17 Dec 1903

[L.E.D.]

"Success four flights thursday morning, all against twenty one mile wind started from Level with engine power alone average speed through air thirty one miles longest 57 seconds inform press home Christmas.

Orville Wright"




Many more high resolution scans of the Wright Brothers work available at the library of congress:

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/wri/

[mayday51]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

......just like a child learning to walk.....

..........look how far we have gone........

........from a couple of bicycle tinkerers (sp?)...
..to who knows what they really have out there !....

..wonders all....

[L.E.D.]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

Every bicycle today carries a Wright invention: The left hand thread on the left pedal, to keep it from unscrewing while riding.

Here's a quiz - guess before you look it up -

How much did a Wright Bros. bicycle cost?

[First time Juke]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

What kinda engine did it have the Wright Flyer ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_internal_combustion_engine

Boxer ?

----

It says straight 4 here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer

338 kilos and 12 hp ! => 0.036 hp/kg power to weight ratio ! Whoooaauu !

[AirDOGGe]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

I read an article on making a replica Wright engine.

Those guys were REAL airplane makers....they even built their own engine! Details and photos can be seen here: http://nasm.si.edu/Wrightbrothers/fly/1903/engine.cfm

[First time Juke]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

Felix du Temple de la Croix apparently succeeded in a powered flight with a steam engine, but less controlled.

Also the Vogelflug written by Lilienthal ( 1891 ) was their source.

Wrights achievement was still an amazing undertaking.

[First time Juke]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

Every bicycle today carries a Wright invention: The left hand thread on the left pedal, to keep it from unscrewing while riding.

Here's a quiz - guess before you look it up -

How much did a Wright Bros. bicycle cost?

30-100 usd ?

http://www.wright-brothers.org/Information_Desk/Just_the_Facts/Bicycles/Wright_Bicycles.htm

[L.E.D.]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

Yep, I believe their top of the line, hand made bike was over $100. I'm not an economist, but an online calculator says $100 in 1913 is the equivalent of over $2000 now, so the Brothers Wright were doing OK by their bicycle business.

[1:1 Scale]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

I wonder what one of their bikes would fetch today.....

[First time Juke]

Re: 17 Dec 1903

Two gadzillions ?