About the Wright Brothers' Plane

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were born in Ohio and Indiana, respectively. They both attended high school, but neither brother graduated. They developed a fascination with flying after their father brought them home a toy helicopter based on a Alphonse Penaud invention. The two boys later built their own helicopter and then went on to invent and build the world's first successful airplane.

History

The Flyer III, the airplane in which the Wright brothers made a 38 minute, 3 second flight in, was first flown on June 23, 1905. However, after Orville was in a near fatal crash in the aircraft, some serious modifications were made to its design before it made that (for the time) lengthy flight. The Flyer III design was based on the design of previous Flyers, which were based on the Wright brothers' gliders.

Specifications

The Flyer III had capacity for only a pilot. Its wingspan was 40 feet 4 inches, and it was 28 feet long and 8 feet tall. The maximum speed achieved by the Flyer III was 35 mph and the longest trip it made was 25 miles. The weight of the plane at takeoff was 710 pounds.

Body

The body of the Flyer III was constructed of spruce because it is both lightweight and durable. The rear rudder and the elevator of the aircraft were made larger than previous Flyers, and they were also moved further away from the wings to make the craft more stable and easier to control. Added control was also gained by making the control for the rear rudder and the wing-warping control separate--they had been linked in the brothers' previous crafts.

Propeller

The Wright brothers carved their own eight-foot propeller blades out of spruce. They decided, after much argument, that the propellers (they used twin propellers) should be vertical and tested their propellers in wind tunnels. The propellers were behind the engine, making them pushers, named so because the aircraft they propel looks as through it is being pushed through the air.

Engine

After contacting several engine makers, the Wright brothers decided that it would be best if they built their own engine. They needed something that was very lightweight. The final engine was built in their bicycle shop by Charlie Taylor, their shop's mechanic, with much input from the brothers. The aluminum water-cooled 4-cylinder inline engine had no carburetor or fuel pump--it relied on gravity to fuel it. The drive chains for the propellers were similar to bicycle chains.