University of Illinois Press

The former Chanute Air Force Base is just fifteen miles down the road in Rantoul, Illinois, so the Chanute name has strong name recognition in this area.  Our local online entertainment magazine Smile Politely interviewed Simine Short about her new book Locomotive to Aeromotive: Octave Chanute and the Transportation Revolution.

Smile Politely/Mark Laughlin:  Chanute served as someone who brought together people and ideas in the pursuit of powered flight. He also contributed engineering and design ideas of his own, such as his “strut-wire” braced wing structure. In your opinion, was his contribution to aviation more as a connector of people and conduit of ideas, or as an engineer and designer of flying machines in his own right?

Simine Short: I believe that Chanute did both. By bringing people together, publicizing what was discovered, and sharing information, he allowed (or guided?) others to think in the proper direction. Thus, he gave guidance to newcomers, and ― as you know ― anyone who enters the field as a newcomer usually has fresh ideas. This is what Chanute wanted to encourage and distribute.