healthy reminder of a less-than-exemplary moment in [...]

By: Peter R Jacoby

Peter R Jacoby — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 09:35:08 +0000

After a very close reading of Mr. Tom Crouch’s entire statement and the arguments and evidence he has provided, in fairness to all, I would have to request an amendment to Mr. Crouch’s conclusion above: “When it comes to the case of Gustave Whitehead, the decision must remain: Not disproved either.”

We must all remember that to “prove” a negative takes much, much more than faith and a few assumptions.

By: Frank Rowley

Frank Rowley — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:34:41 +0000

If you can’t convince Tom Crouch that an aviation event occurred–my bet is it didn’t happen.

By: Samson Jones

Samson Jones — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:19:18 +0000

The actions of the politically-connected Langley and the Smithsonian were among the sleaziest in the history of aviation. And the history of sleaze. The preceding paragraph sums up the facts but doesn’t clarify the dishonesty of both Langley and his cohorts at the Smithsonian. Incidentally, Langley, being “connected” obtained more than $750,000 in government funding … an unspeakable fortune in those days … to develop his plane. His craft, piloted by other people (Langley, unlike the Wright brothers, was a coward) achieved nothing more than plummeting into the Potomac river. By contrast, the Wright brothers were frugal, used their own money, and as we know achieved powered flight. It is not surprising that there was such bitterness toward the Smithsonian and what amounted to historical slander against the Wrights.

By: BigKahuna1

BigKahuna1 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:50:41 +0000

You could say that Jackson/Brown are running on empty.

By: Tesla777

Tesla777 — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:15:43 +0000

Good for you Smithsonian Institute! Let the stupid doubters doubt. Accept the truth and the truth shall set you free.