1903 Wright Flyer

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1903 Wright Flyer

6.21 version, Mark Fisher

mf70@hotmail.com

This model is designed to run under the flight simulator X-Plane, with a full-featured free demo available from www.x-plane.com. This X-Plane model is freeware; it may be freely modified, copied, and redistributed, provided a) it is not part of any for-profit package other than X-Plane itself, and b) credit for this design is given to Mark Fisher and Curt Boyll.

History

While this was the first airplane to fly, it was by no means the first try the Wright brothers made in the air. Rather, it was another step in a systematic program of development: development of their aeronautical understanding, and development of their designs for a working aircraft. The choice of the canard horizontal stabilizer (hstab) was deliberate. They wanted to have the ability to bring the aircraft back after the sort of full stall that killed Lillenthal shortly before. Once control issues were dealt with, they went to a far more conventional layout.

Model

I've had fun with the detailing on this! The struts utilize almost every element Austin provides. There are two elements of the design that were done outside of PlaneMaker: The biplane hstab is now a full biplane, and there is a motor beside Wilbur on the wing. If the model is saved from PlaneMaker, neither of these changes will persist. The outside-of-PlaneMaker work was done with the help of Tony Gondola's ACF-to-text program at www.digital-flight.com. Hp is set to 5.4 per prop, to allow for the power losses in the drive chain. Keep the speed up!

Before flight:

Turn off "Radio chatter"

Takeoff:

Turn on batteries.
Start both engines (the flyer only had one, but X-Plane needs two to give us two props)
Full throttle
Mixture to 60% position - best RPM
Vr = around 20 Mph
Keep speed up!

Landing

Mixture to 0
Nose down - there's a lot of drag
Flare at 1 ft.

Cruise

Note that there's no "Cruise" entry...

Mark

Notes from the original developer:

Designer Name: Curt Boyll

Designer Email: cboyll@VigilanceAero.com

The Original Xperimental Aeroplane- at least, as well as our X-Plane can manage. It came down to either a pilot or the engine. Sorry, but I chose the pilot. An engine would be easier to add, but it cannot have both, sadly. Use full-throttle at all times until landing. Use default weights ONLY. Aircraft flies at a single speed, which is about 22 miles per hour. Climb angle determines your speed. Too slow and the aircraft yaws a lot, or pitches up and then DOWN. Too fast, and the wind in your ears becomes deafening. What more do you really need?

The panel image shows how the lower canard wing should look as if just above the horizon for level flight. The Wright Flyer rarely gets higher than the wind sock, at an airport close to sea level. Do not try to fly over buildings. Unlike the real thing, this version is stable. Analysis shows that the one and only mistake that the Wrights made was in believing that the center of lift moves forward with increasing speed- it doesn't. Theirs was consequently unstable in pitch. This version is merely unstable in roll and yaw . . . But it's still fun to fly. Just don't plan on going anywhere. I tested it at Kill Devil/First Flight. I actually made it to the beach and back one time! Man, check out that Adverse Yaw! What a lesson in aerodynamics. NOTE: Austin has two years before the centennial to get X-Plane fully up to this challenge. Who doubts that he'll do it?