First aircraft mechanic, Charlie Taylor, played a crucial part in the success of the Wright Brothers but does not tend to get the deserved acknowledgment. Without him, it is likely the first flight would have been delayed. Continue reading to learn more about Charlie and his story.
Orville and Wilbur Wright are widely recognized as pioneers in powered flight, but without Charles E. Taylor, they might never have gotten off the ground. Even though his name has largely been forgotten, “Charlie” Taylor is the man who was able to develop an engine with a sufficient power-to-weight ratio to launch the Wrights at Kitty Hawk and into aviation history. His lightweight and powerful—for its time—1903 Wright engine removed one of the biggest obstacles to powered flight, giving the Wright brothers the edge they needed to take to the skies before their competitors.
Taylor had an innate mechanical ability and was a respected toolmaker. He was working in his own shop when one day Orville and Wilbur Wright came in and asked him to make them some parts. Pleased with Taylor’s work, the Wrights continued to bring him special projects—the beginning of a decades-long relationship that would shape the course of aviation history.
Origins
- Who was he: The first aircraft mechanic
- Original title: Mechanician
- Born: Charles Edward Taylor on May 24, 1868
- Where: Cerro Gordo, Illinois
- Childhood: Grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska
- Schooling: Left school at age 12 to go to work, later returned to finish
- Graduated: 1887
- First job: Errand boy for the Nebraska State Journal, where he discovered his knack for working with tools
- Spouse: Married Henrietta Webbert in 1894
- Children: One son, two daughters
- Settled: Dayton, Ohio
Early Career
- Career: Opened his own tool shop in Dayton, Ohio
- Job change: Sold his tool shop and went to work at Stoddard Manufacturing, building farm equipment and bicycles
- Side gig: Taking on more repairs for the Wright brothers
- Career-defining job change: Hired by Wright Brothers to do bike repairs and “mind the shop” in 1901. Later became chief mechanic at the Wright Cycle Company
1903 Wright Engine
- Wright brothers’ specifications: Needed 9 horsepower and a maximum weight of 180 pounds
- Build time: Only 6 weeks!
- How: Used hammer, chisel and other hand tools, as well as basic tools, including a drill press and lathe
- Power: 12 horsepower
- Weight (engine block and crankcase): 152 pounds
- Engine block and crankcase: Lightweight, cast aluminum-copper alloy
- Cylinder material: Cast iron
- Number of cylinders: Four
- Cylinder size: Four-inch bore and four-inch stroke
- Total displacement: 201 cubic inches
- Cooling: Water-cooled
- Quirk: No carburetor; instead, gasoline flowed into a shallow pan and engine heat vaporized it
Other Contributions
- Wright Flyer parts: Handcrafted all the metal fittings and support wires
- Wind tunnel: Machined parts from workshop scraps for the Wright brothers’ wind tunnel, enabling their experimentation and data collection
First Fatal Accident
- Close call: Narrowly missed becoming the first person to die in a powered airplane accident when someone else took his place at the last minute
- First fatality: Army Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge
- Seriously injured: Orville Wright
- When: Sept. 17, 1908, during a military demonstration flight
- Where: Fort Myer, Virginia
- First aircraft accident investigator: Taylor examined the accident wreckage to determine the cause of the accident
- Probable cause: Delamination of the propeller
- Dashed dreams: Taylor asked the Wrights to teach him to fly; however, the brothers refused to teach him because they were afraid that they would lose their talented mechanic
- Longtime chief mechanic for the Wrights: At the Wright Cycle Shop; flight operations and school at Huffman Prairie; and the Wright Company, later the Wright-Martin Company
- Income: Received a generous salary and later an annuity from the Wright brothers
Later Years
- Departure: Left the Wright-Martin Company for California in 1928
- Forgotten: Taylor was largely forgotten after he left the Wright-Martin Company
- Lost fortune: Lost all his money in a failed real estate investment near the Salton Sea
- Poor health: Disabled by a heart attack in 1945
- Rediscovered: In 1955 by a journalist who publicized his hardships
- Help: Publicity led to funds provided by the Aviation Industries Association to move Taylor to a private sanatorium for treatment
- Death: Jan. 30, 1956 (exactly eight years after the death of his friend Orville Wright)
- Where: San Fernando, California
- Cause: Complications from asthma
- Buried: With other aviation pioneers at the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation, Los Angeles, California
Legacy of Charlie Taylor
- Last man standing: Taylor outlived both Wright brothers
- Witness to aviation history: Saw the first 50 years of flight, from the creation of the first engine to the advent of the jet age
- Honored: Inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1965
- Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award: The FAA’s most prestigious award for certificated mechanics, recognizing lifetime achievement for technicians who have demonstrated exceptional professionalism, skill and aviation expertise in their field for 50 years
- Recognized: His image is featured on the back of the FAA mechanic certificates
- Remembered: Today, his birthday is celebrated as National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day
- Fun fact: No known relationship to Chuck Taylor, the 1920s basketball player and coach, or the Converse All-Star sneakers that bear his name—though there are plenty of mechanics sporting the stylish sneakers today
Original article published on planeandpilotmag.com