Fabric, Aircraft, "1903 Wright Flyer"

Unbleached muslin; overal dimensions 12 ft. 1 in. X 12 ft. 4 in. Eleven internal wing rib pockets on inside of lower surface, 34 in long X 2 in. wide, pockets 11 inches apart. Trailing edge seam for holding trailing edge wire 3/4 in. wide, with slots for wing ribs to protrude and be tied to wire. Screw holes where wing strut fittings attached to rear spar and leading edge, upper and lower surface, four holes for each fitting. Tac holes in leading edge. Various spots and stains over the entire surface of the fabric.

This section of Pride of the West muslin fabric was on the upper right wing panel of the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903, when the airplane made its historic first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright Flyer was placed in storage from 1903 until 1916, when it was assembled for the first time since Kitty Hawk by Orville Wright for a brief public display at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In late 1926, early 1927, Orville refurbished the Wright Flyer in preparation for loaning it to the Science Museum in London, where it stayed until 1948. During this refurbishment, the airplane was recovered entirely with new Pride of the West muslin. This section of flown 1903 fabric was removed at that time and remained in the possession of the Wright family until its donation to the National Air and Space Museum in 1980.