Wilbur Wright | Right to Flight
- Greg McNeilly
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
Wilber Wright was born on today (April 16) in 1867. While there are a host of aviation pioneers who launched the world into a new era of exploration, we celebrate the Wright Brothers as the first. This verse celebrating them is from Red, White & Blue.
A Right to Flight
In the heartland of the Midwest, two souls were born,
Wilbur and Orville, to the horizon they were sworn.
Brought forth by Milton and Susan, into a questing clan,
Where the flame of curiosity in every heart began.
From childhood’s early days, a spark ignited bright,
A toy, a tiny helicopter, set their dreams’ alight.
Though the walls of formal schooling they did not quite scale,
Their thirst for knowledge, their self-taught spirit, would prevail.
With ink and paper, stories and news, they made their mark,
Yet the sky above called to them, with its wide and endless arc.
In a shop of wheels and pedals, their ambitions they did hone,
For the bicycle’s balance to the heavens would be shown.
Lilienthal’s ill-fated fall, a message from the blue,
Steeled the brothers’ resolve, their mission to pursue.
With every tome and paper on aeronautics sought,
The mysteries of flight, they fervently thought.
Kites and gliders danced upon the wind’s unseen tide,
In the tunnel’s gusty chambers, winged designs were tried.
Three axes of control they keenly devised,
A marvel, for through the skies, man would be apprized.
Kitty Hawk’s sandy stretch became destiny’s stage,
Where the Wrights turned a page in history’s age.
Orville first took to air, Wilbur’s turn was nigh,
And under North Carolina’s gaze, man did truly fly.
Though the world’s eyes blinked, not seeing their plane’s dance,
Recognition came at last, from America to France.
Patents and papers, accolades in tow,
The Wrights’ genius, the world came to know.
Wilbur’s life was cut short by a fever’s cruel might,
Yet in Orville’s later years, he kept their shared dream tight.
Though both brothers in time to the earth did descend,
Their legacy soars higher, lifting mortals without end.
From Dayton to D.C., monuments rise in their name,
Heralding their feat, their undying fame.
Their Flyer in Smithsonian’s grand hall is displayed,
A testament to the barriers they frayed.
For beyond the mechanics, beyond the air’s dance,
The Wrights’ true legacy is in man’s advance.
Against nature’s bounds, with spirit and with might,
They proved once and for all, humanity’s right to flight.
