They manufactured bicycles, then the apex of precision mass produced products, and they also had a quite scientific approach to the design of their aircraft, with wind tunnels, for example.

They were also the first to understand that steering the airplane was best done by warping the airfoils. Now we do it with rudders and elevators and flaps, then they did the whole surface.

They were also the first to devise a mathematical propeller theory that enabled them to have 90% efficient propellers. The flat propellers used by others were only 50% efficient.

Nice! I never realized that they were working in the "hi tech" of the time.

Their accomplishments make more sense to me now!

Figuring how to make bicycles that only flex in “good” directions instead of bad was a whole field of study that took off in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

I’m sure they were making lemonade from their lemons. It’s gonna flex, what’s that good for?

The wing warping patent applied to flaps too, as Curtis found after a long legal battle.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers_patent_war

Surely that would've been watches, not bicycles.