Were The Wright Brothers Wrong?

The Wright Story
By Joe Bullmer, 311 pages
BookSurge Publishing

We all know the history of the Wright Brothers and their first flight in 1903, correct?

It’s been drummed into us how flying successfully was their idea, due to their inspiration and their innate understanding of the four forces of flight that eventually resulted in the hallowed Wright flyer.

Guess what, a highly educated aerodynamic specialist who has worked in the field for more than 30 years decided to see for himself and proclaims in his new book that everything we thought we knew was “dead wrong.” About all he would confirm was that they were bicycle repairmen and wore funny hats.

The Wright Story by Joe Bullmer is said to offer a new look at the work of the Wright brothers and argues “some inaccuracies” in the traditional Wright brothers’ story. Actually, he practically takes their story apart, defining iconoclasm.

In the book, Bullmer contends that “nearly all of the conventional wisdom concerning what the Wright brothers really did, and how and why they did it, is inaccurate. Although they did come up with the first controllable powered airplane, it was in 1905 not 1903 as many scholars state.

“None of their technical achievements were unprecedented,” he contended.  “For various reasons, the brothers were not able to successfully improve their initial design to compete with later aviation developments.”

Recounts of the Wright brothers’ work presented by various media for the centennial of the Wrights’ 1903 flights inspired Bullmer to publish what he believes is the true story. Bullmer cites historical and technical evidence that the Wright brothers’ wing, control and propeller designs had all been devised decades before the brothers began.

Citing the Wrights’ own written words about their wind tunnel work, Bullmer seeks to reveal that the brothers found errors in their own work rather than anyone else’s. According to Bullmer, their written records also reveal that they could not execute turns with any of their aircraft until October of 1905, and they did not understand how wings produce lift.

He wrote that by 1910 none of the features typically attributed to the Wrights were being used on any other airplanes. Bullmer uses physics, aerodynamics, the Wright’s photographs, and over 700 references, most of the Wrights’ own words, to make his case. So who is this guy making such outrageous claims?

Bullmer is a retired United States Air Force technical intelligence analyst who specialized in aircraft design and performance.

A graduate of Saint Louis University, he earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan. Over a career exceeding 30 years he authored numerous aircraft performance studies and worked with top corporate aerospace designers.

He also collaborated with performance engineers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, congressional and Senate committees, Cabinet level officials, and at the White House. He knows his stuff.

The book is available at Amazon.com for $19.95 in large paperback format and includes dozens of photos and illustrations. (Editor’s Note: please do not send hate mail, ticking packages or large men with sticks if you happen to disagree. We will forward your objections to his home in North Carolina.)