Wright brothers movie effort grows as Dayton filmmaker lines up Delta support

A Dayton filmmaker says his effort to produce a feature-length movie about the Wright brothers is gaining momentum after securing Delta Airlines as a partner and sponsor for the project. Allen Farst, speaking June 30, said “The Flying Machine,” a film planned around the Tom Crouch biography “The Bishop’s Boys,” is moving past an earlier tipping point. Farst said he had estimated needing $50 million when he announced the project in August 2024, and that he has since raised about $1 million, with the total now around $15 million. He cited the 125th anniversary in 2028 of the Wright brothers’ December 1903 flight from Kill Devil Hills as a key milestone. Farst’s family partners, Amanda Wright Lane and Stephen Wright, said they are “locked in,” and Lane described the book as the right resource for the effort. Additional details on Delta’s support are still being addressed, and Farst is preparing a director’s cut of another film for Delta this fall.