Wright Flyer.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

--On Thursday, December 18, 2003 9:59 AM -0500 "Henderson,Eric" <Eric.Henderson at gartner.com> wrote:

>  I have been avidly following the progress of the Wright Flyer replica.

Me, too.  Make that four (4) replicas (cf. The History Channel).  You're
probably watching the Wright Experience group on Wings.

> It's driving me nuts watching them try to fly it. (Is there an aeronautical
> engineer on the project? - looks a lot like pilots and carpenters)

Yes.  The fellow who piloted the failed attempt yesterday is
an A.E. at RIT.  1500 hours in full-scale planes.  Not to
mention a slew of engineers who tested in a wind tunnel,
developed the engine and helped with pilot training in the
1903 glider.

> From where I sit, admittedly in my arm chair, the thing looks, acts and
> flies very TAIL HEAVY!

Yes.  They were trying for historical authenticity, and
they got it.

> The engines are behind the CG on the wings. There's almost nothing up
> front to bring the CG to a decent stable point. Am I off base here?

Nope.  One of the other four groups moved the pilot & the engine
forward, used a better airfoil & more horsepower, and even added
a second seat.  They wanted the "look" of the plane, not the
original configuration.

> Also I have meddled with models of the plane a little. Wing warping that
> goes only goes down induces worse wash-in at the slowest of speeds and is
> pretty nasty in the model. Instead of lifting the wing it drags it back
> making the plane turn adversely
> to the intended input.

The Wrights coupled rudder & warping in the 1902 glider, I think.
I forget whether they had independent controls on the 1903 Flyer.
But they knew all about adverse yaw!

> I know that they were trying to fly an exact replica so they went
> with everything as true to history as possible, but it is frustrating
> watching it struggle.

It shows what excellent pilots the Wrights had become through
their 2000 glider flights.  They also had just the wind
they needed--they waited and waited until they got the
right conditions.

							Marty
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