The Wright Brothers

Orville Wright Wilbur Wright

Younger Life During childhood Orville was a bit of a recalcitrant and once expelled from school. Their father, a bishop, gave them both a toy helicopter made out of paper and bamboo which they played with until it broke so they decided to make their own.

Earlier Career Orville dropped out of school after his junior year to start a print business. Wilbur later joined the business and they both designed and built their own printing press. Using their printing business Wilbur became editor and Orville publisher of the newspaper West Side News they also printed other newspaper towards the end of their printing business.

Earlier Career (Continued) Penny-Farthing Model The Wright Cycle Company The craze of having a bicycle in the late 1800's was very popular, for it as a new invention. Until the invention of the "Safety Bicycle" by Harry Lawson, people were in rather a lot of danger riding a "Penny-Farthing Bicycle" around. The Wright Brothers designed their own version of the "Safety Bicycle" and set up a shop along with a factory to build them. This company later funded their interest in flight. Funding their research and test flights. The Wright's Safety Model

Flight Controlling their Aircraft Percy Pilcher - Aviator who died of his injuries after falling 10 meters Controlling their Aircraft The Wright Brothers were confronted with various problems. One major problem was how to control a glider or plane while in the air. Previous attempts by other designers at flight usually ended in catastrophe. Some died as a result. Otto Lilienthal was highly regarded in terms of successful flight for the Wright Brothers. Otto Lilienthal - Aviator whose glider stalled, breaking his spine and later dying of his injuries

Wing-warping The wright brothers did not wish to rely on the method of Lilienthal of moving your body weight to control their plane. Wilbur while moving a cardboard box at the bike shop noticed that it warped in a corner when picked up. What he realised was that if a wing of an aircraft was tilted in a downwards direction the wing would be forced down because of the air acting against it. This would lead to the wing rolling.

The 1899 Kite To test wing-warping the Brothers designed at kite with a wing span of 5ft (1.5m) This basic design, being rather successful, influenced their design later in testing larger gliders. The 1899 Kite designs

1900 Glider Wing Span Length Weight 5.33m 3.51m 224kg The 1900 Glider Having decided that they would play things safe and learn to control a plane before adding power, they built their first glider in 1900. They reused this glider many times and controlled the wing-warping from the ground with ropes to see how well it worked. Adding elevators at the front of the aircraft added the ability to control the angle of descent. Wilbur flew on the 1900 Glider in later tests and stalled it many times, to prevent a nose dive he was able to tilt the elevators and make a pancake landing. Wing Span Length Weight 5.33m 3.51m 224kg

1901 Glider Wing Span Length Weight 7m 4.3 44kg This glider was similar to the 1900 Glider however it had larger wings. In July and August of 1901 the Wright Brothers flew it between 50 - 100 times while not attached to the ground. A number of problems occurred with this glider, it produced only 1/3 the amount of lift they calculated and at times when the wings were warped it would roll the wrong direction. Wilbur said to Orville after their 2 month experimenting trip in the desert that "man would fly, just not in our lifetime" Orville and the 1901 Glider Wing Span Length Weight 7m 4.3 44kg Wilbur (left) and Orville flying their 1901 glider as a kite

1902 Glider Wing Span Length Weight 9.78m 5.2m 51kg Before now the Wright Brothers had been relying on data from Lilienthal on how wings give lift. However their wings were different shapes. And due to their lack of results in their 2nd glider they decided to test 200 different wing shapes in a homemade wind tunnel. The construction of their third glider was a huge success. They made between 700 and 1,000 glides in September and October. The longest lasted for 26 seconds. With their added rudder they achieved a three axis control method, the same that is used in todays aircraft. This design and shape, seeing as they had conquered control, was used again next year in their powered flying attempts. Wilbur in the 1902 Glider Wilbur making a turn using wing-warping and the rudder Wing Span Length Weight 9.78m 5.2m 51kg

Powering a Flight The Wright Brothers were confronted with the problem of finding a powerful engine that was light-weight enough to place in their plane. Asking their shop mechanic, they designed a engine together that would provide enough power and be small and light enough for their intentions. As oppose to steel, which was always used in engine construction at the time, they decided to construct it out of aluminium. The total cost of the aluminium engine cost $1,000

Making a Propellor The Wright Brothers argued considerably over how to make a propellor. There were not current exact formula on what worked and what didn't work. The Propellor was made of 3 lengths of spruce wood glued together. Using a hatchet and knife to carve. 2 Propellors where used and both propellors rotated in different directions to counteract the aircraft wanting to roll with the propellors. Propellor made by the Wright Brothers

The Wright Flyer I This first attempt at controlled powered flight took part in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The U.S. Smithsonian Institution describes the aircraft as "...the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard." The longest flight that this aircraft undertook was 59 seconds covering 260 metres. Trial 1 Trial 2 Wilbur Orville 3sec 12sec

The Wright Flyer I (continued) Wright Flyer hanging in Smithsonian After a few trials the winds picked up and the Wright Flyer 1 was blown upside down and was never flown again. Today the Wright Flyer I is hanging in the Smithsonian Institute of Technology. Wing Span Weight Power Max Speed 12.29m 338kg 12hp 48km/h

Wright Flyer II Much heavier plane yet only 15hp. Flown over 105 times in 1904 before the Wright Flyer III is designed. After a month they enlarged the elevators which stopped the aircraft suddenly darting to the ground. Flights in this aircraft lasted up to 5 minutes Wing Span Weight Power 12.29m 419.5kg 15hp

Wright Flyer III More power, less weight. After a serious nose dive crash Orville and Wilbur moved the elevators and rudder further away from the wings. Flights lasting up to 39 minutes covering 38.9km. This aircraft flew longer in its best flight than all of the flights of the Flyer I put together. Wing Span Weight Power Max Speed 12.29m 323kg 20hp 56km/h

Later Orville and Wilbur, after being called liars in France and other places split up and showed their abilities overseas and near Washington. Development in aeronautics throughout World War I was stunted because of lawsuits regarding the Wright Brothers claim to the designs of the aircraft. Orville demonstrating the flyer to the U.S. Army, Fort Myer, Virginia September 1908.