Wright Model A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Model_A

The Wright Model A was an early aircraft produced by the Wright Brothers in the
United States beginning in 1906. It was a development of their Flyer III
airplane of 1905. The Wrights built about seven Model As in their bicycle shop
during the period 1906–1907 in which they did no flying. One of these was
shipped to Le Havre in 1907 in order to demonstrate it to the French. The Model
A had a 35-horsepower (26 kW) engine and seating for two with a new control
arrangement. Otherwise it was identical to the 1905 airplane. The Model A was
the first aircraft that they offered for sale, and the first aircraft design to
enter serial production anywhere in the world. Apart from the seven machines the
Wrights built themselves in 1906–1907, they sold licences for production in
Europe with the largest number of Model As actually being produced in Germany by
Flugmaschine Wright GmbH, which built about 60 examples.

The 1909 Military Flyer was a one-of-a-kind Model A built by the Wright
Brothers. With wings shortened two feet and the same engine salvaged from the
1908 Wright Military Flyer wrecked at Fort Myer, it differed from the standard
Wright A in size and had a faster speed. The aircraft was demonstrated at Fort
Myer, Virginia, beginning June 28, 1909 for the Aeronautical Division of the
U.S. Army Signal Corps, which offered a contract of $25,000 ($697,130 in 2008
dollars) for an aircraft capable of flying at 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) with
two people on board for a distance of 125 miles (201 km). After rigorous trials
the Signal Corps accepted the airplane as "Signal Corps (S.C.) No. 1", August 2,
1909, paying the brothers $30,000 ($836,556 in 2012 US dollars).

The planes were not referred to as 'Model A' by the Wrights. The term by best
accounts was created by the U. S. Army after purchasing their Flyer of 1909 and
purchasing later Model Bs. At different times prior to 1909 they were called
'Wilbur Wright machine', 'Wright 1905 Flyer' and by later surviving Wright
pilots and personnel 'twin-propellered Wright with head', the head meaning the
front elevator. As more Wright models were built after 1910 their natural
designations became B, C, D etc. to differentiate one model from the other.
Later aviation historians and biographers continued with 'Model A' in providing
a chronological timeline for each of the different model of Wright aircraft.


Role
Demonstrator/trainer

Manufacturer
Wright Company

First flight
1908

Number built
ca.60

Unit cost

$25,000 plus $5,000 bonus (first 1909 Military Flyer only)

Variants
Wright Model B

Wilbur and Orville devised slightly different flight controls in the Model A
airplanes they flew separately in France and the United States for their 1908
and 1909 public demonstrations. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
refers to "The Wilbur Method" and "The Orville Method". In Wilbur's method, the
roll and yaw controls were combined on the same lever at the pilot's right hand.
A forward-backward movement controlled the rudder, while a sideways or
left-and-right motion controlled wing-warping. In the Orville Method, moving the
stick controlled wing-warping, while a knob atop the stick controlled the
rudder. In both methods the left-hand lever operated the forward elevator to
control pitch. Wilbur trained French and Italian pilots using his method, and
Orville trained German pilots while in Germany in 1909 for the Wright GmbH as
well as American pilots at the Wright Company flight school using his method.

Reproductions

An exact reproduction of the 1909 Military Flyer is on display in the National
Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This reproduction was
constructed in 1955 by museum personnel. It is equipped with an original engine
personally donated for the reproduction by Orville Wright, while the chains,
sprockets, and propellers were all donated by the heirs of the Wright estate,
and have been added to the replica as they have been received and restored.

In 2008 Ken Hyde built an exact replica of the original 1908 Wright Military
Flyer which itself was one of the Dayton 7. This was for the 100th anniversary
and remembrance of Orville Wright's first trip to Fort Myer and also the death
of Thomas Selfridge. Hyde has said in press reports that his reproduction is
flyable but for now it will only exist in static display.

Specifications (Wright Military Flyer)

General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 30 ft 8 in (9.32 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 5 in (11.09 m)
Height: 8 feet (2.43 m)
Empty weight: 740 lb (336 kg)
Loaded weight: 1,263 lb (573 kg)
Powerplant: 1 pusher × Wright Vertical 4, 35 hp (26 kW) each
Propellers: Painted spruce elliptical propellers , 2 per engine Propeller
diameter: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)


Performance
Maximum speed: 42 mph (67.6 km/h)



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