Wright Brothers

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited[1][2][3] with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, Dell Latitude E5420 Battery on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. Dell Latitude E5520 Battery The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium.[4] This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds.[5][6] From the beginning of their aeronautical work, Dell Latitude E6120 Battery the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving "the flying problem". This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines.[7] Using a small homebuilt wind tunnel, Dell Latitude E6220 Battery the Wrights also collected more accurate data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers that were more efficient than any before.[8][9] Their first U.S. patent, 821,393, did not claim invention of a flying machine, but rather, the invention of a system of aerodynamic control that manipulated a flying machine's surfaces.[10] Dell Latitude E6320 Battery They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice. Dell Latitude E6420 Battery [11] From 1900 until their first powered flights in late 1903, they conducted extensive glider tests that also developed their skills as pilots. Their bicycle shop employee Charlie Taylor became an important part of the team, building their first aircraft engine in close collaboration with the brothers. Dell Latitude E6420 ATG Battery The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators. ChildhoodDell Latitude E6520 Battery Orville (left) and Wilbur (right) in 1876. The Wright brothers were two of seven children born to Milton Wright (1828–1917) of English and Dutch descent and Susan Catherine Koerner (1831–1889) of German-Swiss descent.[12] Wilbur was born near Millville, Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 Series Battery Indiana, in 1867; Orville in Dayton, Ohio, in 1871. The brothers never married. The other Wright siblings were named Reuchlin (1861–1920), Lorin (1862–1939), Katharine (1874–1929), and twins Otis and Ida (born 1870, died in infancy). In elementary school, Orville was given to mischief and was once expelled. Dell Inspiron Mini 1012 N450 Battery [13] In 1878 their father, who traveled often as a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, brought home a toy "helicopter" for his two younger sons. The device was based on an invention of French aeronautical pioneer Alphonse Pénaud. Made of paper, bamboo and cork with a rubber band to twirl its rotor, Dell Inspiron iM1012-571OBK Mini 1012 Batteryit was about a foot long. Wilbur and Orville played with it until it broke, and then built their own.[14] In later years, they pointed to their experience with the toy as the initial spark of their interest in flying.[15] Early career and researchDell Inspiron iM1012-687AWH Mini 1012 Battery Wright brothers' home at 7 Hawthorn Street, Dayton about 1900. Wilbur and Orville built the covered wrap-around porch in the 1890s. Both brothers attended high school, but did not receive diplomas. The family's abrupt move in 1884 from Richmond, Dell Inspiron iM1012-687CRD Mini 1012 Battery Indiana to Dayton (where the family had lived during the 1870s) prevented Wilbur from receiving his diploma after finishing four years of high school. In the winter of 1885–86 Wilbur was accidentally struck in the face by a hockey stick while playing an ice-skating game with friends, Dell Inspiron iM1012-687JGN Mini 1012 Batteryresulting in the loss of his front teeth. He had been vigorous and athletic until then, and although his injuries did not appear especially severe, he became withdrawn, and did not attend Yale as planned. Instead, he spent the next few years largely housebound, caring for his mother who was terminally ill with tuberculosis and reading extensively in his father's library. Dell Inspiron iM1012-687IBU Mini 1012 BatteryHe ably assisted his father during times of controversy within the Brethren Church,[16] but also expressed unease over his own lack of ambition.[17] Orville dropped out of high school after his junior year to start a printing business in 1889, having designed and built his own printing press with Wilbur's help. Dell Inspiron iM1012-687PPK Mini 1012 Battery Wilbur shook off the lingering depression caused by his accident and joined the print shop, serving as editor while Orville was publisher of the weekly newspaper the West Side News, followed for only a few months by the daily Evening Item. One of their clients for printing jobs was Orville's friend and classmate in high school, Dell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 BatteryPaul Laurence Dunbar, who rose to international acclaim as a ground-breaking African-American poet and writer. The Wrights printed the Dayton Tattler, a weekly newspaper that Dunbar edited for a brief period.[18] Wright brothers' bicycle at the National Air and Space MuseumDell Inspiron iM1012-738CRD Mini 1012 Battery Capitalizing on the national bicycle craze (spurred by the invention of the safety bicycle and its substantial advantages over the penny-farthing design), the brothers opened a repair and sales shop in 1892 (the Wright Cycle Exchange, later the Wright Cycle Company) and began manufacturing their own brand[19] in 1896. Dell Inspiron iM1012-738IBU Mini 1012 Battery They used this endeavor to fund their growing interest in flight. In the early or mid-1890s they saw newspaper or magazine articles and probably photographs of the dramatic glides by Otto Lilienthal in Germany. The year 1896 brought three important aeronautical events. In May, Smithsonian Institution Secretary Samuel Langley successfully flew an unmanned steam-powered model aircraft. Dell Inspiron iM1012-799CRD Mini 1012 Battery In the summer, Chicago engineer and aviation authority Octave Chanute brought together several men who tested various types of gliders over the sand dunes along the shore of Lake Michigan. In August, Lilienthal was killed in the plunge of his glider.[20] These events lodged in the consciousness of the brothers. Dell Inspiron iM1012-799IBU Mini 1012 BatteryIn May 1899 Wilbur wrote a letter[21] to the Smithsonian Institution requesting information and publications about aeronautics.[22] Drawing on the work of Sir George Cayley, Chanute, Lilienthal, Leonardo da Vinci, and Langley, they began their mechanical aeronautical experimentation that year. The Wright brothers always presented a unified image to the public, Dell Inspiron iM1012-799AWH Mini 1012 Batterysharing equally in the credit for their invention. Biographers note, however, that Wilbur took the initiative in 1899–1900, writing of "my" machine and "my" plans before Orville became deeply involved when the first person singular became the plural "we" and "our". Author James Tobin asserts, "it is impossible to imagine Orville, Dell Inspiron iM1012-799OBK Mini 1012 Batterybright as he was, supplying the driving force that started their work and kept it going from the back room of a store in Ohio to conferences with capitalists, presidents, and kings. Will did that. He was the leader, from the beginning to the end."[23] Ideas about controlDell Inspiron iM1012-1243IBU Mini 1012 Battery Despite Lilienthal's fate, the brothers favored his strategy: to practice gliding in order to master the art of control before attempting motor-driven flight. The death of British aeronaut Percy Pilcher in another hang gliding crash in 1899 only reinforced their opinion that a reliable method of pilot control was the key to successful—and safe—flight. Dell Inspiron 14V N4030D Battery At the outset of their experiments they regarded control as the unsolved third part of "the flying problem". They believed sufficiently promising knowledge of the other two issues—wings and engines—already existed.[24] The Wright brothers thus differed sharply from more experienced practitioners of the day, notably Ader, Maxim and Langley who built powerful engines, Dell Inspiron 14V N4030 Batteryattached them to airframes equipped with unproven control devices, and expected to take to the air with no previous flying experience. Although agreeing with Lilienthal's idea of practice, the Wrights saw that his method of balance and control—shifting his body weight—was fatally inadequateDell Inspiron 14V N4020D Battery.[25] They were determined to find something better. Wright 1899 kite: front and side views, with control sticks. Wing-warping is shown in lower view. (Wright Brothers drawing in Library of Congress) On the basis of observation, Dell Inspiron 14V N4020 BatteryWilbur concluded that birds changed the angle of the ends of their wings to make their bodies roll right or left.[26] The brothers decided this would also be a good way for a flying machine to turn—to "bank" or "lean" into the turn just like a bird—and just like a person riding a bicycle, an experience with which they were thoroughly familiar. Dell Inspiron 14V N4010D Battery Equally important, they hoped this method would enable recovery when the wind tilted the machine to one side (lateral balance). They puzzled over how to achieve the same effect with man-made wings and eventually discovered wing-warping when Wilbur idly twisted a long inner-tube box at the bicycle shop.[27] Dell Inspiron 14V N4010 Battery Other aeronautical investigators regarded flight as if it were not so different from surface locomotion, except the surface would be elevated. They thought in terms of a ship's rudder for steering, while the flying machine remained essentially level in the air, as did a train or an automobile or a ship at the surface. Dell Inspiron 14V BatteryThe idea of deliberately leaning, or rolling, to one side seemed either undesirable or did not enter their thinking.[28] Some of these other investigators, including Langley and Chanute, sought the elusive ideal of "inherent stability", Dell Inspiron 14VR Batterybelieving the pilot of a flying machine would not be able to react quickly enough to wind disturbances to use mechanical controls effectively. The Wright brothers, on the other hand, wanted the pilot to have absolute control.[29] For that reason, their early designs made no concessions toward built-in stability (such as dihedral wings). Dell Latitude D420 BatteryThey deliberately designed their 1903 first powered flyer with anhedral (drooping) wings, which are inherently unstable, but less susceptible to upset by gusty sidewinds. Flights Toward flight Park Ranger Tom White demonstrates a replica of the Wright brothers 1899 box kite at the Wright Brothers MemorialDell Latitude D430 Battery In July 1899 Wilbur put wing warping to the test by building and flying a biplane kite that had a five foot wingspan. When the wings were warped, or twisted, one end of the wings produced more lift and the other end, less lift. Unequal lift made the wings tilt, or bank: the end with more lift rose, while the other end dropped, Dell Studio 1450 Batterycausing a turn in the direction of the lower end. Warping was controlled by four cords attached to the kite. The cords led to two sticks held by the kite flyer, who tilted them in opposite directions to twist the wings. In 1900 the brothers journeyed to Kitty Hawk, Dell Studio 1457 Battery North Carolina to begin their manned gliding experiments. In a reply to Wilbur's first letter, Octave Chanute had suggested the mid-Atlantic coast for its regular breezes and soft sandy landing surface. Wilbur also requested and scrutinized U.S. Weather Bureau data, Dell Studio 1458 Battery and decided on Kitty Hawk after receiving information from the government meteorologist stationed there. The location, although remote, was closer to Dayton than other places Chanute had suggested, including California and Florida. The spot also gave them privacy from reporters, who had turned the 1896 Chanute experiments at Lake Michigan into something of a circus. Dell Latitude D410 Battery Chanute visited them in camp each season from 1901 to 1903 and saw gliding experiments, but not the powered flights. Gliders Main article: Wright GliderDell Inspiron 9100 Battery Chanute's hang glider of 1896. The pilot may be Augustus Herring. The Wrights based the design of their kite and full-size gliders on work done in the 1890s by other aviation pioneers. They adopted the basic design of the Chanute-Herring biplane hang glider ("double-decker" as the Wrights called it), Dell Inspiron XPS Battery which flew well in the 1896 experiments near Chicago, and used aeronautical data on lift that Lilienthal had published. The Wrights designed the wings with camber, a curvature of the top surface. The brothers did not discover this principle, but took advantage of it. Dell Inspiron 1320n BatteryThe better lift of a cambered surface compared to a flat one was first discussed scientifically by Sir George Cayley. Lilienthal, whose work the Wrights carefully studied, used cambered wings in his gliders, proving in flight the advantage over flat surfaces. The wooden uprights between the wings of the Wright glider were braced by wires in their own version of Chanute's modified "Pratt truss", Dell Inspiron 1320 Batterya bridge-building design he used for his biplane glider (initially built as a triplane). The Wrights mounted the horizontal elevator in front of the wings rather than behind, apparently believing this feature would help to avoid, or protect them, from a nosedive and crash like the one that killed Lilienthal. Dell Vostro a90n Battery [30] When Brazilian aviation pioneer Santos-Dumont flew his 14-bis in Paris in 1906, French newspapers dubbed the tail-first arrangement a "canard", because of the supposed resemblance to a duck in flight.[31] Wilbur incorrectly believed a tail was not necessary,[32] and their first two gliders did not have one. According to some Wright biographers, Dell Vostro a90 Battery Wilbur probably did all the gliding until 1902, perhaps to exercise his authority as older brother and to protect Orville from harm.[33][34] Glider Vital Statistics[35] Wingspan       Wing area       Chord      Camber  Aspect ratio   Length    Weight 1900        17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)  165 sq ft (15 m2)    5 ft (2 m)         1/20         3.5:1         11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)   52 lb (24 kg) Dell Inspiron mini 9n Battery 1901         22 ft (7 m)       290 sq ft (27 m2)  7 ft (2.1 m)      1/12,*1/19      3:1   14 ft (4.3 m)   98 lb (44 kg) 1902        32 ft 1 in (9.78 m) 305 sq ft (28 m2)  5 ft (1.5 m)      1/20–1/24     6.5:1         17 ft (5.2 m)    112 lb (51 kg) * (This airfoil caused severe stability problems; the Wrights modified the camber on-site.) 1900 GliderDell Inspiron mini 910 Battery The brothers flew the glider only a few days in the early autumn of 1900 at Kitty Hawk. In the first tests, probably October 3, Wilbur was aboard while the glider flew as a kite not far above the ground with men below holding tether ropes.[36] Most of the kite tests were unpiloted with sandbags or chains (and even a local boy) as onboard ballast. Dell Inspiron mini 9 Battery They tested wing-warping using control ropes from the ground. The glider was also tested unmanned while suspended from a small homemade tower. Wilbur (but not Orville) made about a dozen free glides on only a single day. For those tests, the brothers trekked four miles (6 km) south to the Kill Devil Hills, Dell Inspiron 910 Battery a group of sand dunes up to 100 feet (30 m) high (where they made camp in each of the next three years). Although the glider's lift was less than expected (causing most tests to be unmanned), the brothers were encouraged because the craft's front elevator worked well and they had no accidents. However, Dell Inspiron 11z Batterythe small number of free glides meant they were not able to give wing-warping a true test. The pilot lay flat on the lower wing, as planned, to reduce aerodynamic drag. As a glide ended, the pilot was supposed to lower himself to a vertical position through an opening in the wing and land on his feet with his arms wrapped over the framework. Dell Inspiron mini 10 BatteryWithin a few glides, however, they discovered the pilot could remain prone on the wing, headfirst, without undue danger when landing. They made all their flights in that position for the next five years. 1901 Glider Hoping to improve lift, they built the 1901 glider with a much larger wing area and made 50 to 100 flights in July and August for distances of 20 to 400 ft (6 to 122 m). Dell Inspiron mini 1010 Battery [37] The glider stalled a few times, but the parachute effect of the forward elevator allowed Wilbur to make a safe flat or "pancake" landing, instead of a nose-dive. These incidents wedded the Wrights even more strongly to the canard design, which they did not give up until 1910. The glider, however, delivered two major disappointmentsDell Inspiron mini 1010n Battery. It produced only about one-third the lift calculated and sometimes failed to respond properly to wing-warping, turning opposite the direction intended—a problem later known as adverse yaw. On the trip home after their second season, Wilbur, stung with disappointment, remarked to Orville that man would fly, but not in their lifetimes. Dell Inspiron mini 1010v Battery The poor lift of the gliders led the Wrights to question the accuracy of Lilienthal's data, as well as the "Smeaton coefficient" of air pressure, which had been in existence for over 100 years and was part of the accepted equation for lift. The Lift EquationDell Inspiron mini 1011 Battery L = lift in pounds k = coefficient of air pressure (Smeaton coefficient) S = total area of lifting surface in square feet V = velocity (headwind plus ground speed) in miles per hour CL = coefficient of lift (varies with wing shape) Dell Inspiron mini 1011n Battery The Wrights—and Lilienthal—used the equation to calculate the amount of lift that wings of various sizes would produce. On the basis of measurements of lift and wind during the 1901 glider's kite and free flights, Wilbur believed (correctly, as tests later showed) that the Smeaton number was very close to 0.0033, Dell Inspiron mini 1011v Batterynot the traditionally used 60 percent larger 0.0054, which would exaggerate predicted lift. Back home, furiously pedaling a strange-looking bicycle on neighborhood streets, they conducted makeshift open-air tests with a miniature Lilienthal airfoil and a counter-acting flat plate, Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Batterywhich were both attached to a freely rotating third bicycle wheel mounted horizontally in front of the handlebars. Because the third wheel rotated against the airfoil instead of remaining motionless as the calculations predicted, the Wrights confirmed their suspicion that published data on lift were unreliable, and they decided to expand their investigation. Dell Inspiron 14z BatteryThey also realized that trial-and-error with different wings on full-size gliders was too costly and time-consuming. Putting aside the three-wheel bicycle, they built a six-foot wind tunnel in their shop and conducted systematic tests on miniature wings from October to December 1901Dell Inspiron 1470 Battery.[38] The "balances" they devised and mounted inside the tunnel to hold the wings looked crude, made of bicycle spokes and scrap metal, but were "as critical to the ultimate success of the Wright brothers as were the gliders."[39] The devices allowed the brothers to balance lift against drag and accurately calculate the performance of each wing. Dell Inspiron 1470n Battery [40] They could also see which wings worked well as they looked through the viewing window in the top of the tunnel. Prior to beginning their wind tunnel experiments, Wilbur, at Chanute's invitation, traveled to Chicago to give a speech to the Western Society of Engineers on September 18, Dell Inspiron 15z Battery1901. Wilbur's speech consisted of detailed accounts of his and Orville's glider experiments at Kitty Hawk up to the fall of 1901 and was complemented by a lantern slide show of photographs. Wilbur's speech was the first public account of the brothers' experiments. 1902 GliderDell Inspiron 1570 Battery At left, 1901 glider flown by Wilbur (left) and Orville. At right, 1902 glider flown by Wilbur (right) and Dan Tate, their helper. Dramatic improvement in performance is apparent. The 1901 glider flies at a steep angle of attack due to poor lift and high drag. Dell Inspiron 1570n Battery In contrast, the 1902 glider flies at a much flatter angle and holds up its tether lines almost vertically, clearly demonstrating a much better lift-to-drag ratio. Lilienthal had made "whirling arm" tests on only a few wing shapes, and the Wrights mistakenly assumed the data would apply to their wings, dell inspiron 500M batterywhich had a different shape. The Wrights took a huge step forward and made basic wind tunnel tests on 200 wings of many shapes and airfoil curves, followed by detailed tests on 38 of them. The tests, according to biographer Howard, dell inspiron 600M battery"were the most crucial and fruitful aeronautical experiments ever conducted in so short a time with so few materials and at so little expense".[41] An important discovery was the benefit of longer narrower wings: in aeronautical terms, wings with a larger aspect ratio (wingspan divided by chord—the wing's front-to-back dimension). dell inspiron 630M battery Such shapes offered much better lift-to-drag ratio than the broader wings the brothers had tried so far. With this knowledge, and a more accurate Smeaton number, the Wrights designed their 1902 glider. dell inspiron 640M batteryUsing another crucial discovery from the wind tunnel, they made the airfoil flatter, reducing the camber (the depth of the wing's curvature divided by its chord). The 1901 wings had significantly greater curvature, a highly inefficient feature the Wrights copied directly from Lilienthal. Fully confident in their new wind tunnel results, dell inspiron 6000 battery the Wrights discarded Lilienthal's data, now basing their designs on their own calculations. Wilbur Wright pilots the 1902 glider over the Kill Devil Hills, October 10, 1902. The single rear rudder is steerable; it replaced the original fixed double rudder. With characteristic caution, dell inspiron 6400 battery the brothers first flew the 1902 glider as an unmanned kite, as they had done with their two previous versions. Rewarding their wind tunnel work, the glider produced the expected lift. It also had a new structural feature: a fixed, rear vertical rudder, which the brothers hoped would eliminate turning problems. dell inspiron 9200 battery By 1902 they realized that wing-warping created "differential drag" at the wingtips. Greater lift at one end of the wing also increased drag, which slowed that end of the wing, making the aircraft swivel—or "yaw"—so the nose pointed away from the turn. That was how the tailless 1901 glider behaved. dell inspiron 9300 battery The improved wing design enabled consistently longer glides, and the rear rudder prevented adverse yaw—so effectively that it introduced a new problem. Sometimes when the pilot attempted to level off from a turn, the glider failed to respond to corrective wing-warping and persisted into a tighter turn. dell inspiron 9400 batteryThe glider would slide toward the lower wing, which hit the ground, spinning the aircraft around. The Wrights called this "well digging". Orville apparently visualized that the fixed rudder resisted the effect of corrective wing-warping when attempting to level off from a turn. dell inspiron e1505 batteryHe wrote in his diary that on the night of October 2, "I studied out a new vertical rudder". The brothers then decided to make the rear rudder movable to solve the problem.[42] They hinged the rudder and connected it to the pilot's warping "cradle", dell inspiron e1705 batteryso a single movement by the pilot simultaneously controlled wing-warping and rudder deflection. Tests while gliding proved that the trailing edge of the rudder should be turned away from whichever end of the wings had more drag (and lift) due to warping. The opposing pressure produced by turning the rudder enabled corrective wing-warping to reliably restore level flight after a turn or a wind disturbance. dell latitude d820 battery Furthermore, when the glider banked into a turn, rudder pressure overcame the effect of differential drag and pointed the nose of the aircraft in the direction of the turn, eliminating adverse yaw. In short, the Wrights discovered the true purpose of the movable vertical rudder. dell latitude d830 battery Its role was not to change the direction of flight, but rather, to aim or align the aircraft correctly during banking turns and when leveling off from turns and wind disturbances.[43] The actual turn—the change in direction—was done with roll control using wing-warping. Dell Latitude E5500 Battery The principles remained the same when ailerons superseded wing-warping. Wilbur makes a turn using wing-warping and the movable rudder, October 24, 1902. With their new method the Wrights achieved true control in turns for the first time on October 8, 1902, a major milestone. Dell Latitude E5400 BatteryDuring September and October they made between 700 and 1,000 glides, the longest lasting 26 seconds and covering 622.5 feet (189.7 m). Hundreds of well-controlled glides after they made the rudder steerable convinced them they were ready to build a powered flying machine. Thus did three-axis control evolve: wing-warping for roll (lateral motion), DELL Latitude E5410 Battery forward elevator for pitch (up and down) and rear rudder for yaw (side to side). On March 23, 1903, the Wrights applied for their famous patent for a "Flying Machine", based on their successful 1902 glider. Some aviation historians believe that applying the system of three-axis flight control on the 1902 glider was equal to, or even more significant, DELL Latitude E5510 Battery than the addition of power to the 1903 Flyer. Peter Jakab of the Smithsonian asserts that perfection of the 1902 glider essentially represents invention of the airplane.[44][45] Adding power First flight of the Wright Flyer I, December 17, 1903, Orville piloting, dell latitude e6400 batteryWilbur running at wingtip. In 1903 the brothers built the powered Wright Flyer I, using their preferred material for construction, spruce,[46] a strong and lightweight wood, and Pride of the West muslin for surface coverings. They also designed and carved their own wooden propellers, dell latitude e6500 batteryand had a purpose-built gasoline engine fabricated in their bicycle shop. They thought propeller design would be a simple matter and intended to adapt data from shipbuilding. However, their library research disclosed no established formulas for either marine or air propellers, and they found themselves with no sure starting point. They discussed and argued the question, DELL Latitude E6400 ATG Batterysometimes heatedly, until they concluded that an aeronautical propeller is essentially a wing rotating in the vertical plane.[47] On that basis, they used data from more wind tunnel tests to design their propellers. The finished blades were just over eight feet long, made of three laminations of glued spruce. DELL Latitude E6400 XFR BatteryThe Wrights decided on twin "pusher" propellers (counter-rotating to cancel torque), which would act on a greater quantity of air than a single relatively slow propeller and not disturb airflow over the leading edge of the wings. Wilbur made a March 1903 entry in his notebook indicating the prototype propeller was 66% efficient. DELL Latitude E6410 Battery Battery Modern wind tunnel tests on reproduction 1903 propellers show they were more than 75% efficient under the conditions of the first flights, and actually had a peak efficiency of 82%. This is a remarkable achievement, considering that modern wooden propellers have a maximum efficiency of 85%.[48] DELL Latitude E6410 ATG Battery A Wright engine, serial number 17, circa 1910, is on display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The Wrights wrote to several engine manufacturers, but none met their need for a sufficiently lightweight powerplant. DELL Latitude E6510 Battery They turned to their shop mechanic, Charlie Taylor, who built an engine in just six weeks in close consultation with the brothers. To keep the weight low enough, the engine block was cast from aluminum, a rare practice for the time. The Wright/Taylor engine was a primitive version of modern fuel-injection systems, DELL Precision M2400 Batteryhaving no carburetor or fuel pump. Gasoline was gravity-fed into the crankcase through a rubber tube from the fuel tank mounted on a wing strut. The propeller drive chains, resembling those of bicycles, were actually supplied by a manufacturer of heavy-duty automobile chain-drives. DELL Precision M4400 Battery [49] The Flyer cost less than a thousand dollars, in contrast to more than $50,000 in government funds given to Samuel Langley for his man-carrying Great Aerodrome.[50] The Flyer had a wingspan of 40.3 ft (12.3 m), weighed 605 lb (274 kg)[51] and sported a 12 horsepower (8.9 kW) 180 lb (82 kg) engine.[52] DELL Precision M4500 Battery In camp at Kill Devil Hills, they suffered weeks of delays caused by broken propeller shafts during engine tests. After the shafts were replaced (requiring two trips back to Dayton), DELL Precision M6400 BatteryWilbur won a coin toss and made a three-second flight attempt on December 14, 1903, stalling after takeoff and causing minor damage to the Flyer. (Because December 13, 1903, was a Sunday, the brothers did not make any attempts that day, even though the weather was good.) In a message to their family, Wilbur referred to the trial as having "only partial success",DELL Precision M6500 Battery stating "the power is ample, and but for a trifling error due to lack of experience with this machine and this method of starting, the machine would undoubtedly have flown beautifully."[53] Following repairs, the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17, 1903, making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour (43 km/h). dell xps m1210 battery The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet (37 m) in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour (10.9 km/h) over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph. The next two flights covered approximately 175 feet (53 m) and 200 feet (61 m), by Wilbur and Orville respectively. Their altitude was about 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground. dell xps m1330 battery [54] The following is Orville Wright's account of the final flight of the day: Wilbur started the fourth and last flight at just about 12 o'clock. The first few hundred feet were up and down, as before, but by the time three hundred ft had been covered, the machine was under much better control. dell xps m1530 battery The course for the next four or five hundred feet had but little undulation. However, when out about eight hundred feet the machine began pitching again, and, in one of its darts downward, struck the ground. The distance over the ground was measured to be 852 feet; the time of the flight was 59 seconds. dell xps m1710 batteryThe frame supporting the front rudder was badly broken, but the main part of the machine was not injured at all. We estimated that the machine could be put in condition for flight again in about a day or two.[55] Orville's notebook entry of December 17, 1903 Five people witnessed the flights: Adam Etheridge, dell xps m1730 battery John T. Daniels (who snapped the famous "first flight" photo using Orville's pre-positioned camera) and Will Dough, all of the U.S. government coastal lifesaving crew; area businessman W.C. Brinkley; and Johnny Moore, a teenaged boy who lived in the area. After the men hauled the Flyer back from its fourth flightDell Vostro 1710 Battery, a powerful gust of wind flipped it over several times, despite the crew's attempt to hold it down. Severely damaged, the airplane never flew again. The brothers shipped it home, and years later Orville restored it, lending it to several U.S. locations for display, then to a British museum (see Smithsonian dispute below), Dell Vostro 1720 Battery before it was finally installed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. in 1948, its current residence. The Wrights sent a telegram about the flights to their father, requesting that he "inform press." However, dell studio xps 1340 batterythe Dayton Journal refused to publish the story, saying the flights were too short to be important. Meanwhile, against the brothers' wishes, a telegraph operator leaked their message to a Virginia newspaper, which concocted a highly inaccurate news article that was reprinted the next day in several newspapers elsewhere, dell studio xps 13 battery including Dayton.[56] The Wrights issued their own factual statement to the press in January. Nevertheless, the flights did not create public excitement—if people even knew about them—and the news soon faded. (In Paris, however, Aero Club of France members, already stimulated by Chanute's reports of Wright gliding successes, dell Studio XPS 16 batterytook the news more seriously and increased their efforts to catch up to the brothers.) Modern analysis by Professor Fred E. C. Culick and Henry R. Jex (in 1985) has demonstrated that the 1903 Wright Flyer was so unstable as to be almost unmanageable by anyone but the Wrights, dell Studio XPS 1640 batterywho had trained themselves in the 1902 glider.[57] Trouble establishing legitimacy Orville in flight over Huffman Prairie in Wright Flyer II. Flight #85, approximately 1,760 feet (536 m) in 40 1/5 seconds, November 16, 1904. dell Studio XPS 1645 battery In 1904 the Wrights built the Flyer II. They decided to avoid the expense of travel and bringing supplies to the Outer Banks and set up an airfield at Huffman Prairie, a cow pasture eight miles (13 km) northeast of Dayton. They received permission to use the field rent-free from owner and bank president Torrance Huffman. dell Studio XPS 1647 batteryThey invited reporters to their first flight attempt of the year on May 23, on the condition that no photographs be taken. Engine troubles and slack winds prevented any flying, and they could manage only a very short hop a few days later with fewer reporters present. Some scholars of the Wrights speculate the brothers may have intentionally failed to fly in order to cause reporters to lose interest in their experiments. dell Studio 17 battery [58] Whether that is true is not known, but after their poor showing local newspapers virtually ignored them for the next year and a half. The Wrights were glad to be free from the distraction of reporters. The absence of newsmen also reduced the chance of competitors learning their methods. After the Kitty Hawk powered flights, dell Studio 1749 batterythe Wrights made a decision to begin withdrawing from the bicycle business so they could devote themselves to creating and marketing a practical airplane.[59] The decision was financially risky, since they were neither wealthy nor government-funded (unlike other experimenters such as Ader, Maxim, Langley and Santos-Dumont). dell Studio 1745 batteryThe Wright brothers did not have the luxury of giving away their invention; it was to be their livelihood. Thus, their secrecy intensified, encouraged by advice from their patent attorney, Henry Toulmin, not to reveal details of their machine. Wilbur flying almost four circles of Huffman Prairie, dell Studio 1747 batteryabout 2 and 3/4 miles in 5 minutes 4 seconds; flight #82, November 9, 1904. Wilbur's logbook showing diagram and data for first circle flight on September 20, 1904 At Huffman Prairie, Dell Inspiron 1440 Batterylighter winds and lower air density than in Kitty Hawk (because of Ohio's higher altitude and higher temperatures) made takeoffs very difficult, and they had to use a much longer starting rail, stretching to hundreds of feet, compared to the 60-foot (18 m) rail at Kitty Hawk. During the spring and summer they suffered many hard landings, Dell Inspiron 1750 Battery real crackups, repeated Flyer damage, and bodily bumps and bruises. On August 13, making an unassisted takeoff, Wilbur finally exceeded their best Kitty Hawk effort with a flight of 1,300 feet (400 m). Then they decided to use a weight-powered catapult to make takeoffs easier and tried it for the first time on September 7. On September 20, 1904, Dell Inspiron 14 BatteryWilbur flew the first complete circle in history by a manned heavier-than-air powered machine, covering 4,080 feet (1,244 m) in about a minute and a half. Their two best flights were November 9 by Wilbur and December 1 by Orville, each exceeding five minutes and covering nearly three miles in almost four circles. Dell Inspiron 1464 Battery By the end of the year the brothers had accumulated about 50 minutes in the air in 105 flights over the rather soggy 85-acre (340,000 m2) pasture, which, remarkably, is virtually unchanged today from its original condition and is now part of Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, adjacent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Dell Inspiron 15 BatteryDespite progress in 1904, the Flyer was still frequently out of control.[60] The Wrights scrapped the battered and much-repaired airplane, but saved the engine, and in 1905 built a new Flyer III, which included an important design change. The brothers installed a separate control for the rear rudder instead of linking the rudder to the wing-warping "cradle" as before. Each of the three axes—pitch, Dell Inspiron 1564 Batteryroll and yaw—now had its own independent control. Nevertheless, this Flyer offered the same marginal performance as the first two. Its maiden flight was June 23 and the first several flights were no longer than 10 seconds.[61] After Orville suffered a bone-jarring and potentially fatal crash on July 14, Dell Inspiron 17 Battery they rebuilt the Flyer with the forward elevator and rear rudder both enlarged and placed several feet farther away from the wings. These modifications greatly improved stability and control, setting the stage for a series of six dramatic "long flights" ranging from 17 to 38 minutes and 11 to 24 miles (39 km) around the three-quarter mile course over Huffman Prairie between September 26 and October 5. Dell Inspiron 1764 BatteryWilbur made the last and longest flight, 24.5 miles (39.4 km) in 38 minutes and 3 seconds, ending with a safe landing when the fuel ran out. The flight was seen by a number of people, including several invited friends, their father Milton, and neighboring farmers.[N 1] Wright Flyer III piloted by Orville over Huffman Prairie, Dell Studio 1440 Battery October 4, 1905. Flight #46, covering 20 and 3/4 miles in 33 minutes 17 seconds; last photographed flight of the year Reporters showed up the next day (only their second appearance at the field since May the previous year), but the brothers declined to fly. Dell Studio 1440n Battery The long flights convinced the Wrights they had achieved their goal of creating a flying machine of "practical utility" which they could offer to sell. The only photos of the flights of 1904–1905 were taken by the brothers. (A few photos were damaged in the Great Dayton Flood of 1913, Dell Studio 14z Battery but most survived intact.) In 1904 Ohio beekeeping businessman Amos Root, a technology enthusiast, saw a few flights including the first circle. Articles he wrote for his beekeeping magazine were the only published eyewitness reports of the Huffman Prairie flights, except for the unimpressive early hop local newsmen saw. Dell Studio 14zn Battery Root offered a report to Scientific American magazine, but the editor turned it down. As a result, the news was not widely known outside of Ohio, and was often met with skepticism. The Paris edition of the Herald Tribune headlined a 1906 article on the Wrights "FLYERS OR LIARS?" Dell Studio 1535 Battery In years to come Dayton newspapers would proudly celebrate the hometown Wright brothers as national heroes, but the local reporters somehow missed one of the most important stories in history as it was happening a few miles from their doorstep. James M. Cox, Dell Studio 1536 Battery publisher at that time of the Dayton Daily News (later governor of Ohio and Democratic presidential nominee in 1920), expressed the attitude of newspapermen—and the public—in those days when he admitted years later, "Frankly, none of us believed it."[63] The Dayton Daily News reported the October 5 flight on page 9, Dell Studio 1537 Battery with agriculture and business news.[N 2] A few newspapers published articles about the long flights, but no reporters or photographers had been there. The lack of splashy eyewitness press coverage was a major reason for disbelief in Washington, D.C. Dell Studio 1555 Batteryand Europe and in journals like Scientific American, whose editors doubted the "alleged experiments" and asked how U.S. newspapers, "alert as they are, allowed these sensational performances to escape their notice."[65] Dell Studio 1557 Battery The Wright brothers were certainly complicit in the lack of attention they received. Fearful of competitors stealing their ideas, and still without a patent, they flew on only one more day after October 5. From then on, they refused to fly anywhere unless they had a firm contract to sell their aircraftDell Studio 1558 Battery. They wrote to the U.S. government, then to Britain, France and Germany with an offer to sell a flying machine, but were rebuffed because they insisted on a signed contract before giving a demonstration. They were unwilling even to show their photographs of the airborne Flyer. The American military, Dell Studio 1735 Battery having recently spent $50,000 on the Langley Aerodrome—a product of the nation's foremost scientist—only to see it plunge twice into the Potomac River "like a handful of mortar", was particularly unreceptive to the claims of two unknown bicycle makers from Ohio.[66] Thus, doubted or scorned, the Wright brothers continued their work in semi-obscurity, Dell Studio 1737 Batterywhile other aviation pioneers like Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henri Farman, Leon Delagrange and American Glenn Curtiss entered the limelight. European skepticism In 1906, Dell Inspiron 1210 Batteryskeptics in the European aviation community had converted the press to an anti-Wright brothers stance. European newspapers, especially in France, were openly derisive, calling them bluffeurs (bluffers).[67] Ernest Archdeacon, founder of the Aéro-Club de France, was publicly scornful of the brother's claims in spite of published reports; specifically, Dell Inspiron Mini 12 Batteryhe wrote several articles and in 1906, stated that "the French would make the first public demonstration of powered flight".[68] The Paris edition of the New York Herald summed up Europe's opinion of the Wright brothers in an editorial on February 10, 1906: Dell Latitude E4300 Battery The Wrights have flown or they have not flown. They possess a machine or they do not possess one. They are in fact either fliers or liars. It is difficult to fly. It's easy to say, 'We have flown.'[67] Alberto Santos-Dumont´s public flight in October 1906 was the first certified by the Aéro-Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Dell Latitude E4310 Battery.[N 3] In 1908, after the Wrights' first flights in France, Archdeacon publicly admitted that he had done them an injustice.[68] Contracts and return to Kitty Hawk The Wright brothers made no flights at all in 1906 and 1907. Dell Vostro 1310 BatteryThey spent the time attempting to persuade the U.S. and European governments that they had invented a successful flying machine and were prepared to negotiate a contract to sell such machines. They also experimented with a pontoon and engine setup on the Miami River (Ohio) in hopes of flying their airplane from the water. Dell Vostro 1320 BatteryThese experiments proved unsuccessful. In May 1906 they were finally granted a patent for their flying machine. Replying to the Wrights' letters, the U.S. military expressed virtually no interest in their claims. The brothers turned their attention to Europe, Dell Vostro 1510 Batteryespecially France where enthusiasm for aviation ran high, and journeyed there for the first time in 1907 for face-to-face talks with government officials and businessmen. They also met with aviation representatives in Germany and Britain. Before traveling, Orville shipped a newly-built Model A Flyer to France in anticipation of demonstration flights. Dell Vostro 1520 Battery In France Wilbur met Frank P. Lahm, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Aeronautical Division. Writing to his superiors, Lahm smoothed the way for Wilbur to give an in-person presentation to the U.S. Board of Ordnance and Fortification in Washington, D.C. when he returned to the U.S. Dell Vostro 2510 BatteryThis time, the Board was favorably impressed, in contrast to its previous indifference. With further input from the Wrights, the U.S. Army Signal Corps issued Specification #486 in December 1907, inviting bids for construction of an airplane under military contract.[70] The Wrights submitted their bid in January. Dell Inspiron 1410 Battery [N 4] In early 1908 the brothers also agreed to a contract with a French company. In May they went back to Kitty Hawk with their 1905 Flyer to practice in private for their all-important public demonstration flights, as required by both contracts. Their privacy was lost when New York newspapers heard about the tests and sent several reporters to the scene. Dell Vostro 1014 Battery Their contracts required them to fly with a passenger, so they modified the 1905 Flyer by installing two seats and adding upright control levers. After tests with sandbags in the passenger seat, Charlie Furnas, a helper from Dayton, became the first fixed-wing aircraft passenger on a few short flights May 14. Dell Vostro 1014n Battery For safety, and as a promise to their father, Wilbur and Orville did not fly together. However, several newspaper accounts at the time mistakenly took Orville's flight with Furnas as both brothers flying together. Later that day after flying solo seven minutes, Dell Vostro 1015 BatteryWilbur suffered his worst crash when—still not well-acquainted with the two new control levers—he apparently moved one the wrong way and slammed the Flyer into the sand between 40 miles (64 km) and 50 miles (80 km) an hour. He emerged with only bruises and a cut nose, but the accident ended the practice flights—and the aircraft's flying career. Dell Vostro 1015n Battery Return to Glider Flights In October 1911, Orville Wright returned to the Outer Banks again, to improve the aircraft and conduct tests for safety and stabilization with a new glider. On October 24, he soared for nine minutes and 45 seconds, Dell Vostro 1088 Batterya record that held for almost 10 years, when Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s.[72] Public showing Orville demonstrating the flyer to the U.S. Army, Fort Myer, Virginia September 1908. Photo: by C.H. Claudy. Dell Vostro 1088n Battery Hart O. Berg (left), the Wrights' business agent, and Wilbur at the flying field near Le Mans. The brothers' contracts with the U.S. Army and a French syndicate depended on successful public flight demonstrations that met certain conditions. The brothers had to divide their efforts. Dell Vostro A840 BatteryWilbur sailed for Europe; Orville would fly near Washington, D.C. Facing a lot of skepticism in the French aeronautical community and outright scorn by some newspapers that called him a "bluffeur," Dell Vostro A860 Battery Wilbur began official public demonstrations on August 8, 1908 at the Hunaudières horse racing track near the town of Le Mans, France. His first flight lasted only one minute 45 seconds, but his ability to effortlessly make banking turns and fly a circle amazed and stunned onlookers, including several pioneer French aviators, Dell Vostro A860n Batteryamong them Louis Bleriot. In the following days, Wilbur made a series of technically challenging flights, including figure-eights, demonstrating his skills as a pilot and the capability of his flying machine, which far surpassed those of all other pilot pioneers. The French public was thrilled by Wilbur's feats and flocked to the field by the thousandsDell XPS M2010 Battery. The Wright brothers catapulted to world fame overnight. Former doubters issued apologies and effusive praise. L'Aérophile editor Georges Besançon wrote that the flights "have completely dissipated all doubts. Not one of the former detractors of the Wrights dare question, today, Dell Inspiron 1520 Battery the previous experiments of the men who were truly the first to fly...."[73] Leading French aviation promoter Ernest Archdeacon wrote, "For a long time, the Wright brothers have been accused in Europe of bluff... They are today hallowed in France, and I feel an intense pleasure...to make amends."[74] Dell Inspiron 1521 Battery On October 7, 1908, Edith Berg, the wife of the brothers' European business agent, became the first American woman passenger when she flew with Wilbur—-one of many passengers who rode with him that autumn.[75][N 5] Wilbur also became acquainted with Léon Bollée and his family. Dell Inspiron 1720 Battery Bollee was the owner of an automobile factory where Wilbur would assemble the Flyer and where he would be provided with hired assistance. Bollee would fly that autumn with Wilbur. Madame Bollee had been in the latter stages of pregnancy when Wilbur arrived in LeMans in June 1908 to assemble the Flyer. Dell Inspiron 1721 Battery Wilbur promised her that he would make his first European flight the day her baby was born which he did, August 8, 1908.[76] Orville followed his brother's success by demonstrating another nearly identical Flyer to the United States Army at Fort Myer, Dell Vostro 1500 Battery Virginia, starting on September 3, 1908. On September 9, he made the first hour-long flight, lasting 62 minutes and 15 seconds. Fort Myer crash. Photo by C.H. Claudy. Wikisource has original text related to this article: Dell Vostro 1700 Battery Fatal fall of Wright airship On September 17, Army lieutenant Thomas Selfridge rode along as his passenger, serving as an official observer. A few minutes into the flight at an altitude of about 100 feet (30 m), a propeller split and shattered, Dell Inspiron 1420 Batterysending the aircraft out of control. Selfridge suffered a fractured skull in the crash and died that evening in the nearby Army hospital, becoming the first airplane crash fatality. Orville was badly injured, suffering a broken left leg and four broken ribs. Twelve years later, Dell Vostro 1400 Battery after he suffered increasingly severe pains, X-rays revealed the accident had also caused three hip bone fractures and a dislocated hip.[77] The brothers' sister Katharine, a school teacher, rushed from Dayton to Virginia and stayed by Orville's side for the seven weeks of his hospitalization. Dell Latitude 2100 BatteryShe helped negotiate a one-year extension of the Army contract. A friend visiting Orville in the hospital asked, "Has it got your nerve?" "Nerve?" repeated Orville, slightly puzzled. "Oh, do you mean will I be afraid to fly again? The only thing I'm afraid of is that I can't get well soon enough to finish those tests next year. Dell Latitude 2110 Battery"[78] Deeply shocked by the accident, Wilbur determined to make even more impressive flight demonstrations; in the ensuing days and weeks he set new records for altitude and duration. In January 1909 Orville and Katharine joined him in France, and for a time they were the three most famous people in the world, sought after by royalty, Dell Latitude X1 Batterythe rich, reporters and the public. The kings of England, Spain and Italy came to see Wilbur fly. Wright Model A Flyer flown by Wilbur 1908–1909 and launching derrick, France, 1909 The Wrights traveled to Pau, in the south of France, where Wilbur made many more public flights, giving rides to a procession of officers, Dell Inspiron 700m Series Battery journalists and statesmen—and his sister Katharine on February 15. He trained two French pilots, then transferred the airplane to the French company. In April the Wrights went to Italy where Wilbur assembled another Flyer, giving demonstrations and training more pilots. Dell Inspiron 710m Series Battery An Italian cameraman Federico Valle climbed aboard and filmed the first motion picture from an aircraft. After their return to the U.S., the brothers and Katharine were invited to the White House where President Taft bestowed awards upon them. Dayton followed up with a lavish two-day homecoming celebration. Dell Latitude D620 Battery In July 1909 Orville, with Wilbur assisting, completed the proving flights for the U.S. Army, meeting the requirements of a two-seater able to fly with a passenger for an hour at an average of speed of 40 miles an hour (64 km/h) and land undamaged. They sold the aircraft to the Army's Aeronautical Division, U.S. Dell Latitude D630 Battery Signal Corps for $30,000 (which included a $5,000 bonus for exceeding the speed specification). Wilbur climaxed an extraordinary year in early October when he flew at New York City's Hudson-Fulton celebrations, circling the Statue of Liberty and making a 33-minute flight up and down the Hudson River alongside Manhattan in view of up to one million New Yorkers. Dell Latitude D630 ATG BatteryThese flights solidly established the fame of the Wright brothers in America. Family flights On May 25, 1910 back at Huffman Prairie, Orville piloted two unique flights. First, he took off on a six-minute flight with Wilbur as his passenger, Dell Latitude D630 UMA Battery the only time the Wright brothers ever flew together. They received permission from their father to make the flight. They had always promised Milton they would never fly together to avoid the chance of a double tragedy and to ensure one brother would remain to continue their experiments. Next, Dell Latitude D630c BatteryOrville took his 82-year old father on a nearly seven-minute flight, the first and only one of Milton Wright's life. The airplane rose to about 350 feet (107 m) while the elderly Wright called to his son, "Higher, Orville, higher!"[79] Patent warDell Precision M2300 Battery The Wright brothers wrote their 1903 patent application themselves, but it was rejected. In January 1904 they hired Ohio patent attorney Henry Toulmin, and on May 22, 1906, they were granted U.S. Patent 821393[10] for a "Flying Machine". The patent illustrates a non-powered flying machine—namely, HP G72-100 Battery the 1902 glider. The patent's importance lies in its claim of a new and useful method of controlling a flying machine, powered or not. The technique of wing-warping is described, but the patent explicitly states that other methods instead of wing-warping could be used for adjusting the outer portions of a machine's wings to different angles on the right and left sides to achieve lateral (roll) control. HP G72-101SA Battery The concept of varying the angle presented to the air near the wingtips, by any suitable method, is central to the patent. The patent also describes the steerable rear vertical rudder and its innovative use in combination with wing-warping, enabling the airplane to make a coordinated turn, a technique that prevents hazardous adverse yaw, HP G72-102SA Battery the problem Wilbur had when trying to turn the 1901 glider. Finally, the patent describes the forward elevator, used for ascending and descending. Lawsuits begin Attempting to circumvent the patentHP G72-105SA Battery, Glenn Curtiss and other early aviators devised ailerons to emulate lateral control described in the patent and demonstrated by the Wrights in their public flights. Soon after the historic July 4, 1908 one-kilometer flight by Curtiss in the June Bug, the Wrights warned him not to infringe their patent by profiting from flying or selling aircraft that used ailerons. HP G72-110EL BatteryCurtiss refused to pay license fees to the Wrights and sold an aircraft equipped with ailerons to the Aeronautic Society of New York in 1909. The Wrights filed a lawsuit, beginning a years-long legal conflict. They also sued foreign aviators who flew at U.S. exhibitions, including the leading French aviator Louis Paulhan. HP G72-110EV BatteryThe Curtiss people derisively suggested that if someone jumped in the air and waved his arms, the Wrights would sue.[80] European companies which bought foreign patents the Wrights had received sued other manufacturers in their countries. Those lawsuits were only partly successful. Despite a pro-Wright ruling in France, HP G72-110SA Batterylegal maneuvering dragged on until the patent expired in 1917. A German court ruled the patent not valid because of prior disclosure in speeches by Wilbur Wright in 1901 and Octave Chanute in 1903. In the U.S. the Wrights made an agreement with the Aero Club of America to license airshows which the Club approved, HP G72-110SD Battery freeing participating pilots from a legal threat. Promoters of approved shows paid fees to the Wrights.[81] The Wright brothers won their initial case against Curtiss in February 1913 when a judge ruled that ailerons were covered under the patent. The Curtiss company appealed the decision. HP G72-110SO Battery From 1910 until his death from typhoid fever in 1912, Wilbur took the leading role in the patent struggle, traveling incessantly to consult with lawyers and testify in what he felt was a moral cause, particularly against Curtiss, who was creating a large company to manufacture aircraft. HP G72-110SW BatteryThe Wrights' preoccupation with the legal issue stifled their work on new designs, and by 1911 Wright aircraft were considered inferior to those of European makers. Indeed, aviation development in the U.S. was suppressed to such an extent that when the U.S. entered World War I no acceptable American-designed aircraft were available, HP G72-120EG Battery and U.S. forces were compelled to use French machines. Orville and Katharine Wright believed Curtiss was partly responsible for Wilbur's premature death, which occurred in the wake of his exhausting travels and the stress of the legal battle. Victory and cooperationHP G72-120EP Battery In January 1914, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict against the Curtiss company, which continued to avoid penalties through legal tactics. Orville apparently felt vindicated by the decision, and much to the frustration of company executives, he did not push vigorously for further legal action to ensure a manufacturing monopoly. HP G72-120EV BatteryIn fact, he was planning to sell the company and departed in 1915. In 1917, with World War I underway, the U.S. government pressured the industry to form a cross-licensing organization, the Manufacturers Aircraft Association, to which member companies paid a blanket fee for the use of aviation patents, HP G72-120EW Batteryincluding the original and subsequent Wright patents.[82][N 6] The Wright-Martin company (successor to the Wright company) and the Curtiss company (which held a number of its own patents) each received a $2 million payment.[83][N 7][84] The "patent war" ended, although side issues lingered in the courts until the 1920s. HP G72-120SD Battery In a twist of irony, the Wright Aeronautical Corporation (another successor) and the Curtiss Aeroplane company merged in 1929 to form the Curtiss-Wright corporation, which remains in business today producing high-tech components for the aerospace industry. Friendship endsHP G72-120SG Battery The lawsuits damaged the public image of the Wright brothers, who were generally regarded before this as heroes. Critics said the brothers were greedy and unfair and compared their actions unfavorably to European inventors, who worked more openly. HP G72-120SO Battery Supporters said the brothers were protecting their interests and were justified in expecting fair compensation for the years of work leading to their successful invention. Their 10-year friendship with Octave Chanute, already strained by tension over how much credit, if any, he might deserve for their success, collapsed after he publicly criticized their actions. HP G72-130 Battery In business The Wright Company was incorporated on November 22, 1909. The brothers sold their patents to the company for $100,000 and also received one-third of the shares in a million dollar stock issue and a 10 percent royalty on every airplane soldHP G72-130ED Battery.[85] With Wilbur as president and Orville as vice president, the company set up a factory in Dayton and a flying school/test flight field at Huffman Prairie; the headquarters office was in New York City. In mid-1910, HP G72-130EG Battery the Wrights changed the design of the Wright Flyer, moving the horizontal elevator from the front to the back and adding wheels although keeping the skids as part of the undercarriage unit. It had become apparent by then that a rear elevator would make the airplane easier to control, especially as higher speeds grew more common. HP G72-130EV BatteryThis aircraft was designated the "Model B", although the original canard design was never referred to as the "Model A" by the Wrights. However, the US Signal Corps which bought the aircraft did call it "Wright Type A".[86][N 8] There were not many customers for aircraft, HP G72-130SA Batteryso in the spring of 1910 the Wrights hired and trained a team of salaried exhibition pilots to show off their machines and win prize money for the company—despite Wilbur's disdain for what he called "the mountebank business". The team debuted at the Indianapolis Speedway on June 13. HP G72-130SF BatteryBefore the year was over, pilots Ralph Johnstone and Arch Hoxsey died in air show crashes, and in November 1911 the brothers disbanded the team on which nine men had served (four other former team members died in crashes afterward).[87] HP G72-140ED Battery The Wright Company transported the first known commercial air cargo on November 7, 1910 by flying two bolts of dress silk 65 miles (105 km) from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio for the Morehouse-Martens Department Store, which paid a $5,000 fee. HP G72-150EF Battery Company pilot Phil Parmelee made the flight—which was more an exercise in advertising than a simple delivery—in an hour and six minutes with the cargo strapped in the passenger's seat. The silk was cut into small pieces and sold as souvenirs. Between 1910 and 1916 the Wright Company flying school at Huffman Prairie trained 115 pilots who were instructed by Orville and his assistants. HP G72-251XX BatterySeveral trainees became famous, including Henry "Hap" Arnold, who rose to Five-Star General, commanded U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II, and became first head of the U.S. Air Force; Calbraith Perry Rodgers, HP G72-260US Battery who made the first coast-to-coast flight in 1911 (with many stops and crashes) in a Wright Model EX named the "Vin Fiz" after the sponsor's soft drink; and Eddie Stinson, founder of the Stinson Aircraft Company. Problem airplanes in the ArmyHP G72-a10SA Battery In 1912–1913 a series of fatal crashes of Wright aircraft bought by the U.S. Army called into question their safety and design. The death toll reached 11 by 1913, half of them in the Wright model C. All six model C Army airplanes crashed. HP G72-a20SA Battery They had a tendency to nose dive,[88] but Orville insisted that stalls were caused by pilot error.[89] He cooperated with the Army to equip the airplane with a rudimentary flight indicator to help the pilot avoid climbing too steeply. HP G72-a30SA BatteryA government investigation said the Wright C was "dynamically unsuited for flying,"[88] and the military ended its use of airplanes with "pusher" type propellers, including models made by both the Wright and Curtiss companies, in which the engine was located behind the pilot and likely to crush him in a crash. Orville resisted the switHP G72-a40SA Battery