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Wright Flyer II

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264:, "The series of aeronautical experiments upon which we have been engaged for the past five years has ended in the production of a flying-machine of the type fitted for practical use. The numerous flights in straight lines, in circles, and over S-shaped courses, in calms and in winds, have made it quite certain that flying has been brought to a point where it can be made of great practical use in various ways, one of which is that of scouting and carrying messages in time of war." 221: 181:. The owner of the land, banker Torrance Huffman, allowed them to use the land rent-free, his only requirement being that they were to shepherd the livestock to safety before experimenting. The Wrights began erecting a shed to house their aircraft during April and by the end of May were ready to begin trials, and an announcement was made to the press that trials would begin on Monday, May 23. 29: 250:
aircraft followed, but the run of bad luck ended on November 9, when Wilbur flew four circuits of Huffman Prairie, staying in the air for five minutes and only landing because the engine was beginning to overheat. On December 1 Orville made a similar flight, and on December 9 they stopped flying for the year.
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A crowd of around forty people, made up of family and friends and a dozen reporters, assembled on the Monday but rain kept the aircraft in its shed all morning, and when the rain cleared the wind had died away. There was little chance of a successful takeoff from the 100 ft (30 m) launching
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summarized the flights, "There were 105 flights made in 1904, almost all short flights, but the longest, on December 1, lasted for five minutes and eight seconds and covered a distance of 4515 meters, or about three miles. During this flight Orville circles Huffman Prairie two and a quarter times."
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to multiply the distance that the aircraft was pulled. Launched by the apparatus, Wilbur made his first turn in the air on September 15, and on September 20 he succeeded in flying a complete circle—the first ever by an airplane—covering 4,080 ft (1,240 m) in 1 minute 16 seconds.
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Because wind strength and direction were less reliable than at Kitty Hawk, the men sometimes had to laboriously re-lay the 160 feet (49 m) of "Junction Railroad" launch rail to suit conditions. On 7 September the men began using a catapult to accelerate the aircraft to the speed necessary for
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arrived to view the Wright brother's progress. Unfortunately Orville, attempting another circular fight, was unable to straighten out and was forced to land the aircraft at high speed after only 30 seconds in the air, damaging the skids and propellers. A series of flights ending in damage to the
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Work on the engine and poor weather delayed further attempts until the Thursday afternoon, when despite ignition problems a takeoff was attempted, and a flight of around 25 feet (7.6 m) was made, ending in a heavy landing which damaged the aircraft. Press reports were mixed: the
217:, and so they added 70 lb (32 kg) of iron bars as ballast under the elevators, which were also enlarged. So modified, 24 flights were made in August, including two on August 22 of a quarter of a mile, the greatest distance that they could fly without having to make a turn. 204:
Repairs took two weeks, but the next flight attempt also ended in a crash, necessitating a further two weeks of repair work. On June 21 three flights without any breakages were achieved, but four days later the aircraft crashed again. These accidents were caused by the aircraft's
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to 1-in-25 from the 1-in-20 used in 1903. The brothers thought that reducing the camber would reduce drag, though less lift was actually achieved. With these alterations Flyer II was heavier by some 200 pounds (91 kg) than the 1903 machine.
129:. During 1904 they used it to make a total of 105 flights, ultimately achieving flights lasting five minutes and also making full circles, which was accomplished by Wilbur for the first time on September 20. 185:
rail with no headwind. The Wrights decided to attempt a short flight to satisfy the press, but the motor did not develop its full power and the aircraft reached the end of the rail without taking off.
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being too far forward, they moved the engine and pilot position back, but this made matters worse. The machine would undulate unless the front elevator was depressed, but this created additional
275:, uprights and related wooden parts were burned (according to Orville) in the early months of 1905. The salvaged propeller parts and the engine went into the new airframe of the 229:
takeoff. They used a falling weight of 800 pounds (360 kg), later increased to 1,600 pounds (730 kg), suspended from a 16 ft (4.9 m) high derrick, with a
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New York, 1983. Includes excerpts from diaries and correspondence pertaining to the Wright Brothers and their experiments.
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The Wrights disassembled the airframe of the Flyer II during the winter of 1904–05. They salvaged the propeller
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they used in the 1903 machine and the gliders of 1900–1902. An important change was reducing the wing
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in November 1904. The front elevator has been enlarged and the radiator moved to a rear strut.
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Orville (left) and Wilbur Wright with the Wright Flyer II at Huffman Prairie May 1904
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ran its story under the headline "Test of flying machine is judged a success", while
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On October 14 Orville made his first circular flight and the following day
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Miracle at Kitty Hawk: The Letters of Wilbur and Orville Wright
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Wind and Sand: The Story of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk.
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Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers
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The design of the Flyer II was very similar to the original
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On January 18, 1905, the brothers wrote to congressman
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Wilbur and Orville: The Story of the Wright Brothers.
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instability. Suspecting that this was caused by the
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Second powered aircraft built by the Wright brothers
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The tattered fabric, 815:Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park 175:Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park 985: 524: 282: 348:prop carved to counter-rotate to the left, 531: 517: 994:1900s United States experimental aircraft 132: 125:was the second powered aircraft built by 1014:Single-engined twin-prop pusher aircraft 344:Two 2-bladed Wright "Elliptical" props; 219: 373:5.0 mi (8.0 km, 4.3 nmi) 165:The Wrights tested the new aircraft at 986: 394: 392: 367:35 mph (56 km/h, 30 kn) 160: 512: 430: 947:Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine 426: 424: 422: 322:510.0 sq ft (47.38 m) 201:headline was "Fall wrecks airship". 389: 310:40 ft 4 in (12.29 m) 13: 352:prop carved to rotate to the right 304:21 ft 1 in (6.43 m) 242:, a trade magazine he published. 14: 1035: 832:Wright Brothers National Memorial 492: 419: 316:9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) 177:and also part of the present-day 27: 872:Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 862:Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy 837:National Aviation Heritage Area 827:Wright Brothers flights of 1909 338:piston engine , 15 hp (11.2 kW) 179:Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 924:Susan Catherine Koerner Wright 481:Wescott, Lynanne, Paul Degen, 410: 401: 1: 383: 234:This flight was witnessed by 999:Aircraft first flown in 1904 328:925 lb (419.57 kg) 33:Wilbur in Flyer II circling 7: 169:, a cow pasture outside of 10: 1040: 912:Matthew Piers Watt Boulton 908:Wright brothers patent war 894: 847:Pan American Aviation Day 790: 777:Orville and Wilbur Wright 769: 744: 713: 701: 627: 615: 582: 566: 554: 504:U.S. Centennial of Flight 471:. Boston: Da Capo, 2002 283:Specifications (Flyer II) 127:Wilbur and Orville Wright 105: 93: 88: 80: 74:Orville and Wilbur Wright 68: 60: 47: 42: 26: 21: 240:Gleanings in Bee Culture 963:The Winds of Kitty Hawk 782:Giuseppe Mario Bellanca 379:20 ft (6.0 m) 289:General characteristics 173:, which is now part of 808:Wright Exhibition Team 225: 133:Design and development 879:Wright Brothers Field 857:Wright Brothers Medal 842:National Aviation Day 486:Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 431:Combs, Harry (1979). 223: 1009:Prone pilot aircraft 887:(Plutonian mountain) 803:Wright Flying School 798:Wright Cycle Company 752:Wright-Bellanca WB-1 467:Kelly, Fred C. (Ed) 457:London: Hale, 1988. 1024:Individual aircraft 971:The Wright Brothers 955:The Wright Brothers 867:Wilbur Wright Field 852:Wright Brothers Day 745:Passenger aircraft: 703:Wright Aeronautical 548:Wright Aeronautical 161:Operational history 43:General information 881:(Martian airfield) 791:History and legacy 416:Howard 1988, p.161 407:Howard 1988, p.156 226: 198:The New York Times 981: 980: 765: 764: 697: 696: 611: 610: 583:Powered aircraft: 398:Howard 1988 p.153 334:1 × water-cooled 211:centre of gravity 117: 116: 1031: 930:Katharine Wright 714:Racing aircraft: 711: 710: 625: 624: 564: 563: 533: 526: 519: 510: 509: 447: 446: 428: 417: 414: 408: 405: 399: 396: 377:Service ceiling: 360: 291: 277:Wright Flyer III 231:block and tackle 111:Wright Flyer III 31: 19: 18: 1039: 1038: 1034: 1033: 1032: 1030: 1029: 1028: 1019:Wright aircraft 1004:Canard aircraft 984: 983: 982: 977: 890: 820:Huffman Prairie 786: 761: 740: 706: 693: 620: 607: 578: 559: 556:Wright brothers 550: 540:Wright brothers 537: 495: 450: 443: 429: 420: 415: 411: 406: 402: 397: 390: 386: 356: 287: 285: 262:Robert M. Nevin 192:Chicago Tribune 167:Huffman Prairie 163: 148:instead of the 135: 122:Wright Flyer II 76: 61:National origin 38: 35:Huffman Prairie 22:Wright Flyer II 17: 12: 11: 5: 1037: 1027: 1026: 1021: 1016: 1011: 1006: 1001: 996: 979: 978: 976: 975: 967: 959: 951: 943: 938: 933: 927: 921: 915: 905: 902:Charles Taylor 898: 896: 892: 891: 889: 888: 882: 876: 875: 874: 864: 859: 854: 849: 844: 839: 834: 829: 824: 823: 822: 812: 811: 810: 800: 794: 792: 788: 787: 785: 784: 779: 773: 771: 767: 766: 763: 762: 760: 759: 754: 748: 746: 742: 741: 739: 738: 733: 728: 723: 717: 715: 708: 699: 698: 695: 694: 692: 691: 686: 681: 676: 671: 666: 654: 649: 644: 639: 634: 632:Wright Model A 628: 622: 617:Wright Company 613: 612: 609: 608: 606: 605: 600: 595: 586: 584: 580: 579: 577: 576: 570: 568: 561: 552: 551: 544:Wright Company 536: 535: 528: 521: 513: 507: 506: 501: 494: 493:External links 491: 490: 489: 479: 465: 449: 448: 441: 418: 409: 400: 387: 385: 382: 381: 380: 374: 368: 365:Maximum speed: 354: 353: 339: 329: 323: 317: 311: 305: 299: 284: 281: 247:Octave Chanute 162: 159: 134: 131: 115: 114: 107: 106:Developed into 103: 102: 95: 94:Developed from 91: 90: 86: 85: 82: 78: 77: 72: 70: 66: 65: 62: 58: 57: 49: 45: 44: 40: 39: 32: 24: 23: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1036: 1025: 1022: 1020: 1017: 1015: 1012: 1010: 1007: 1005: 1002: 1000: 997: 995: 992: 991: 989: 973: 972: 968: 965: 964: 960: 957: 956: 952: 949: 948: 944: 942: 941:Wright-Martin 939: 937: 936:Hawthorn Hill 934: 931: 928: 925: 922: 919: 918:Milton Wright 916: 913: 909: 906: 903: 900: 899: 897: 893: 886: 883: 880: 877: 873: 870: 869: 868: 865: 863: 860: 858: 855: 853: 850: 848: 845: 843: 840: 838: 835: 833: 830: 828: 825: 821: 818: 817: 816: 813: 809: 806: 805: 804: 801: 799: 796: 795: 793: 789: 783: 780: 778: 775: 774: 772: 768: 758: 755: 753: 750: 749: 747: 743: 737: 734: 732: 729: 727: 724: 722: 719: 718: 716: 712: 709: 704: 700: 690: 687: 685: 682: 680: 677: 675: 672: 670: 667: 665: 663: 662:Vin Fiz Flyer 658: 655: 653: 650: 648: 645: 643: 640: 638: 635: 633: 630: 629: 626: 623: 618: 614: 604: 601: 599: 596: 594: 593: 588: 587: 585: 581: 575: 574:Wright Glider 572: 571: 569: 565: 562: 557: 553: 549: 545: 541: 534: 529: 527: 522: 520: 515: 514: 511: 505: 502: 500: 497: 496: 487: 484: 480: 478: 474: 470: 466: 464: 463:0 7090 3244 7 460: 456: 453:Howard, Fred 452: 451: 444: 438: 434: 427: 425: 423: 413: 404: 395: 393: 388: 378: 375: 372: 369: 366: 363: 362: 361: 359: 351: 347: 343: 340: 337: 333: 330: 327: 326:Gross weight: 324: 321: 318: 315: 312: 309: 306: 303: 300: 297: 294: 293: 292: 290: 280: 278: 274: 270: 265: 263: 258: 255: 251: 248: 243: 241: 237: 232: 222: 218: 216: 212: 208: 202: 200: 199: 194: 193: 186: 182: 180: 176: 172: 168: 158: 155: 151: 147: 143: 142: 130: 128: 124: 123: 113: 112: 108: 104: 101: 100: 96: 92: 87: 83: 79: 75: 71: 67: 64:United States 63: 59: 56: 53: 50: 46: 41: 36: 30: 25: 20: 969: 961: 953: 945: 659: 597: 592:Wright Flyer 591: 482: 477:0 306 812037 468: 454: 432: 412: 403: 376: 370: 364: 357: 355: 341: 331: 325: 319: 313: 307: 301: 295: 288: 286: 266: 259: 252: 244: 239: 227: 203: 196: 190: 187: 183: 171:Dayton, Ohio 164: 141:Wright Flyer 140: 136: 121: 120: 118: 109: 99:Wright Flyer 97: 81:Number built 52:Experimental 974:(2015 book) 966:(1978 film) 958:(1971 film) 950:(1909 film) 885:Wright Mons 707:(1919–1929) 621:(1908–1916) 560:(1899–1908) 358:Performance 342:Propellers: 332:Powerplant: 269:chain drive 254:Harry Combs 988:Categories 904:(mechanic) 721:Wright F2W 499:Aeroflight 442:0940053020 384:References 336:straight-4 320:Wing area: 146:white pine 770:Designers 603:Flyer III 350:starboard 308:Wingspan: 273:wing ribs 236:Amos Root 932:(sister) 926:(mother) 920:(father) 705:aircraft 679:Model HS 657:Model EX 619:aircraft 598:Flyer II 567:Gliders: 558:aircraft 69:Designer 55:airplane 895:Related 689:Model R 684:Model K 674:Model G 669:Model F 652:Model E 647:Model D 642:Model C 637:Model B 314:Height: 302:Length: 89:History 475:  461:  439:  371:Range: 154:camber 150:spruce 590:1903 296:Crew: 207:pitch 139:1903 757:WB-2 736:NW-2 731:NW-1 726:XF3W 473:ISBN 459:ISBN 437:ISBN 346:port 215:drag 119:The 48:Type 298:One 990:: 546:/ 542:/ 421:^ 391:^ 279:. 914:) 910:( 664:) 660:( 532:e 525:t 518:v 445:. 84:1

Index


Huffman Prairie
Experimental
airplane
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Wright Flyer
Wright Flyer III
Wilbur and Orville Wright
1903 Wright Flyer
white pine
spruce
camber
Huffman Prairie
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Chicago Tribune
The New York Times
pitch
centre of gravity
drag

block and tackle
Amos Root
Octave Chanute
Harry Combs
Robert M. Nevin
chain drive
wing ribs
Wright Flyer III

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