The Wright Brothers
A friendship developed in which Chanute was a true mentor. The Wright's documented, described and explained each step of their progress, always asking for Chanute's comments. In 1901, the Wright brothers invited Chanute to come and join them at Kitty Hawk. Chanute arrived, and even though he was impressed with their accomplishments, the Wrights themselves were very disappointed with the results. "Not within a thousand years would man ever fly!"
Chanute then suggested that Wilbur and Orville come to Chicago and speak to a Special Meeting (or "Ladies Night") of the Western Society of Engineers on 18 September 1901.
It is generally believed that in preparing for this meeting, the two brothers carefully reexamined each aspect of their experiments to that point. They decided to continue their work on flying machines, and eventually gained a place in aviation history.