Wright Flyer
The Wright Flyer (also known as Kitty Hawk Flyer, the Wright Flyer I or 1903 Flyer, the Wright brothers called themselves the aircraft The Whopper Flying Machine) was the first double-decker engine aircraft manufactured by the Wright brothers, and first flew on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It was the first motorized aircraft that was heavier than air and was controlled by a pilot. [* 1] [ * 2] was powered by a self- constructed four-cylinder gasoline engine. With chain drives the force was transmitted to two counter-rotating twin -blade propeller.
The Wright Flyer was there part of a 1899 model kite begun development that led to the 1905 Flyer for the first practically usable aircraft in 1905.
History
Even as children experimented Wilbur and Orville Wright with a driven rubber band toy helicopter. In 1896, the Wright brothers, who operated a repair shop for bicycles, inspired by the work of the late mechanical engineer Otto Lilienthal and began to make their own experiments with gliders were.
However, with gliders, the brothers were not satisfied, but set themselves the goal to build a powered aircraft. The drive they used a completely self-constructed and self-produced with the help of a mechanic Charles Taylor four-cylinder inline engine with an aluminum crankcase casting, the ( 179 lb ) weighed only 81 kg and instead of the expected eight even made twelve horsepower. Taylor later explained in an interview that the then available car engines weighed more than the entire flyer, including the newly developed engine. This was installed in a central location. Two chain drives could drive two counter-rotating propellers.
Your first flight attempt led the Wright brothers despite poor weather conditions already on 14 December 1903. However, Wilbur Wright overdriven while the highly sensitive flyer and the plane landed relatively hard already after four seconds about 20 m after takeoff. She was slightly damaged. On December 17, then four flights took place, which are generally regarded as the historic first flight. The last flight that day lasted 59 seconds, with a distance of 260 m was covered.
The news of the Wright flights spread rapidly. Both the French and the U.S. government were impressed by the performance. 1908 presented the Wilbur Wright Flyer of the French government. He later opened in Pau, the first pilot school in the world.
Orville Wright launched at the same time flight demonstrations in front of the U.S. Army, and built in 1909, the Wright Model A, the first military aircraft ever. The aircraft was manufactured by the Wright Company in small series.
Flights from December 17, 1903
10:35 clock lifted Orville Wright for the first time that day from. In contrast to the first test flight on 14 December, the launch rail was not easy downhill, but consistently laid horizontally. Orville flew for 12 seconds. He reached a speed of 16 kilometers per hour and a distance of 37 meters or 120 feet. For the other flights, the Wright brothers took turns, one record after another was broken: After Orville flew 37 meters wide in 12 seconds, Wilbur flew in 13 seconds 53 m ( 175 feet ) wide. The third flight Orville flew far in 15 seconds 61 m (200 feet).
A total of four flights were completed on 17 December 1903 - two of Orville and Wilbur of two. The last flight put Wilbur in 59 seconds 259.7 meters ( 852 feet) back what the daily value meant.
Whereabouts
After the fourth and last flight of the Flyer was so badly damaged by a gust of wind followed by a rollover, that a reconstruction was not performed. The wreck was stored in Dayton. In a flood, it was there in 1913 almost completely destroyed. Over the next two decades, it has been shown in numerous exhibitions in 1928 but spent as a result of a dispute between Orville Wright and the Smithsonian Institution in the Science Museum in London. After settlement of the dispute and the death of Orville Wright, the machine came back to the U.S. in 1948 and was in the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC shown. Since the opening of the National Air and Space Museum on July 1, 1971, the Flyer is the central exhibition of the collection.
Construction
The Wright Flyer was a biplane with double vertical stabilizers and double duck wings. The control about the longitudinal axis was by wing warping the wing tips. The Flyer was powered by a motor, which gave its power to two propellers. The propellers were made of three layers of spruce even individual pieces. The found after a few trials long and narrow leaf shape made sure that the propeller efficiency could be achieved by about 66 percent. I.e., two -thirds of the motor power could be used for the excavation.
The supporting structure of the aircraft presented practically an enlarged continuation of their glider of 1902 dar. As this was the flyer from oven- dried spruce wood ( "West Virginia White Spruce " ) was prepared and covered the wings and tail with a " Pride of the West" called muslin. This solid cotton contributed to the stability of the structure. Studies of the Flyers in the 1980s by Howard S. Wolko the " U.S. National Air and Space Museum " showed that the structure for the loads actually occurred had significant strength reserves.