Charles W. Furnas (1880 – 16 October 1941) was born in West Milton

West Milton, Ohio

West Milton is a village in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,630 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:West Milton is located at ....

, Miami County

Miami County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 98,868 people, 38,437 households, and 27,943 families residing in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile . There were 40,554 housing units at an average density of 100 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, the second son of Tanzy and Elizabeth Furnas. He is chiefly remembered for his work as a mechanic for the Wright Company

Wright Company

The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright Brothers, established by them in 1909 in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on their invention of the practical airplane. It maintained a...

 and for being the world's first aeroplane passenger. On 14 May 1908 Wilbur Wright flew Furnas 1968 feet (599.8 m) in 29 seconds in the Wright Flyer III

Wright Flyer III

The Wright Flyer III was the third powered aircraft built by the Wright Brothers. Orville Wright made the first flight with it on June 23, 1905. The Flyer III had an airframe of spruce construction with a wing camber of 1-in-20 as used in 1903, rather than the less effective 1-in-25 used in 1904...

 at Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk....

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. Later the same day Orville Wright flew him 2.125 miles (3.4 km) in 4 minutes 2 seconds. He is one of the few people to fly with both Wright brothers. Their sister, Katharine

Katharine Wright

Katharine Wright Haskell was the only sister of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright. She was a high school teacher and later became an international celebrity when she accompanied her famous brothers in Europe....

, was another.

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