In this collection of their letters the Wright brothers come alive, warm, sometimes amusing, and always penetrating and analytical.- New York Times
Paperback, 480 pages, 5.5" x 8.5" x 1"
Reviews
Miracle at Kitty Hawk
Miracle at Kitty Hawk is a collection of letters written by the Wright Brothers to each other, family members, government agencies and fellow Engineers interested in the complex powered flight riddle. Fred C. Kelly provides the back drop behind each of the letters and does an great job of filling in vital pieces of how these two home educated sons of a confrontational church leader had the perfect elements in their childhood to solve each and every problem from a fresh analytical perspective. Questions such as: How their purpose for manned control flight stemmed from their pacifist beliefs? What they stated was their most important invention? (here's a hint, it wasn't the Airplane) Overall and extrordinary insight as to what drove these two bicycle repairmen to solve a riddle argueibly more than 25 years before common engineering evolution would have derived all of the elements needed to solve the puzzle. I enjoyed understanding the Brothers through their step by step approach to each challenge as they popped up. Details abound allowing me a greater appreciation for magnitude of the mystery solved by unpresidented determination and little else. Even if you think you wouldn't be interested in the story, pick it up anyhow and be prepared to relearn all you thought you knew.
Jim Hare - Fayetteville, GA