Who built the 12-horsepower engine for the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer?

Charlie Taylor built the 12-horsepower engine for the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer.

The Wrights needed a lightweight gasoline engine because no commercially available motor met their requirements. Their bicycle-shop mechanic, Charlie Taylor, designed and constructed the engine in Dayton, Ohio, in about six weeks. The four-cylinder engine weighed roughly 180 pounds and produced about 12 horsepower.

Taylor’s engine powered the Flyer during its first successful powered flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The Wrights designed the aircraft and propellers, while Taylor’s engine supplied the necessary power through chain drives.

A common mix-up is crediting the entire aircraft engine project to the Wright brothers alone. They were central designers and builders, but Taylor was the mechanic who made the practical engine. Taylor later continued working with the Wrights and became an important early aviation mechanic.