How The Wright Brothers Delayed The Development Of The US Air Force

It may be counterintuitive to suggest the Wright Brothers delayed the development of the United States Air Force (or rather the Aeronautical Division of the US Army Signal Corps), but that case can certainly be made (through endless litigation and patent trolling). It can also be argued that the Wright Brothers did not offer the world a revolutionary breakthrough. Instead, it is perhaps better to think of it as a logical, incremental next step. There is a reason why the Wright Flyer has so many qualifiers: ” first heavier-than-air, powered, controlled, sustained flight” (aka an airplane).