Purpose-Driven Merchandise Helps Fund Aviation Education and Restoration Efforts

The Wright Brothers Family Foundation, run by descendants of aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright, receives royalties from every item sold by Wright Brothers USA: a for-profit retail business that licenses the family name and story. The proceeds support aviation education, restoration, and preservation projects across the country.

Stephen Wright, great-grandnephew of the Wrights and foundation trustee, explained that “we try to help fund projects that carry forward their legacy."

Established in the early 1990s after a company approached the Wright family about using the brothers’ names in advertising, the foundation now operates under a community foundation in Dayton, Ohio, the Wrights’ hometown, which offers legal support and structure.

Royalties from Wright Brothers USA merchandise fund various projects, including a youth aviation camp, archival preservation at Wright State University, and other nonprofit efforts that align with the brothers' legacy. Each product is aviation-themed, and many connect directly to the Wright story.

“When Wilbur went to Paris to demonstrate the aircraft, he was flying in winter and got cold,” Stephen Wright said. “So he bought a leather jacket. That’s why we sell leather jackets.”

One of the newest and most unique collaborations comes in the form of a limited-edition watch collection. Beau Garrett, a commercial pilot and founder of a pilot-centered watch brand, was invited by Wright Brothers USA to create a timepiece line honoring not only Wilbur and Orville, but their entire family.

“As I started researching and reading biographies, what became evident to me was that the brothers’ success was as much about their own innovation as it was about their family influence,” Garrett said. “The influence of their dad, Bishop Milton Wright, and the support of their sister were just as important.”

Each watch features caseback engravings inspired by original Wright family drawings and blueprints, and every piece in the collection is limited edition.

“We’re very proud of the collection,” Garrett said. “Every sale of a Wright Brothers watch, a portion of the proceeds goes back to benefit the Wright Family Foundation, which we’re also very proud of.”

Garrett’s brand, founded to provide pilots with simpler, more meaningful timepieces, fits right in with the Wright legacy.

“They loved our design, they loved our story, and they thought there were some parallels between what we were doing and what Orville and Wilbur had done in the past,” Garrett said. “It was a huge honor.”

FMI: www.thewrightbrothersusa.com