Wright Flyer Research Papers

On a cool December morning in North Carolina on December 17, 1903 the world was forever changed (Drye 3-4 :Greenwood 17). The dawn of a new stage of humanity was put to the test. Two brothers, the Wright brothers, flew and tested the the very first working flying machine in the history of all mankind (Bednarek 1). This new contraption was called the Wright Flyer I and it would be the basis of all powered flying machines to this day (1). When the Wright brothers flew their wright flyer I for the very first time they changed the way people in the world lived. No longer would it take days to weeks to travel to another state, city, or country but only a matter of hours. People as a direct result of this accomplishment were now more connected

When the Wright Brothers first started their research into flight they did things differently compared to other people before them (Bednarek 12). People who had tried and failed in their attempts did not try to understand the science of flight but just expected to guess the right design for a flying machine (12). This logical way of analyzing and solving problems would help the Wright brothers as they continued their research into powered aircraft with problems including control and propulsion of an aircraft (12). In the early stages of their work the Wright brothers realized that the current wing lift pressure tables they were working with were wrong (6). The man who had published the current pressure tables was named Otto Lilienthal and he was pioneer in the field of gliders (6). When Lilienthal died it inspired Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur to continue the work he had been working on (6). Working for months, the Wright brothers made and tested over 200 designs for airplane wings to update the incorrect pressure tables (8). They made a homemade wind tunnel which allowed them to test airfoils while gaging how much lift the wing they were testing could produce (8). After the Wright Brothers found an ideal wing shape updated the pressure tables the brothers were able to move on to building gliders that would

They worked hard to design their own glider by making three gliders before the powered Wright Flyer I (10). By working on the gliders and learning to fly them the brothers were able to better understand the flight characteristics of an aircraft. The first two gliders the brothers made didn’t have enough lift for what they thought the wings on the gliders could produce (8-9). This is what led to them realizing the pressure tables, the ones Otto Lilienthal published, they were working with were wrong (8). After extensive testing the Wright brothers came to realize that a curved wing was better than a flat wing, as it could produce more lift (Brothers 15). This discovery of having a curved wing is directly used in almost all aircraft flying today (8). When the brothers made their third glider they built it so well that the brothers flew it over a 1000 times (Bednarek 8). The glider had the improved wing design and in it there was revolutionary technology that nobody else had figured out for controlling an airplane. In the lightweight glider it had the ability to control its flight path (Brothers 9). What was included in this control surface design was a stabilizer and a mechanical system that could warp the wing’s shape to help roll the airplane (9, 15). The warping of the wings came as idea to Wilbur one day when he was holding a small box