Octave Alexandre Chanute began his successful career in railroad construction at the Hudson River Railroad in Ossining, New York. A self-taught engineer, he became a legend for his novel designs and construction of complex bridges, railroad terminals, and construction materials. His work on preservation of material led to his invention of the system for pressure treating rail ties and telephone poles with cresote, a technique still in use throughout the world. In 1889, at age 57, when most successful men have rested on their laurels, he began his second career and devoted himself to the solution of the problems of flight. In the typical Chanute fashion of step-by-step investigation, his first act was to assemble all known data on this subject into a single synthesis and to catalog its problems. His initial objectives were to eliminate the errors of experimentalists and to advance the science of flight by making known both their successes and failures. His publication of the classic book "Progress in Flying Machines" in 1894 gave the world its first compendium on flight, and earned him the title of first aero historian. Chanute believed the advancement of flight science must be the work of many. He corresponded internationally, encouraging pioneers Voisin, Bleriot, Farman, and the Wright brothers, to whom he was a special friend and mentor. He sought no patents on his inventions and gave his findings openly to all. His sponsorship of the term "aviation" resulted in its common use. His gliding experiments on the shores of Lake Michigan in the 1890s contributed much to flight science in the areas of control systems and stability, efficiency of materials, aircraft structural integrity, and strength. In utilizing his knowledge of braced box structure in bridge construction, he invented the familiar strut-wire braced wing structure still employed in biplane aircraft. In Wilbur Wright's 1911 eulogy of Chanute he said, "His labors had vast influence in bringing about the era of human flight."
Inducted in 1974.
Portrait Location: Not Currently on Floor