1. The Wright Brothers

2. Attention Questions How many brothers and sisters do you have?
Are you an only child?
Do you like to read stories?
Many people learn from watching their siblings; others learn from reading stories about other people’s lives.
How do you learn about life?

3. Lesson Objectives
Describe the three steps the Wright brothers took to succeed in the first heavier than air powered manned flight
List and describe the parts of the Wright Flyer
Identify three key events in the history of the Wright brothers’ involvement with the US Army
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

4. Vocabulary
Strut
Bracing
Warp
Elevator
Airfoil
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

5. Wright Brothers How the Wright Brothers Succeeded in the First Flight
They applied what they learned at each step to make the next one go more smoothly
Step
Type of Airframe
What was their focus
What did they develop
Step 1
Step 2a
Step 2B
Step 2C
Step 3
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

6. How the Wright Brothers Succeeded in the First Flight
All pilots face three challenges:
Get up in the air
Stay up
Control the craft
Pilots experimented in flight with:
Manned and powered, full-size aircraft
Models
Full-size gliders
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

7. The Wright Brothers
The Wrights would chose a box kite as their starting point
They focused first on balancing and controlling the aircraft
Power (an engine) could come later
They applied what they learned at each step to make the next one go more smoothly
The Wrights first glider was a box kite
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

8. Step One: Unmanned Box Kite
The Wrights’ kite had
A five-foot wingspan and biplane structure
Struts that connected the upper and lower wings. A strut is a vertical post.
And Bracing—or support —that was strung diagonally between the struts
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of the Air Force Historical Research Agency

9. Step One: Unmanned Box Kite
To control the aircraft, they discovered that they didn’t need to tilt an entire wing to turn the craft:
Needed to twist only the ends of the wings
They developed a concept called “wing warping”
To Warp: is to twist
In the summer of 1899, Wilbur Wright successfully tested the kite in a field in Ohio.
The first step in the experiment for aircraft control was a success
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

10. Wing Warp Manned Glider
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

11. Step Two: Manned Gilders
Between 1900 and 1902, the brothers built three gliders
Before putting a man aboard, they flew each glider like a kite
They wanted to test it for control and lift
Only after doing this would they put a man aboard
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

12. Step Two: Manned Gilders
The early glider experiments taught the brothers three important things:
How to control climb and descent
How large the wing area had to be to sustain lift
The best design
for the shape of
the wing
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Wright State University

13. The First Glider (1900)
The focus of the first glider was to control climb and descent using an elevator
An elevator is a movable, horizontal surface that controls motion up and down.
Early aircraft designers had mounted elevators behind the wings
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

14. The First Glider (1900)
However, in their experiments in 1900, the Wrights placed an elevator at the front of the glider
The Wrights found it easier to control climb and descent when the elevator was placed forward
Therefore the Wright
Brothers developed
their gliders with the
elevator in front

15. The First Glider
The brothers test-flew their glider at Kill Devil Hills in 1900
It didn’t crash, but clearly improvements were necessary
The Wrights headed back to Ohio to build the next version
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

16. The Second Glider (1901)
The first glider didn’t have nearly enough lift
So for their second glider in 1901, the brothers focused on the size and shape of the wing
They focused on the airfoil—a wing’s profile – or shape as seen in cross-section
Increased the
wing area to
290 square feet
Experimented
with different
shapes

17. The Second Glider (1901) This glider was also a big disappointment
The brothers couldn’t control it well when they tested it at Kill Devil Hills
It flew less than 300 feet— again it was time to return to Dayton!
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

18. The Wind Tunnel
In Dayton, the brothers developed a wind tunnel in their bicycle shop to test model-size wings
Made them of sheet steel
Cut more than 200 model wings of different shapes
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Wright State University

19. The Third Glider (1902)
The focus of the third gliders was to control erratic movements occurring when the aircraft was turning
Originally the glider had two fixed, vertical rudders behind the wings
Test flights showed that this resulted in erratic behavior during turns
So the Wrights developed
a single, movable, vertical rudder
This improved control during
turns
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

20. The Third Glider The third glider had: This design was a success
Forward elevator
Elliptical shape
Longer, skinnier wings
Wing area of 305 feet
This design was a success
The glider took to the air in the North Carolina dunes more than 700 times in the fall of 1902
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of NASA

21. In striving to solve the problem of flight, the Wright brothers' approach was to:
Focus on the problem of power first, and then turn to control.
Focus on control first, and then turn to power.
Have Orville focus on power and have Wilbur focus on control.
Work on both power and control at the same time.
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ5)

22. In trying to solve the problem of flight and the three challenges all pilots face, the Wrights chose a ______ as their starting point.
balloon
glider
bicycle
Box kite
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ2)

23. A vertical post
Strut
Bracing
Warp
Lateral
(AS100-U2C2L1:VQ4)

24. Support
Strut
Bracing
Warp
Lateral
(AS100-U2C2L1:VQ3)

25. Twist
Strut
Bracing
Warp
Lateral
(AS100-U2C2L1:VQ1)

26. A movable, horizontal surface that controls motion up and down
Elevator
Canard configuration
Airfoil
Center of pressure
(AS100-U2C2L1:VQ9)

27. A wing's profile Elevator Canard configuration Airfoil
Center of pressure
(AS100-U2C2L1:VQ7)

28. What did the Wright Brothers build in their bicycle shop to test model sized wings ?
A jet engine
A model of the sand dunes in North Carolina
A kite
A wind tunnel .
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ6)

29. How many different model wings did the Wright brothers cut for their second glider?
Only four, because they were making them out of steel, which was hard to cut.
Several dozen, because they wanted to try out many different shapes.
Probably more than 100, nobody knows for sure.
More than 200.
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ6)

30. Step Three: A Manned, Powered Aircraft
Lastly, the brothers set out to fit their plane with an engine
They tried to buy one ready made
But none met their needs or price
So they had their bicycle mechanic, Charles E. Taylor, develop a four-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine
The 1903 Engine viewed from the side
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of the Library of Congress

31. Developing Thrust
An engine and propellers gave Wilbur and Orville the ability to use not only lift but also thrust to propel their plane
Vertically mounted propellers could provide the airflow for thrust
They needed 90 pounds
of thrust to propel the
Wright Flyer
Their 12-horsepower engine
and the large propellers
proved equal to the task
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

32. Delays
In September 1903 they returned to Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills
First they had to build a trolley track to give their powered aircraft a running start
Bad weather also caused delays
When the day came, the brothers tossed a coin, and Wilbur won
However, on the first test flight of the Wright Flyer, he crashed it
It took three days to repair the damaged craft
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

33. First Flight! On 17 December, Orville took the controls
The Flyer rose into the air and stayed aloft for 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet
Orville had made the first controlled, sustained, heavier-than-air human flight with a powered aircraft
The brothers took turns piloting the Flyer for three more flights
The fourth and final launch lasted 59 seconds, and the craft traveled 852 feet
After the fourth flight, the Flyer was caught in a wind gust while resting on the ground
They Flyer was completely destroyed

34. Anatomy of the Wright Flyer
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Wright State University

35. Anatomy of the Wright Flyer
Biplane with two airfoils to create lift
With a wingspan of 40 feet, four inches, and a wing area of 510 square feet
Equipped with a 12 horsepower engine and propellers to provide thrust
Struts and bracing between top and bottom wings for support
Plane also had a front elevator to control up and down movement (pitch)
Rudder at the rear to control right or left motion (yaw)
Skids rather than wheels to land on
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

36. How the Flyer Worked The brothers controlled their craft with:
the forward elevator
the use of wing warping
and a single, movable rear rudder
Surprisingly, the pilot did not sit upright
The pilot lay on his stomach in a padded cradle on the lower wing
Chapter 2, Lesson 1
Courtesy of Comstock Images

37. How the Flyer Worked
To the pilot’s left was a lever that he used to control the up-and-down movement of the elevator
By moving his hips, he pulled on the cables connected to the wings and rudder (directing the plane left or right)
With the new, flexible rudder, the plane finally turned in the intended direction
The cables attached to the wings twisted one wing down while forcing the other wing up
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

38. After more than 700 flights with their third glider in the fall of 1902, the Wrights returned to Ohio to put ___________ on the glider.
stronger fabric
a rudder
an engine
more glue
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ3)

39. Who made the first controlled, sustained, heavier that air human flight flight with a powered aircraft?
Armen Firmen
Otto Lilienthal
Samuel Langley
Orville Wright.
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ6)

40. Which of the following is not an example of how the Wright Brothers controlled the original Wright Flyer
A forward elevator
Use of wing warping
Wheels and landing gear
A single movable rear rudder
(AS100-U2C2L1:LQ7)

41. Wright Brothers’ Improve on the Wright Flyer
The Wright brothers continued refining their airplane
They built Flyer #2 in which they tested in Huffman Prairie outside Dayton, OH
In one attempt Wilbur was able to fly in a complete circle
Flyer II was not a big success and more refinements were required
They built Flyer # and tested it in Huffman Prairie
By October 1905 they had made over 160 flights
The longest flight had been over 24 miles in 38 minutes
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

42. Purchase of the Wright Flyer
The British and French governments and private investors in Europe were interested in buying the Flyer
But the brothers wanted the US government to have the first crack at owning a Wright Flyer
In January 1905, they had contacted their representative in Congress (R. M. Nevin) and tried to interest the US government in buying their airplane
Their offer was turned down
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

43. US Military seeks purchase of First Aeroplane
On 23 December 1907, the US military sent out a request to build a plane for the government
The Wright Flyer met the requirements
Orville Wright signed a contract on 10 February 1908 selling the Flyer to the US government
Contract also included pilot training and maintenance
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

44. Ways the Wright Brothers Contributed to Army Aviation
Orville spent much of 1908 and 1909 improving the Flyer
In addition, the brothers made more test flights and trained military pilots
One such flight tragically ended in a crash that seriously injured Orville and killed 1st Lt Thomas Selfridge—the first US military aviation casualty
Chapter 2, Lesson 1

45. Ways the Wright Brothers Contributed to Army Aviation
The brothers switched roles in mid-1909
Wilbur trained two pilots for the Army—1st Lt Frank P. Lahm and 2d Lt Fredric E. Humphreys
A third pilot, 1st Lt Benjamin Foulois, got instruction late that month
Foulois went on to achieve the rank of major general and was also chief of the Army Air Corps

46. Army Airplanes
It took a while for the Army to decide how to use airplanes during war
At first, the Army thought that airplanes would be useful only for aerial reconnaissance
World War I brought about a change in strategy
But before that could happen, airplanes needed improvements to make them faster, sturdier, and more reliable
Chapter 2, Lesson 1