Wright Model A
| Wright Model A | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Biplane - pusher propeller - airplane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1908 |
| Commissioning: |
September 9, 1908 |
| Production time: |
from 1908 |
| Number of pieces: |
at least 29 |
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The Wright Model A is a biplane aircraft developed by the Wright brothers . It was the Wright brothers' first model to be sold.
history
The Wrights built a total of seven machines themselves. In addition, there were at least 22 machines from their licensees in France and Germany. In September and October 1909 Orville Wright demonstrated the machine in Berlin. The machine was demonstrated for the first time on August 29, 1909 on Tempelhofer Feld . In Berlin-Johannisthal was flying machine Wright GmbH founded, which is also a flight school operation. The machine flown by Wright in Berlin was given to the Deutsches Museum , where it is still to this day.
construction
Like its predecessor, the Wright Flyer III , it is a duck-style aircraft with a rear rudder. A wing twist was used for roll control. The water-cooled four-cylinder engine own production chains drifted over two propellers on. The aircraft was started on a rail; the chassis consisted of two skids.
use
Wilbur demonstrated the aircraft on a trip to Europe from August 8, 1908 at the Hunaudières racecourse near Le Mans in France. He later began to train pilots for his licensees at the Anvours military training area in accordance with the contract. On December 18, 1908, it reached a height of over 100 m and a flight time of 2 hours and 20 minutes, which represented world records. On December 31, 1908, he was able to claim one hour and nine minutes of flight time with one passenger and thus won the Michelin Prize, endowed with 20,000 francs.
From February 3rd, he continued his pilot training in Pau . There, on May 20, 1909, the Frenchman Paul Tissandier succeeded in setting the world speed record for land aircraft of 54.81 km / h. During a screening in Italy in April 1909, a cameraman flew as a passenger to film for the first time from an airplane (→ Wilbur Wright and his flying machine ).
In the United States, the model was successfully demonstrated in Fort Myer , Virginia. The conditions of the US Army Signal Corps , which required two people to be transported at 40 mph (64.4 km / h) over a distance of 125 miles (201 km), were met. The Corps then paid $ 30,000 for the plane. It is now largely renovated and exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| length | 9.45 m |
| span | 12.50 m |
| Wing area | 47.38 m² |
| Empty mass | 363 kg |
| Engine | Wright 4 cylinder with 28 HP |
See also
literature
- Erich H. Heimann, The fastest aircraft in the world , Motorbuchverlag 1978, ISBN 3-87943-540-5
Web links
- Under the Hood of a Wright Flyer Smithsonian Magazine November 1, 2006
- Engine start of the reproduction of a Wright Model A on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ^ Deutsches Museum: Wright Standard Type A, 1909 by Wilbur and Orville Wright
- ^ NASM: 1909 Wright Military Flyer
