Just as terrible things have befallen figures unlucky enough to have graced the cover of SI, let's take a look at what's happened to the subjects of some of Langley's most ambitious profiles.
Nope, not at all... there's not a mention of Langley and his Aerodrome "A".
He is survived by two sons, Dale, of Lancaster, and Dean, of Bakersfield, Calif.; two daughters, Deborah Coye and Deidre Baron, both of Lancaster; a sister, Frances Mott of Langley, Wash.; three brothers, Clifford, of Barstow, Calif., Donald, of Florence, Ore., and Neil, of Issaquah, Wash.; 11 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.
The failure of the Langley Large Aerodrome "A" to fly with a human aboard provides a sharp contrast to the work of the Wrights - a large institution (the Smithsonian) on the one hand, and the two brothers, self-supporting their aeronautical work, on the other.
In February 2009, Langley, Carson and Ashdown-Hill teamed up with two Richard III Society members – Dr. David Johnson and his wife Wendy – to launch a project with the working title Looking for Richard: In Search of a King, which Langley envisaged as a "landmark TV special".
So, mention of the Langley Large Aerodrome "A" would have brought up all that unpleasantness about Curtiss, and in keeping with the rampant pro-Curtiss bias of "Wright Brothers vs Curtiss" - that couldn't be tolerated.
Rayner is survived by his wife, Ina; a daughter, Roberta Bend, of Surrey, British Columbia; a brother, Jud, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; a sister, Bernice Taylor, of Langley; and two grandsons.
Speakers at the information session included Peter Fassbender, Mayor of the City of Langley; Mark Warawa, MP for Langley; and Jamie McIntosh, founder of IJM Canada.
England did respond by sending a representative, Geoffrey of Langley, who had been a member of Edward I's Crusade 20 years earlier, and was sent to the Mongol court as an ambassador in 1291.
When the two were found dead Homer apparently of starvation, Langley from a booby trap meant to snare intruders the house contained, among many, many other things, 15,000 medical books, 10 grand pianos and that chassis from a Model T Ford.
