The Wright Brothers: Invention of Flight - PDF

The Wright Brothers Prof. Ocasio  Who were the wright brothers? ❖ Wilbur Wright  Who were the wright brothers? ❖ Orville Wright The Wright Brothers  How did they succeed? Earlier during the month of December 1903, Samuel Langley’s airplane had failed fo...

The Wright Brothers Prof. Ocasio  Who were the wright brothers? ❖ Wilbur Wright  Who were the wright brothers? ❖ Orville Wright The Wright Brothers  How did they succeed? Earlier during the month of December 1903, Samuel Langley’s airplane had failed for the second and final time This ended 17 years of Langley’s effort and more than $70,000 in funds Others also failed: Lilienthal and Pilcher were killed while experimenting Penaud had committed suicide How to Fly successfully? O The Wrights Brothers decided that if people were ever to fly successfully they would have to: 1. Learn how to design and build wings 2. How to devise power for flight 3. How to control the machine once it got into the air*** O **They devoted their time to solving this problem Did they invent the airplane? O The Wright Brothers did not invent the airplane O They are given credit for, is producing a man- carrying airplane which was capable of controlled power flight  How did it happen? O Since the area around Dayton, OH was not satisfactory for flying experiments, they looked for a place that had: O Moderate wind currents O Hills from which they could launch their gliders O Privacy O They chose the sand dunes of unpopulated Kitty Hawk, North Carolina  Who is going first? O December 14, 1903 O Coin toss for first try O Wilbur won and made the first try O It was cold and the wind very mild O Wright Flyer barely got off the ground for 2 seconds and 1 ½ seconds O Airplane received minor damages O The brothers agreed this flight did not count  Who is going first? O December 17, 1903 O It was Orville’s turn to try O This was finally it! O 12 seconds and 120 feet later O HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE! O 3 additional flights were made that day O The best and last flight was made by Wilbur O Under 1 minute O Traveled distance of 852 feet O Octave Chanute missed it!  Charles Taylor O A mechanic hired by the Wright brothers to build the engine for the first airplane Charlie Taylor  What happened next? O They continued their experiments and by 1905 they had made more than 100 flights totaling 160 miles O They were soon to become famous, in the USA and Europe O They sent a telegram home as a result of their success How did it happen?  Problems with Communication? O Yes. Their father did not find out immediately O Their sister Katherine sent a message to Chanute, reporting their success O The newspaper did not want to print the story, actually they were annoyed by it: Christmas shoppers news was more important https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSIPgdgie cw  Patent War? http://www.wrightstories.com/patent.html#patentwarspt1 Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O Right O The basic Wright patent in the United States (No. 821,393) was applied for in 1903 and granted in 1906. Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O The patent covered: O The control system of the 1902 glider involving the simultaneous use of wing warping and rudder to perform a controlled turn and the ability to maintain roll stability. Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O The patent (No. 821,393) was granted May 22, 1906, with Toumlin’s signature on the application. O It is doubtful that the Wright brothers would have been credited with the invention without the patent. Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O It was their lawyer Toulmin who suggested that the patent should cover the three-axis system of controls used on the 1902 glider, rather than the plane itself. O It was a brilliant decision because even today every airplane that is flown uses the Wright’s control system. Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O Toulmin tied up the patent so tightly that nobody was able to break it during the life of the patent despite 30 lawsuits of others claiming to be the inventor of the airplane. Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O On January 13, 1914, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the Wrights "as pioneers in the practical art of flying heavier-than-air machines." Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O Wrong. O It stopped development of aviation due to Patent War O The Wright’s wanted to profit from it Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O They tried to monopolized the business O The patent war continued until they were settled at the beginning of WWI delaying the manufacturing of American airplanes Were the Wrights right on the Patent War? O While the Wrights might eventually won the patent wars, the victory belongs more to Curtiss O By 1916 the company that he had created was the largest manufacturer on airplanes in this country Alberto Santos-Dumont O In the meantime, flying made great progress in France O On August 22, 1906 Alberto Santos-Dumont made the first public airplane flight in France  Henri Fabres O Hadravion – first seaplane in the world O On March 29, 1910 it flew almost four miles and made a perfect landing  John William Dunne O First all wing airplane built  Alexander Graham Bell O Formed the Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) having in mind to advance the science of flight O But compared to the Wright brothers’ depth of knowledge of aerodynamics, he was rudimentary O He openly acknowledged the achievements of the Wright brothers, but he was convinced that theirs was not the only solution to the problem of flight (Brady, p. 94) Glenn Curtiss O Began racing bicycles as a teenager by using air- cooled engines in motorcycles O After joining Alexander Graham Bell he produced the June Bug, which won the very first aviation prize to be offered in the United States  Harriet Quimby O On August 2, 1911 became the first woman pilot in the United States to obtain a Federation Aeronautique International Certificate O On April 16, 1912 she was the first woman to cross the English Channel  Adolphe Pegoud O French pilot, proved that in 1913 that it was possible to fly upside down in an airplane  S.F. Cody O Was the first Man to make a controlled, powered flight in England The First Flight Across the English Channel O On July 25, 1908 Louis Bleriot using a Louis Bleriot Model IX was the first person to cross the English Channel on an airplane O This was the first International Flight  The First Air Meet O Held at the champagne region of Rheims, France on August 1909  The First Air Meet Event Winner Distance Time Longest Flight Farman 111.78 miles One-lap Bleriot 7 min 47. 8 Speed sec. Two-lap Curtiss 15 min. 50.6 Speed sec. Three-lap Curtiss 23 min. 20.2 Speed sec. Passenger Farman 2 Passengers 10 min. 39 Carrying one lap sec Contest Height Flight Latham 490 feet The First American Air Show O Was held at Dominguez Fields south of Los Angeles in January 1910 First Flight Across America O Calbraith P. “Cal” Rodgers is credited with having made the first flight across America, coast to coast O The plane left Sheepshad Bay race track near Coney Island, NY on September 17, 1911 O Landed in Pasadena, CA 49 days later  Roland Garros O Famous French pilot before the war began O Credited for developing the use of a gun that could fire forward, through the propeller arc, in order to hit the enemy  WWI O When the US entered WWI on April 6, 1917 they were woefully underprepared to conduct any kind of aerial combat O The patent war was one of the reasons for this O In total some 130 patents were issued with others pending that were so basic to aircraft design that no aircraft could be built without them  WWI O The Manufacturers’ Aircraft Association was thus created to collect and apportion fees and to speak for the industry O One great strength the United States had to offer the Allies was its genius in quantity production O The production-line concepts was an American invention, due to standardization  The Liberty Engine O An outstanding American technical and manufacturing achievement O This was a source of pride for the country O The Liberty Engine was an excellent power plant of high horsepower  Women in Aviation O Homework: Read about Women in Aviation from this time in history. O Harriet Quimby O Amelia Earhart O Ruth Nichols O Jacqueline Cochran O Bessie Coleman O Olga Custodio  References O Wilbur Wright. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 07:20, Sep 18, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/wilbur- wright-20672839