Powered GlidersThis is after human-powered contraptions have lost favor, with the death of Germany's pioneering designer (top right). His bird-like contraption captures lots of attention before it stalls out, and he falls to his death. Still, the ill-fated German advances the understanding of wings and lift. His ideas are followed up by an unlikely pair of tinkerers, who make bicycles in their little shop in the middle of industrial Ohio. Wilbur and Orville Wright. Like many others at the time in Europe, the Wright Brothers have become interested in the possibilities of powered flight. Once bitten by the bug, they pursue their goal with a relentless reliance on scientific testing. |
| ||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||
Starting with the Basics The Wright Brothers bring a highly scientific approach to their efforts. They take a train to a remote spot on the North Carolina shore, bringing everything they will need to conduct tests. The site features steady winds, without obstacles they might crash into. The brothers start with a stationary glider (top left), which they fly like a kite. They return in following summers to make well over 1,000 glider flights, with either Wilbur or Orville lying down on the lower wing (top right). There are no seats, or even safety harnesses. They add a vertical tail, and work on their revolutionary 'wing warping' design, which actually twists the tips of the lower wing slightly, to enable controlled turns. This is modeled on their observations of the wings of gulls. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Still Lying on the Wing The remarkable brothers work straight through the 1903 season, their third year at the beach, before making a first attempt at powered flight. They use an aluminum engine of their own design, turning twin propellers which they also design. After an initial failure, they try again, and finally coax the aircraft into the air, briefly. It's mid-December, with freezing, gusty winds. The photo at top captures the moment of first liftoff. They have difficulty keeping the craft level, but manage to complete three more short but successful launches that day, reaching a top speed of about 10 mph. To protect their design, they're careful to keep the details of their activities secret. Few people at the time believe newspaper reports of their achievement. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Looks Flimsy, You Say? This photo is taken after the first, failed attempt at powered flight. The craft rises for a few seconds, but then pitches down slightly, sending the nose gently into the sand, with some damage. Note how fragile the structure is, with no protection or security for the pilot. The right hand holds on, while the left is used to control the pair of small wings in front, which can be angled up or down to keep the craft more or less level. If you scroll back up to the previous picture, you can see that they were angled sharply upward in the first successful flight. The tail rudders and wing-warping cables are operated together, by shifting the hips right or left in a U-shaped cradle, visible in the photo above. The propellers are counter-rotating, driven by long bicycle-type chains. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
What's That, up in the Sky? The Wright Brothers are not wealthy, and lack any sponsorship by government, or outside investors. They spend the next two years modifying their initial design, adding a more powerful engine, and learning to control the aircraft in turns. They do this back in Ohio, away from publicity. Wilbur tries repeatedly to interest the US Army in the design, and finally arranges a disastrous flight demonstration in 1908, which ends with a crash. Despite this, the following year Wilbur performs a flawless demonstration for the Army, launching near the Statue of Liberty in New York. The Wright Company is incorporated that same year. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Looking for Buyers The Wright Company begins selling improved aircraft to the US Army in 1910, although half are involved in crashes that Wilbur insists are caused by pilot error. Meanwhile, others are joining the competition to produce a safe, efficient design. The aircraft above have all flown successfully by 1910. Most are European designs, but one is American, built by Glenn Curtiss (top left). Curtiss manages to circumvent the Wright Brothers' patent by replacing the patented wing-warping element with small, pivoting panels at the tips of the wings, called ailerons. A patent fight is inconclusive, but ailerons soon become standard on aircraft, as they remain today. The Wright Company merges with Curtiss in 1929, to form Curtiss-Wright. | |||||||||