First in Flight! - The Wright Brothers Display - Heritage Minute

HERITAGE MINUTE

One of the most interesting areas in the McDermott Library is the stunning circular staircase pinnacled by a replica of the Wright Brothers' airplane.

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The aviation pioneers, appropriately enough, occupy the uppermost region of the facility, at the top of the striking three-story spiral staircase. The geometrical staircase was designed to satisfy the Superintendent, Lieutenant General Hubert Harmon. Harmon didn’t care for the rigid, square Modernist architectural style, so the Academy project’s lead designer, Walter Netsch, designed the staircase to provide General Harmon with some variety. By the time the Orville and Wilbur Wright busts were dedicated on April 20, 1979, they had actually been at the Academy for nearly eleven years. They were donated to the Academy on November 22, 1968, by Retired Air Force Colonel Milton Seaman, the Academy’s first liaison officer. They have been displayed in several locations. First, they were located on the footbridge in front of the Library, where cadets would rub the busts’ heads for luck on their way to the academic building for exams. The statues also resided in the Air Gardens in front of Mitchell Hall before moving to their current location. The area also features a quarter-scale replica of the Wright Flyer of 1903 suspended under the skylight at the top of the stairs, a bust of Charles Taylor, the engineer who built the engine for the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, and other displays.

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