tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497625363749789422024-03-21T09:22:14.580-07:00 The Wrights: Truth in Aviation HistorySeeking truth in aviation history: the planes, the pioneers -- and the controversyGeniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-25467279063965959162023-08-22T15:04:00.000-07:002023-08-22T15:04:08.034-07:00The Elephant in the Room<h1 style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">The Elephant in the Room</span></b></h1>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><i>By Paul Jackson</i></span></b></p>
<p> </p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUdYCIw3yb_kv1Qise08cMJ7xgVUuQIRU-eYm4hJN233SaaP7mkXIrUmPlnx5EmDOX_Dkhd-q0hVQd4qpQsKbWkTLLi23fOe3fT1CEMx8HXZ89gBnHFIiqF4yV4_P5Dr6nJZZLjywZJVP7DBb9b0HvPOg-DwmDIabL4fJe4jH5AvyHRHUaitbV3X5/s1384/Elephant.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="1384" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUdYCIw3yb_kv1Qise08cMJ7xgVUuQIRU-eYm4hJN233SaaP7mkXIrUmPlnx5EmDOX_Dkhd-q0hVQd4qpQsKbWkTLLi23fOe3fT1CEMx8HXZ89gBnHFIiqF4yV4_P5Dr6nJZZLjywZJVP7DBb9b0HvPOg-DwmDIabL4fJe4jH5AvyHRHUaitbV3X5/w640-h526/Elephant.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Photograph courtesy of Bernard Dupont</b></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Have you seen it yet? Not the one in the room that household guests politely refrain from mentioning, but the other elephant on Huffman Prairie, Dayton, Ohio, which aviation historians have feigned not to notice for the last century. It’s high time you were introduced to Jumbo. Paul Jackson will ‘do the honors’.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">The story begins in what is now becoming familiar fashion – at least to regular readers of this blog – when a photograph taken by the Wright Brothers is found to show something different to what they wrote happened. A minor variation in this case is that the picture contains evidence of something significant happening that the Wrights passed-off as a minor hindrance, and over which generations of fawning historians have obligingly maintained the tradition of <i>omert</i>à.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Readily available for research is an image of the incident in question. It is downloadable in a range of resolutions from the Library of Congress at</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2001696551">https://www.loc.gov/item/2001696551</a></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">and also from that repository of Wright information and homage, the Wright State University</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms1_photographs/70">https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms1_photographs/70</a></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">For a caption the latter states:</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMej-LLyvjia0NmSQeyFW5Z4fSok4ifkLwz4nDhi10n7PVvoCHqbleRNYHAW_8cCohrOsRaWEMPuoXMX8_-XcsgZyV0lGxKGXy06eJvIIKuooxRCwtPScv7rUql2VYhHQ5Ivd-W9pvcuBgbDaCjN59cig4Kuz-jGvXSFblUZRJgi5ZcHIMeOO6X3M/s325/minormishap.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="325" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMej-LLyvjia0NmSQeyFW5Z4fSok4ifkLwz4nDhi10n7PVvoCHqbleRNYHAW_8cCohrOsRaWEMPuoXMX8_-XcsgZyV0lGxKGXy06eJvIIKuooxRCwtPScv7rUql2VYhHQ5Ivd-W9pvcuBgbDaCjN59cig4Kuz-jGvXSFblUZRJgi5ZcHIMeOO6X3M/w640-h436/minormishap.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Minor mishap of the 1904 Wright Flyer</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">The
wreck of the Wright 1904 Flyer at the end of the 31st flight at Huffman
Prairie outside Dayton, Ohio. Orville Wright was the pilot flying a
total distance of 432 feet. The Flyer struck the ground with its front
rudder, breaking the support.</span></i></b></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><br /> <br /></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">All of which is perfectly correct—as far as it goes. The information is taken from Wilbur’s diary of flight testing, also available from the Library of Congress at</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss46706.01011/?sp=6 " target="_blank">https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss46706.01011/?sp=6 </a></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uVJ-anis0QHD_TBo1nyxvjQ2bU4uCTdrlZ8rQMhwlRUrW21_QxjjqUHzkE06oyGEn2rSYPBSxtHYA3ebZpQuOJGRLlkOEy8F1YvHsNen4WpXnnihslbEGTDBOmVXyDokZgq8uq2m4OCKUhCvbyhMT8RxctIdUnNqBGyjKhePJFINIp5RSwHhykFF/s1744/wilbursdiary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1744" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uVJ-anis0QHD_TBo1nyxvjQ2bU4uCTdrlZ8rQMhwlRUrW21_QxjjqUHzkE06oyGEn2rSYPBSxtHYA3ebZpQuOJGRLlkOEy8F1YvHsNen4WpXnnihslbEGTDBOmVXyDokZgq8uq2m4OCKUhCvbyhMT8RxctIdUnNqBGyjKhePJFINIp5RSwHhykFF/w640-h373/wilbursdiary.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><br /> </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">showing the date to be August 16, 1904. It says:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Aug 16th</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">[Flight attempt #] 31</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">160 ft track</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Last 60ft in 2 sec</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Wind 5 to 18 N.W.</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">First flight O.W.</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Wind quartering about 45°.</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Start good</span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Distance 432 ft </span></i></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">No anemometer </span></i><span lang="EN-GB">[<i>& time an assumation</i>?]</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-GB">Shot down and struck on front rudder, breaking off</span></i></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">By way of amplification and explanation:</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">(a) the Brothers were employing a 160-foot launch rail (compared with 60 feet as used at Kitty Hawk for what Truthinaviationhistory blog March 8, 2018 maintains was a downhill launch fraudulently claimed to have been made from level ground.)</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">(b) wind direction approximately 315° (from the northwest); speed appears to be in feet per second, equating to 3½ to 12 mph. Observations at previous tests gave anemometer readings in metres per second, accompanied by a second reading in feet.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">(c) the wind of 315° was at 45° (“quartering”) to the direction of the launch track. This could mean a the track was laid out at 360° (due north) or 270° (due west), but comparison with the local geography – specifically the turnpike and adjacent railcar track (marked on the map below, and having a straight line of trees and telegraph poles) aligned 060/240° – indicates 270° to be the correct vector.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">(d) “shot down” most certainly does not indicate the presence of hostile flak; “suddenly dived” might be a better phrase.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">(e) “front rudder” is today called an “elevator” (ie, a horizontal control surface, even though placed at the front of the airplane by the Wright design and often referred to as a “canard elevator”).</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">We may now proceed to mark a map with all the known factors mentioned above. The basis of the map is one drawn by Orville Wright in 1928 and it conforms to the site as it is today (as checkable on Google Earth), it being preserved land within Wright-Patterson AFB.</span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaeKlZZ5HEAI6_HpbSfBNX0m9UJg46_kc64Ay6dLd3fbRVMkvh2bAHaxh7dTOX9fe5cjb5OQcMjiq2PgjTxx0S6VS-o7f5WsecfT16aKQPhbE_TJfCIl7s8Ngk6ppSmNQJF7Yw6RAtRTGXvN7YTiQXHRFz13tov3QdqbU0hczwS_5fd80RlR7jFUr/s570/map.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnaeKlZZ5HEAI6_HpbSfBNX0m9UJg46_kc64Ay6dLd3fbRVMkvh2bAHaxh7dTOX9fe5cjb5OQcMjiq2PgjTxx0S6VS-o7f5WsecfT16aKQPhbE_TJfCIl7s8Ngk6ppSmNQJF7Yw6RAtRTGXvN7YTiQXHRFz13tov3QdqbU0hczwS_5fd80RlR7jFUr/w628-h640/map.jpg" width="628" /></a></span></div>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Broken line is the intended westerly heading after take-off from the 160-foot rail. The rail was laid close to the (marked) hangar, but its exact starting point cannot be determined. However, the full photograph suggests it was pointing towards the three trees which Orville drew as marking the western boundary of Huffman’s land.</span></p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKMKqig8Lxpnjo8D8GDBzQuJq-0HlirND-y75pyj64I2zDgIeA6fERqPXXnbPWIAg_mfy6cZUpAE5j0i1fN_szBwPyC631jEHb01flyaHeOOXy8fD2piRdxBhzU5QyodT6CRVG3GKwaQJt6FH2XyDKGuCcjzELAW1CaZpdhqXjxR0DTV-kUiFyGTh/s304/huffmanprairie.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="304" height="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKMKqig8Lxpnjo8D8GDBzQuJq-0HlirND-y75pyj64I2zDgIeA6fERqPXXnbPWIAg_mfy6cZUpAE5j0i1fN_szBwPyC631jEHb01flyaHeOOXy8fD2piRdxBhzU5QyodT6CRVG3GKwaQJt6FH2XyDKGuCcjzELAW1CaZpdhqXjxR0DTV-kUiFyGTh/w640-h463/huffmanprairie.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The full image. Huffman Prairie looking west from near the Wright hangar</b></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">One further item of reference material is required—a plan view of the 1904 Flyer:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyVgjtDWvmZlcQRFwTFWKt99EZqOgPUJaJmevz1t49SkB2RyBxQmi1bu1zUtXOCoy9AYwDeRBiMtlDICrIo-SI9fC_j5dd5bB8Ar85hxotAxnDl5ENYkrxCJGQgOaoJSqwVGtgp18RXdwiXo2LwL7bwuiA0Uq1wCVQI2FzbnidOjpkNRqs-j7jzC1/s809/planview.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="809" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyVgjtDWvmZlcQRFwTFWKt99EZqOgPUJaJmevz1t49SkB2RyBxQmi1bu1zUtXOCoy9AYwDeRBiMtlDICrIo-SI9fC_j5dd5bB8Ar85hxotAxnDl5ENYkrxCJGQgOaoJSqwVGtgp18RXdwiXo2LwL7bwuiA0Uq1wCVQI2FzbnidOjpkNRqs-j7jzC1/w640-h474/planview.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">So, we are now equipped to investigate the accident to the Flyer. A close-up of the scene reveals the following picture. (The figure is believed to be Charles Taylor, the Wright employee who built their engines.)</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gVuUVnyTcNlyzj_gPdKT6BrXtQitHvSb-VLGPQCv5o3QHCcrISPbrqWhaMGrMcGqKj7JGUIfbPVqxQJnsxoLivNHsW4uNwR-lY_4jXEmDeFqEgf-k_ANydzlkwS1BPpJI5rHb6dv2mIeFPHJDLQk8O2M7jtt0RYIogEBRMH6XtcnIx3N9uWXAQ7H/s609/Crash%20close-up.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="609" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gVuUVnyTcNlyzj_gPdKT6BrXtQitHvSb-VLGPQCv5o3QHCcrISPbrqWhaMGrMcGqKj7JGUIfbPVqxQJnsxoLivNHsW4uNwR-lY_4jXEmDeFqEgf-k_ANydzlkwS1BPpJI5rHb6dv2mIeFPHJDLQk8O2M7jtt0RYIogEBRMH6XtcnIx3N9uWXAQ7H/w648-h292/Crash%20close-up.jpg" width="648" /></a></span></td></tr><tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A close-up of the crashed 1904 flyer</i></b><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> <br /></span></p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4ylJVeaHiAO2ZSsz7zZ0iXoDcJphbw5AWxDO5tmcX5iVXfuxQa2wRsr72MdoXbMHaYK1bLJsPVyo-K6B4ZYASy_tL90ywHIuWqj1VLQ4HaP4ZNHwSQl1d_-fn-rflvlWK0hMPAWigOmTxVZ0B1vHxhEI6C-RVgnigHZxVY2XqNd5D6ZmxeDsMWh2/s760/1904flyerdrawing.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="760" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4ylJVeaHiAO2ZSsz7zZ0iXoDcJphbw5AWxDO5tmcX5iVXfuxQa2wRsr72MdoXbMHaYK1bLJsPVyo-K6B4ZYASy_tL90ywHIuWqj1VLQ4HaP4ZNHwSQl1d_-fn-rflvlWK0hMPAWigOmTxVZ0B1vHxhEI6C-RVgnigHZxVY2XqNd5D6ZmxeDsMWh2/w640-h265/1904flyerdrawing.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Drawing of discernable features of the wrecked 1904 flyer (John Brown)</i></b><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">However, it does not look to be all of 432 feet away from the launching track, where the camera is. Could this be, perhaps, another one of these blatant exaggerations of flight distance—like the “Fourth flight photo” comprehensively disproven in an earlier (November 4, 2019) blog?</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">But hang on a minute; the curve back (visible in plan view) from the wingtips to the wing trailing edge establishes beyond any shadow of doubt that the Flyer is <i>pointing towards its launching point</i>. The airplane has turned through about 225° (almost two-thirds of a circle) over a distance of just 432 feet – a pretty wild maneuver, up there with the best of the air show “crazy fliers” acts – and during the last 118 years nobody has noticed that; or, at the very least, thought it worthy of remark.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;">Certainly, as stated in the flight-test diary, the Flyer has nosed into the ground, the front-mounted elevators taking the full impact. The twin (vertical) rear-mounted rudders sit high in the air after having “whiplashed” upward and forward,ripping through the diagonally-mounted fabric on theupper wing’s trailing edge, and coming to rest atopthe wing structure with their base tips pointing skywards. Knowing the wing chord (6 ft 6 in) and gap (6 ft 2 in), it can be calculated that the photograph shows the Flyer in a nose-down attitude of about 35°. Wilbur’s record of the flight testing program admits to a broken-off front elevator, but fails to mention that the entire tail section also detached itself from the wings and turned upside down as a consequence of the sudden arrival of the ground. Like Gaul, in the words of Julius Ceasar, the Flyer “<i>est omnis divisa in partes tres.”</i></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">So, what happened? From the known weather on the day and the configuration of the Flyer on August 16, 1904, the following is likely.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtAljBKr7VJRhDBkfwPgmzJ-8y9C6y5J2_tG1ndWow00wtE3V0acDzl3Z9zJX-53GemLSEiyJ8KurXC0mXOK7mECefDFB7tRa3TD_PcHbtCYJqnuu_sYZsF_4jFNbr42Ph_r84UpzitCbyOdP-xjHK2YFqGC_AS9dZqqGxmC7_i-P1KIdISGqB4Dl/s765/Flight31path.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="765" height="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtAljBKr7VJRhDBkfwPgmzJ-8y9C6y5J2_tG1ndWow00wtE3V0acDzl3Z9zJX-53GemLSEiyJ8KurXC0mXOK7mECefDFB7tRa3TD_PcHbtCYJqnuu_sYZsF_4jFNbr42Ph_r84UpzitCbyOdP-xjHK2YFqGC_AS9dZqqGxmC7_i-P1KIdISGqB4Dl/w640-h543/Flight31path.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Flight 31 - the likely path (John Brown)<br /></i></b></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">The aircraft began its take-off run on the 160-foot launch rail. It proceeded slowly at first, having a meager 16 horsepower installed, because the Wrights were still a few weeks away from commissioning the “falling weight” launch catapult conceived by Albert Merrill and recommended to them by Octave Chanute. Heading west, the Flyer had to contend with a fluctuating crosswind from the starboard (right) side.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">On leaving the rail, but still low down and in “ground effect” (the lift of the lower wings being artificially and temporarily boosted by the air cushon “trapped” between them and the ground), the Flyer began to ‘weathercock’. In other words, the tailfins were caught by the ”quartering” wind and turned the airplane about its vertical axis to face the direction the wind was coming from.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Whether or not this was what the test plan called for is immaterial*; the turn into wind was inevitable unless the pilot pulled the right “levers” to counter the swing and maintain the take-off heading for the climbout. In a “normal” airplane, the pilot wishing to continue westward despite a northerly wind component would apply port (southerly, in this case) rudder to cancel-out the turning tendency, balancing that with counter-intuitive application of <i>starboard</i> (right) stick. The technique is known as “crossing the controls” or “applying top rudder” and is equally effective in lining up for a crosswind landing. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">*<i>The setup of the camera suggests a slight drift to the south was expected after take-off; not a swing to the north.</i></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Thereby is dramatically revealed the disadvantage of the permanently linked rudder-to-same-side-aileron (or warping wingtip) system the Wrights copied from a December 1902 photograph and written disclosure by Gustave Whitehead in the Ohio-based journal,<i> Aeronautical World</i>. They patented it without acknowledgement; flew it; regularly crashed it (as here); eventually discarded it; and, cynically, still kept enforcing the patent even after they realised its dangers. (Furthermore, the Wrights’ 1906 patent specifically describes [page three, lines 78 to 87] the moveable, coordinated rudder as a means of <i>maintaining a straight line</i> in flight. Some “straight line!”)</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">As it was being involuntarily turned onto a northerly heading, the Flyer’s port wing would be on the outside of the turn and, thus, moving faster than the starboard wing. Lift varies proportionately to speed, so the port wing would rise and, as a result, the starboard wing would fall. With the whole airplane traveling slowly and still in ground effect to boot, there would be precious little daylight under the starboard wingtip and an urgent need to interrupt the cycle of inexorably unfolding events.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">The straightness of the northerly track drawn on the diagram probably fails to do justice to the frantic control movements being attempted by Orville. If he made the usually correct move with the ailerons (warping tips) then the “reverse-control-effect” – which occurs at very low speeds and is known these days to all student pilots as part of their training curriculum – meant that the aileron movement normally intended to <i>raise </i>the wing created so much drag that it actually caused it to <i>drop.</i> A classic no-win situation.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">At length, the starboard wingtip probably scraped the ground and spun the Flyer to the right in a semi-cartwheel ground-loop. Everything went quiet. Orville walked away and the three parts of the airplane were joined up again within the commendably short time of six days. So, does all this matter?</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
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three parts, but the picture caption (above) describes this as a "minor
mishap"</b></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">I believe it does. The airplane may have traveled 432 feet, but in a wildly fluctuating path not conforming to the pilot’s wishes; his control inputs; or, indeed his instinct for self-preservation. A traveled distance of, say, 1,432 feet** would have permitted a more sedate flight path between the known starting and finishing points, but 432 feet only allows for perilously rapid changes of direction, including the insane act of racking the 16 HP airplane into a tight turn immediately after leaving the ground. Evidently, on this flight – and, one suspects, others – Orville (and Wilbur) was just along for the ride. There was no control.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">**<i>The next time Orville flew the aircraft (sortie #33), by a staggering coincidence he added exactly 1,000 feet to the flight distance, making it 1,432</i></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">Yet the plaque beneath the Flyer in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, claims the Wright airplane was capable of “controlled and sustained” flight from Day One at Kitty Hawk. The pages of Wilbur’s diary are regarded by some historians as a faithful record of the development of the airplane, but it is becoming increasingly clear that this cannot be, in view of its downplaying of embarrassing occurrences.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: large;">More informative is MacFarland’s <i>Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright </i>pages 469-472, from Wilbur’s February-March 1912 First Rebuttal Deposition in the 1911-1912 Herring-Curtiss legal case. This deposition discussed the 1904 flight testing and originally appeared in the court record of that case on its pages 519-521. Said Wilbur: "Usually the [1904] machine responded promptly when we applied the control for restoring lateral balance, but on a few occasions the machine did not respond promptly and the machine <i>came to the ground in a somewhat tilted position</i>"<b>. </b>This is a remarkably underplayed statement by Wilbur, since Wright daily records indicate numerous crashes requiring repairs or replacement of wing spars, ribs, struts, skids, propellers, the engine, etc, and even minor injuries to themselves. As in this instance, they no doubt made the understatements to conceal their prolonged befuddlement at what was going on—despite repeated, incorrect fixes.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">The suspicion must remain that the description of Flight 31 glosses over the unfortunate division of the Flyer into three parts, and passes the occurrence off as a minor “ding,” the culprit possibly being a downdraught while landing: AKA an “act of God.”</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;"> </span></p>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">For this and other reasons – not the least of which is the downward incline of the launch rail on December 17, 1903 (this blog, March 8, 2018) – it is the belief of this writer that while the Wrights usually told the truth, they often did not always tell the <i>whole</i> truth. Let none deny that they worked long and hard on “the problem of flight”—but it is clear that their record-keeping was more angled towards convincing historians that they flew under perfect control in December 1903 than to explaining to engineers how and why they only succeeded in doing so after September 1905.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">A month after Flight 31, on September 20, 1904 (sortie #52) the Flyer is claimed to have demonstrated its navigational capabilities by flying a complete circle and overflying the start point, obediently following its pilot’s commands. See this blog for June 15, 2017 for detailed debunking of that assertion and view a written disclosure by key witness, Amos Root, that it crash-landed in an adjacent cornfield on that day, yet again out of control. That’s another date with the ground that the diary conveniently forgets to mention and current histories celebrate as a fully-controlled 360 degree turn—which, by any objective measure, it most certainly was not. Indeed, in late 1904, the Wrights were still devoting all their energies towards <i>stopping</i> the Flyer from uncommanded turning, and making it fly straight.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: large;">After a further year - in September 1905, and with significant modifications embodied - the Wright Flyer was at last showing the promise of achieving the “free, controlled and sustained” flight which was first documented in public during August 1908. On Flight 31, however, it was still rampaging like a rogue elephant—only <i>mahout</i> Orville was too ‘polite’ to mention it.</span></p>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-12969076144302436822023-08-08T12:23:00.003-07:002023-09-16T15:42:57.440-07:00The Wrong Wright Story Series: #4 The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age , by Joe Bullmer<h3 style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUnYFJwei6XSnoXdsMtZxDuCdyCWRniYlcFJcfWJCqXucebUpsh8hwglMUM8PgxE5WQHQyjaSphoZq_BDMAYWRzgteoTWjOyuR3oWs8rF0D1j4ORmFi3ZNJA0-yXfi8zNH16Sr3gKlG3SlMe-aA3UR98YqNvQffPzq65sh9Y6imEkqZyqzmIIA4kpp=w640-h640" width="640" /></h3>
<p>This, the fourth article in this series, addresses the book <i>The Wright Brothers and the Invention of th</i>e <i>Aerial Age, </i>ISBN-0-7922-6985-3, a 2003 publication of the Smithsonian press. It was cowritten by the authors of the last two books addressed in this series, Tom Crouch, the Senior Curator for Aeronautics, and Peter Jakab, an Associate Director of the National Air and Space Museum. As one might expect, many of the mistakes by these authors noted in the previous reviews of their individual books are repeated in this book. Most are at least briefly mentioned here since an effort was made to make each of these articles complete.</p>
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<div>
<p>Again, the period from 1899 through 1905 is specifically addressed since this is the period during which the Wrights developed a controllable powered airplane. However the period after that up to Orville’s death is also covered in the subbook, so a few comments on that are included. </p>
</div>
<p><u>Page 48:</u> Combining two of the sentences in the sixth paragraph, they collectively say “an airplane pilot…..must make constant control movements…..to stay in the air”. As stated in previous articles, anyone at all familiar with flight knows that, once a properly designed airplane is trimmed out, no control movements are necessary to maintain steady straight flight in reasonably smooth air.</p>
<p><u>Page 51:</u> The authors discuss conflicting statements by the brothers regarding how they came up with wing warping, but don’t mention that twisting wings for control had been done by a number of the Wrights’ predecessors, a few even patenting it. This was also covered in Chanute’s book which the Wrights obtained in 1899.</p>
<p><u>Page 53</u>: They claim warping was superior to previous methods of control. But separate winglets and ailerons, both causing less drag imbalance and thus superior to warping, had already been used by others. Eventually warping would be abandoned, even by the Wrights, in favor of ailerons.</p>
<p><u>Page 56:</u> Here adulation for the Wrights’ supposed ability to correctly “visualize aerodynamics” gush forth once more. And again the statements made are not true. The comment in the second article of this series for page 66 of Jakab’s <i>Visions</i> lists seven examples of the Wrights’ failure to properly envision air flow and its effects.</p>
<p><u>Page 57:</u> The often-repeated comment on the similarity of airplanes to bicycles is made, to wit, since they both bank to turn, they must both be constantly rebalanced. Although every aviator knows this is wrong, this assertion has become standard fare among aviation historians discussing the Wrights.</p>
<p><u>Page 58:</u> Here they repeat a whole series of errors on the Wrights’ wing design that were first stated in <i>Visions of a Flying Machine</i>. First, that the Wrights initially used Lilienthal’s camber shape which they didn’t, an error that plagued them with inadequate lift for a couple years until their wind tunnel showed that they had to use Lilienthal’s basic wing shapes. Then the Wrights are credited with discovering the center-of-pressure (actually lift) reversal on wings by just thinking about it. In fact, they never knew of the reversal of center of “pressure” movement until Dr. George Spratt and Edward Huffaker, visitors to their camp in 1901, told them about it. Then their visitors proceeded to prove it with tests showing where one of the Wrights’ wings balanced at various angles of attack.</p>
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in 1901, these aviation pioneers taught the Wright Brothers about the
reversal of the center of pressure movement on the wing of a plane</b>.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<p>Finally, this rant is concluded by claiming an aircraft is in equilibrium when the center of pressure (lift) coincides with the center of gravity. This is not really true unless the vehicle’s configuration is such that it tends to remain that way. Equilibrium is not a fleeting instantaneous condition. That was the basic problem with all early Wright aircraft. They had no inherent stability allowing them to maintain a state of equilibrium.</p>
<p><u>Page 61:</u> Here the authors make an astounding blunder only equaled by the Wrights having made the same mistake. They talk about moving “the center of pressure on the <b>bottom</b> of the wing” back and forth to regain coincidence with the center of gravity to maintain balance. This sounds as though they didn’t know that what they called the center of pressure on the bottom is actually the center of lift which primarily results from a partial vacuum on the<b> top</b> of the wing. This distinction is crucial to understanding the science behind the movement of the center of lift.</p>
<p>In the next paragraph a truly staggering blunder is made by saying that a constantly moving elevator is used by every airplane today to maintain balance with the constantly moving center of “pressure”. Apparently they have no concept of how a trimmed horizontal stabilizer is set to stabilize an airplane so that no elevator movements are required to keep it there.</p>
<p><u>Page 62:</u> The hits just keep coming. Here the assertion is made that the greater efficiency of a cambered surface (as opposed to a flat one) had been established by 1900. Actually Sir George Cayley established that nearly a century earlier in 1804. That’s why cambered wings had been used by most aviators since then.</p>
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<p>Then they say experimenters such as Lilienthal and Chanute used “perfect arcs”, i.e., circular sections, on their gliders when any decent photos show they did not. They go on to give the Wrights’ erroneous thinking that led them to put all of the camber within the front ten percent of the wings, without mentioning that this degraded both lift and longitudinal stability.</p>
<p>Finally, they claim incorrectly that Lilienthal used a wing maximum camber that was eight percent of the wing chord whereas the Wrights used five percent. Actually, Lilienthal also used five percent on his gliders.</p>
<p><u>Chapter 3</u></p>
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<p><u>Page 68:</u> Here the absolute falsehood that “<a href="https://www.chanute.org/180/Octave-Chanute---Our-Aviation-History">Octave Chanute</a> provided the Wrights with little genuine technical assistance and few, if any, useful theoretical ideas” is repeated. This was also stated on page 84 of Jakab’s solo book <i>Visions of a Flying Machine</i>. This statement is so egregious that I will repeat here, in full, the comments I made in that Critique:</p>
<p>According to records of their correspondence, Chanute provided the Wrights with:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>His 1894 book that was the basis for their study of earlier aviation.</li><li>
Realizing the biggest problem remaining to be solved was control.</li><li>
The need to master control with gliders before adding power.</li><li>
Trussed biplane wing construction according to both brothers’ statements.</li><li>
The idea of first testing gliders unmanned with tethering lines.</li><li>
The best gliding areas being the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.</li><li>
His cohorts Huffaker and Dr. Spratt showing the Wrights the critical reversal of the center of lift’s movement, thus largely solving their control problem.</li><li>
Doing tests with a wind tunnel to determine better wing shapes.</li><li>
Photos of wind tunnels and the design of their lift/drag balance.</li><li>
The basic design of a falling weight catapult enabling them to achieve controllability and maneuverability through testing near Dayton, and essentially enabling all of their flying for the next six years.</li></ul>
<p>In fact, it is evident that without these inputs the Wrights may well not have succeeded. If they did, it would have taken them far longer, probably denying them the distinction of being considered the first to accomplish powered, controlled, manned flight.<br /></p>
<p><u>Pages 72 & 76:</u> The gliding tests at Kitty Hawk in 1900 are described as validating the pitch and roll controls. In fact, the machine had such poor lifting capability that it was mostly tested unmanned and tethered. Finally, with winds exceeding 20 knots, Wilbur managed just a few short hops, almost all with erratic pitch control and the warping inoperable.</p>
<p><u>Page 77:</u> They claim the Wrights discovered the reversal of their wing warping roll control by attempting turns. This is absolutely not true. They discovered it by trying to maintain a constant heading while correcting inadvertent rolls caused by wind gusts and the anhedral, or droop, in their wings. They were not interested in developing a turning capability at Kitty Hawk, and the 1902 and 1903 vehicles could not be intentionally turned.</p>
<p>In their first patent they stated that “the machine is apt to <b>become </b><b>unbalanced laterally</b>” and “The provision which we have just described [mechanically linked warp and rudder] enables the operator to meet this difficulty and <b>preserve the lateral balance</b> of the machine.” In other words, to keep the machine flying level, not to turn. They did not attempt turns until 1904 near Dayton, and could not reliably accomplish them until October of 1905.</p>
<p>In his sworn deposition for the Montgomery case Orville testified, “Sometimes in warping the wings to <b>restore lateral balance</b>….” and “When the wings were warped in <b>an attempt to recover balance</b>….”. Clearly, they were attempting to fly level, not turn, when they discovered warp reversal. In spite of these numerous absolutely clear statements directly contradicting these books, every “historian” since these books were published parrots this same error. Tour guides in the Air and Space Museum still repeat it.</p>
<p><u>Pages 84-89:</u> On these pages the authors attempt to once more heap credit upon the Wrights for something they didn’t think of by simply saying that “the Wrights decided to build a wind tunnel”. Reiterating, the subject was brought up during talks with Chanute, Spratt, and Huffaker when they visited the Wrights at Kitty Hawk during the summer of 1901. There is no mention of such a device in any of the Wrights’ records before then. During that discussion Chanute showed them photos of wind tunnel components, and Dr. Spratt showed them the scheme for the lift vs drag balance that the authors credit the Wrights with as a “brilliant intuitive leap”. The Wrights admitted they got this information from their visitors in later correspondence and a legal document.</p>
<p>These authors go on to write “The brothers’ artful weaving of their clear, straight forward conceptualization of the problem and their clever, effective means of experimentally obtaining results illustrates the Wrights’ engineering talents at their finest.” All this for equipment and procedures that were shown to them by visitors at Kitty Hawk, visitors to whom these authors give no credit at all for providing any help.</p>
<p>The authors also claim that the tunnel tests showed Lilienthal’s lift data to be “off” and that the tunnel allowed them to determine a more correct value of Smeaton’s coefficient. These are both colossal untruths. In fact, Wilbur informed Chanute that they had arrived at the correct value of Smeaton’s coefficient (actually the same value as that determined by professor Langley at the Smithsonian) from gliding data months before they built the tunnel. Also, Wilbur wrote Chanute that “for a surface….like that described in his [Lilienthal’s] book [his] table is probably as near correct as it is possible”.</p>
<p>The authors also wrote that “The wind tunnel experiments showed the brothers that long, narrow wings [i.e., higher aspect ratio wings] are more efficient than short, wide ones….”. Since Cayley published this in 1804, they also could have discovered it years earlier by simply reading. They subsequently abandoned their aspect ratio of 3.1 and adopted Lilienthal’s favored value of 6.5 for their 1902 glider.</p>
<p>Finally, on November 24<sup>th</sup>, 1901 Wilbur wrote Chanute that “It is very evident….that a table based on one aspect [ratio] and [wing section] profile is worthless for a surface with different aspect and curvature. This no doubt explains why we had so much trouble figuring our machines from Lilienthal’s table.” In other words, the Wrights admitted, in writing, that their tunnel showed them that different wing shapes produce different lift coefficients. So <b>the Wrights admitted that their lift problems were their own fault</b>, and <b>nothing was wrong with </b><b>Lilienthal’s data.</b></p>
<p>These astounding and egregious errors by these authors have led to everyone who has ever written or spoken about the Wrights since, repeating their same false statements. They can be seen in museums, on placards, in numerous books, and heard in nearly all documentaries. Thus, important technical history has been falsified by careless, incompetent research at the highest levels of a Smithsonian museum.</p>
<p><u>Pages 89 & 90:</u> Here they extol the virtues of tethered testing, what the Wrights called “flying it as a kite”, as though it was yet another wonderful idea the Wrights originated, although their copy of Chanute’s book has a whole section on kite style testing.</p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ9ylh8Gsi9ISIMGd65wlR90Qqq5ZTCXVTnlFjf0ewH8vxZSaT6NJZxMI6UYC7ZI-VlaekIMXQ5AU5yD6qxqq_Tv2TvWUrLYXEUKqkFfBIxQ32A66THj-LZOLQz96tgNdg82e5LzL4cpnjhZ3nU0bn5dFbICMSNdlJCmc1zDzcXW8Kn8WH7R9flWuANM/s640/wrightkiteglider.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="640" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ9ylh8Gsi9ISIMGd65wlR90Qqq5ZTCXVTnlFjf0ewH8vxZSaT6NJZxMI6UYC7ZI-VlaekIMXQ5AU5yD6qxqq_Tv2TvWUrLYXEUKqkFfBIxQ32A66THj-LZOLQz96tgNdg82e5LzL4cpnjhZ3nU0bn5dFbICMSNdlJCmc1zDzcXW8Kn8WH7R9flWuANM/w640-h517/wrightkiteglider.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Wilbur left, Orville right, “flying it as a kite.”</b></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<p>They also fail to mention that when kiting, the brothers, being nearly 20 feet apart (one at each wing tip), couldn’t tell that when warping was applied, one end of the wings were pulling on the lines harder than those on the other end. So the tendency of warping to cause the vehicle to yaw, then bank even steeper, and finally spin into the ground, was completely masked to them. This actually set them back a couple years until they had enough lift to do extensive free glides and address the problem in 1902. Another aid in solving the spin problem may well have been their wind tunnel which clearly demonstrated the effect on a wing’s drag by a small change in its angle of attack.</p>
<p><u>Page 91:</u> This page is ripe with exaggerations concerning the Wrights’ wind tunnel. These authors write that the device “carried the progress toward mechanical flight to another new plateau”. But of course, once more, they don’t mention that this was thanks to Chanute and his cohorts at Kitty Hawk.</p>
<p>Next a comment, similar to one in <i>Visions</i>, is made claiming that after the tunnel tests, the 1902 vehicle “flew just as a 747 or modern jet fighter flies”. Well yes, it used cambered wings and could go in the air in a straight line fairly level, but it couldn’t turn or maneuver, rather desirable qualities in a 747 or fighter plane. In fact, it would take three more years for the Wrights to develop limited versions of these capabilities in their aircraft. By the end of 1905 the aircraft the authors refer to as “only refined” had lengthened structure, relocated center of gravity, changed location, size, and loading of the canard, a fundamentally altered version of their patented control scheme, modified propellers, and oil, fuel, and water pumps added to the 1903 engine. Some “refinements”.</p>
<p><u>Chapter 4</u></p>
<p><u>Page 119 & 120:</u> Picturing a propeller as a rotating wing is characterized as a “breakthrough” and an “intellectual leap”. If it appeared so, it was only because of a lack of research by the Wrights. As explained in the last article, Sydney Hollands presented the concept of a propeller as a vertically rotating cambered twisted wing at a meeting of England’s Aeronautical Society in 1885. In fact, he also pointed out that it should be tapered toward the tips of the blades, something the Wrights totally missed. Hollands even gave values for the twist angles. All this was covered in Chanute’s book which the Wrights obtained four years earlier. Nonetheless, this is another falsehood that has become a staple in subsequent accounts of the Wrights’ work.</p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhztxmTT9WYyrv0MP-e76dcx5I5s3ESZr8z-59yp41eReF9qcELfkCzoPtRmSh4USctKkTgEqmyvShQgMYHV8DsqQzroYPJwqejn4MXTIQ1qbmcwSuFeVEWzxwDp61eBXU1oKvEsDjMCi3hvdKRk-QpQIfUNi62vxDMQYZxlIX084EdX4WktFwe-R1vmE/s850/Photograph-of-Wright-Brothers-propeller-reproductions-between-1911-left-and-1903.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="850" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhztxmTT9WYyrv0MP-e76dcx5I5s3ESZr8z-59yp41eReF9qcELfkCzoPtRmSh4USctKkTgEqmyvShQgMYHV8DsqQzroYPJwqejn4MXTIQ1qbmcwSuFeVEWzxwDp61eBXU1oKvEsDjMCi3hvdKRk-QpQIfUNi62vxDMQYZxlIX084EdX4WktFwe-R1vmE/w640-h427/Photograph-of-Wright-Brothers-propeller-reproductions-between-1911-left-and-1903.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Wright propeller reproductions (from Ash, Robert & Miley, Stanley & Landman, Drew. (2001). <br />Evolution of Wright Flyer Propellers between 1903 and 1912 By. 10.2514/6.2001-309.)</b></td></tr></tbody></table>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8hg548Vlwdme_8vvcfS35TuDXP-te3dUiBCh-5Vy3bNO7zYsGShISRIW8xJusNMpKPtB9bYkzQD-ie5fRsDgUcMBlgE9cIslWhocdRqkv6OCUMkrxGXaBCPmoNs7WXgCdpbpjmBlWQWZvCIQP3ElDvGRxpyR-InUpAJcAfiwE6mjA25EN6XU4xQlFzo/s1400/wooden%20propellers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1376" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8hg548Vlwdme_8vvcfS35TuDXP-te3dUiBCh-5Vy3bNO7zYsGShISRIW8xJusNMpKPtB9bYkzQD-ie5fRsDgUcMBlgE9cIslWhocdRqkv6OCUMkrxGXaBCPmoNs7WXgCdpbpjmBlWQWZvCIQP3ElDvGRxpyR-InUpAJcAfiwE6mjA25EN6XU4xQlFzo/w630-h640/wooden%20propellers.jpg" width="630" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The propellers of the Sopwith Camel, a World War I British fighter, clearly show <br />a taper toward the tips of the blades.</b></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<p>In fact, three other designers of ships’ propellers, Lanchester in England, Drzweiecki in France, and Prandtl in Germany, had also addressed the design of air propellers as cambered twisted rotating wings. Chanute provided material on Drzweiecki’s work to the Wrights in 1903.</p>
<p>Also mentioned on page 120 is that, for the 1903 powered airplane, the Wrights chose a maximum wing camber depth of five percent. As previously mentioned, and contrary to assertions in this book, that is precisely the camber depth used and recommended by Otto Lilienthal on his gliders.</p>
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<p><u>Page 121:</u> At the top of this page they claim that one of the “instruments” the Wrights had onboard in 1903 was a tachometer for both the engine and propellers. In fact they had no tachometer. All they had was a total revolution counter for the engine. This, in combination with the stopwatch, would yield the average engine rpm for a flight attempt. This is a minor unimportant point, but these kinds of totally unnecessary errors lead one to wonder what kind of research was done, and by whom, for this book.</p>
<p><u>Page 130:</u> The first three flight attempts on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903 are discussed without mentioning that none of them were actually measured for time or distance. These were simply estimated by the Wrights. Also, they don’t tell us that, according to the Wrights’ descriptions, the aircraft was out of control throughout all three attempts. Finally they don’t mention the 27 mph headwind that supplied 90% of the airspeed and 80% of the lift required for the airplane to leave the ground. Without those head winds there would have been absolutely no flying at all by the Wrights in 1903. This is proven by their 1904 aircraft not being able to leave the ground with light winds, although it had more power and launch rails up to four times longer.</p>
<p><u>Page 131:</u> Here the authors discuss the fourth attempt, Wilbur’s last, without telling us the aircraft was out of control at its beginning and end, the Wrights claiming it only flew fairly level for a short period during the middle of the trial. They quote the Wrights’ claim for that attempt as lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet, a distance the Wrights said they measured.</p>
<p>Four decades later Orville identified a photograph as having been taken after the end of that attempt. But four independent measurement calculations from the photo reveal the aircraft to be less than 280 feet from the end of the launch rail. Also, the propellers are stopped and three dark objects at least three feet tall are on the center of the lower wing. This is all clearly shown on a large cropped version of the photo on pages 126 and 127 of this very book.</p>
<p>At the bottom of this page one of Jakab’s contradictions reappears with the statement that, in spite of the success of the 1903 airplane, “marketing and exploiting the [Wright’s] technology would require an aircraft capable of making turns….”. While correct, this is in direct contradiction to the statement back on page 90 claiming that even the 1902 glider could make coordinated turns.</p>
<p><u>Page 133:</u> The claim from the <i>Visions</i> book that the Wrights invented a “fundamentally new technology” is repeated here. It’s not clear what fundamentals they are talking about since the only feature of Wright aircraft (besides engines and drive chains) that hadn’t been used by predecessors, namely mechanically coordinated roll and yaw controls, had to be abandoned in 1905 in order to make turns.</p>
<p><u>Chapter 5</u></p>
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<p>This chapter, discussing the Wrights’ patents and early efforts to sell their airplanes, is most noteworthy for its numerous omissions. It discusses their first patent without mentioning that it</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Gave a totally incorrect explanation of how their aircraft were actually able to fly.</li><li>
Locked them into a configuration that was dangerous and rejected by other designers.</li><li>
Had the primary purpose of protecting a control system they already had to abandon.</li><li>
Was intended to freeze out competition worldwide, but primarily stifled aviation research and production only in the U.S.</li></ul>
<p>The chapter also discusses the Ft. Myer crash that killed Lt. Tom Selfridge, the world’s first airplane fatality. Although the authors relate that the crash was due to a propeller failure, they don’t mention that one of the propellers had previously split and had been hastily repaired with glue and nails. What’s more, the split was at a tip, their propeller tips being excessively loaded due to the improper reverse taper of the blades.</p>
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<p><u>Chapter 6</u></p>
<p><u>Page 196:</u> This chapter covers the period up to World War One. At the bottom of this page they mention that “The world was not beating a path to their [the Wrights’] door in a mad rush to buy flying machines.” No mention is made of the fact that numerous competitors were doing quite well. That was because Wright airplanes were considered obsolete, poor performing, hard and dangerous to fly, with no useful capabilities beyond lifting someone into the air.</p>
<p><u>Page 199:</u> The book mentions that flying exhibitions were quite profitable at that time. But it does not reveal that Glenn Curtiss paid his pilots and crews far more generously than did the Wrights. That, along with safer and better performing airplanes, enabled him to put on far more thrilling shows.</p>
<p><u>Chapter 7</u></p>
<p>This chapter discusses the era between Wilbur’s death in 1912 and Orville’s in 1948, in particular the wrangling between the Smithsonian and the Wright family regarding the Smithsonian’s claims that Langley’s “Aerodrome“ aircraft was “the first airplane <i>capable</i> of manned flight”. It also contains one last enrichment of the Wright image by avoiding mentioning Orville’s disownment of his sister Katherine when she got married.</p>
<p>She abandoned her young teaching career to care for Orville after his back injury at Ft. Myer in 1908 and never went back to teaching. After devoting her life to her brothers and their aircraft business, finally in 1926 she decided to marry an old college sweetheart. Upon hearing of her marriage plans, Orville disowned her for “abandoning” him. Unfortunately, she was to have only two years of marriage before dying of pneumonia. But Orville had refused to have any contact with her until she was on her deathbed. This episode may well provide some insight into the attitudes he had regarding employees, their competition, the Smithsonian, and his legacy.</p>
<p><u>Pages 216 – 232:</u> The book concludes with seven photos and over ten pages of text discussing the protracted, nearly four decades, of feuding between Orville Wright and the Smithsonian over who actually came up with the first airplane capable of manned powered flight. Was it the Wrights or Professor Langley, the director of the museum at that time, and creator of the ill-fated “Aerodrome”. In a pique, Orville sent the 1903 Wright “Flyer” to England for exhibition rather than give it to the Smithsonian. Finally, after WWII, <a href="https://imgur.com/a/BLU86qv" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a contract was signed</a>, with the Wrights agreeing to bring the Flyer back for exhibit in the Smithsonian in 1948. </p>
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<p>A very brief summary of the once-secret contract is given, saying that the Wright family can take the Flyer out of the museum if the Smithsonian ever says that any other aircraft was capable of, or accomplished, manned powered flight before the Flyer did. This really does not do justice to the actual legal document which appears in <i>The WRight Story</i>. But it does capture the threat under which the Smithsonian and its Air and Space Museum has operated since 1948. One wonders if this has something to do with museum personnel going out of their way to aggrandize the capabilities and accomplishments of Wilbur and Orville at every opportunity.</p>
<p><u>Summary</u></p>
<p>Unlike the previous discussions, for this book specific sources for specific comments were not referenced in this article. This publication is more in the nature of a “coffee table” picture book than were those. Still, its common use as source material warranted it’s review here.</p>
<p>This book’s value is actually in the photographs presented. Its large size and print quality, along with the quantity and enhanced quality of the photos are outstanding. However the value of its text is another matter entirely. Perhaps the motivation of the authors may have again been to instill admiration and pride in Americans (and in their museum) by explaining all the Wrights’ accomplishments as due entirely to their “brilliance” and “genius”.</p>
<p>But as an American, I am offended at such inadequate research and frequent fabrication as this coming from the top levels of a Smithsonian Museum. This is an Institution supported by American citizens, and expected to be the world leader in such research. The Smithsonian evidently does world class research on non-technical historical subjects, and in some technical areas. Evidently its history majors and PhDs are capable in such areas. However with the Wright brothers they stepped off into a highly technical area for which they were obviously unprepared. Worse yet, there existed a plethora of records of the Wrights’ work which largely refutes nearly all of their guesses and fabrications. And perhaps worst of all, those eager to take credit for such publications as these by claiming authorship evidently were completely unqualified to verify contributions to their publications.</p>
<p>It’s easy to find out such information as the ten vital contributions to the Wrights’ work provided by Octave Chanute, or a half dozen examples of the Wrights’ wrong guesses at aerodynamics, or indeed all the other falsehoods cited in these critiques. All one need do is simply read and comprehend <b>all</b> of the first volume of Marvin McFarland’s compilation of original Wright-related correspondence and records, along with Orville’s 1920 affidavit. These resources were in existence at least a half century before the books addressed in this series were written and published by the Smithsonian.</p>
<p>In recent years it has become evident that many people are quite comfortable with fantasies in place of truth. However, having devoted much of my professional life to the science of aeronautical theory, design, and performance, I cannot ignore the origin of the entire technology being falsified. So, along with a growing contingent of others, I will continue to contribute to the establishment of <i>truthinaviationhistory</i>. </p>
<p>——————————————————————————————————————————</p>
<div><b>Author </b><b>Joe Bullmer</b><i> has a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan with additional graduate studies in the subject (the exact same academic background as Kelley Johnson, designer of the U-2 and SR-71).</i><i> He subsequently worked in aircraft design and performance and related subjects for the United States Air Force for thirty years.</i><i> A substantial portion of this time was spent as an aircraft performance engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.</i><i> During that time he had the rare opportunity to work with some of the top designers at Boeing, North American, General Dynamics, Lockheed (including Kelly), and McDonnell corporations.</i><i> He also collaborated with some of the best designers in the U.S. Air Force.</i></div><div><i> </i></div>
<div><i> His areas of greatest interest have always been aerodynamics and stability and control. These are the keys to understanding the thoughts and testing of the Wright brothers.</i></div><div><i> </i></div>
<div><i> Much of his work was in the field of technical intelligence. In this capacity he often was examining someone else’s airplane designs and determining what they did, why, and what the resulting performance would be. This turned out to be excellent preparation for his book since it is precisely what he had to do with the Wright brothers, designs. Intelligence work also developed his investigative and deductive skills which are prerequisites for any historical investigation.</i></div><div><i> </i></div>
<div><i> Joe has presented aircraft design and performance briefings to U.S. Congressional and Senate committees, Presidential Cabinet members, and at the White House. Now 77, he has been retired for 25 years and has written The WRight Story, and a number of articles on early aviation. He maintains contact with a number of designers, flight test engineers, pilots, and historians.</i></div>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-42356868557821384022022-02-20T14:46:00.000-08:002022-02-20T14:46:01.756-08:00The Wrong Wright Story Series: Wings<br /><h2 style="text-align: center;"><u>The Wrong Wright Story 3</u></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">Tom Crouch's <i>Wings: A History of Aviation from Kites to the Space Age</i><br /></h2><h3 style="text-align: center;">a critique by Joe Bullmer</h3>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">This is the third article in a five-part
series presenting critiques of four of the most popular books and the most prominent
TV documentary produced concerning the Wright brothers’ development of a
manned, powered, controllable airplane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Previous reviews discussed Fred Kelly’s 1943 book <i>The Wright
Brothers, A Biography,</i> and Peter Jakab’s 1990 book <i>Visions of a
Flying Machine.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkgv2KcEpOA-YOQgXmlUGZVZQ6ps09oF28AGZGCTreaU7-PMePnAdXbzf8QofI35OwLW6Y1BNxAM2U_tOKOjMdrH2GrrhuPL41ueUDhDFGrCB1Lu_eotkZa0_Fzh76uccqTXw7-gfkhKZn4d3wybGCizJvUQsDEREbSXI1_sETgQvJ74osU25Lz4K9=s1011" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="757" data-original-width="1011" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkgv2KcEpOA-YOQgXmlUGZVZQ6ps09oF28AGZGCTreaU7-PMePnAdXbzf8QofI35OwLW6Y1BNxAM2U_tOKOjMdrH2GrrhuPL41ueUDhDFGrCB1Lu_eotkZa0_Fzh76uccqTXw7-gfkhKZn4d3wybGCizJvUQsDEREbSXI1_sETgQvJ74osU25Lz4K9=w566-h425" width="566" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">This article
discusses Tom Crouch’s book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wings-History-Aviation-Kites-Space/dp/0393326209" target="_blank">Wings: A History of Aviation from Kites to the Space Age</a> </i>published in 2003 by the Smithsonian, ISBN 0-393-32620-9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>This </span>725-page
book undertakes the monumental task of covering all airplane development from da
Vinci to the 21<sup>st</sup> century. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">In this review</span>,
a couple of the book’s comments on 19<sup>th</sup> century developments are
addressed, along with its description of the Wrights’ work leading to the final
version of their Flyer III aircraft in October of 1905. </span></span> <br /></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">These critiques are
being done by an aircraft design and performance engineer and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" target="_blank"><i>The
WRight Story, The True Story of the Wright</i> </a><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" target="_blank">Brothers’ Contribution to
Early Aviation</a>.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That book
contradicts much of the content of the books and videos reviewed in this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>The author of these reviews has </span>also published four
reviews of technical papers presented in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Flyer-Engineering-Perspective/dp/0874749794" target="_blank"><i>The Wright Flyer-An Engineering</i>
</a><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Flyer-Engineering-Perspective/dp/0874749794" target="_blank">Perspective</a>,</i> and two articles concerning the Wrights’ testing at Kitty
Hawk, all of which have appeared at this site over the past couple years.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Some explanations appearing in previous articles are repeated in this one. A number of the same mistakes are made in this book, and each of these articles is intended to stand on its own. Forbearance is appreciated. </span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Technically competent comments on these
articles, or <i>The WRight Story,</i> are welcomed.</span></span><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Chapter 1</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b> </b> </span></span></u></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 33:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author<span>, without
citing a reference, </span>claims here that Sir George Cayley, in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130511071413/http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/fap/OnAerialNavigationPt1.pdf" target="_blank">his 1809
article in <i>Nicholson’s Journal of</i> <i>Natural Philisophy, Chemistry, and
the Arts,</i></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>identified an area of low
pressure on the upper surface of a cambered wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, <span>Cayley</span>
mentioned “a slight vacuity immediately behind the point of separation ….<b><i>under</i></b>
the anterior [forward] edge of the surface.” He envisioned this air trapped under a thin cambered wing moving back
under the wing and eventually being forced downward by the aft portion of the
cambered wing, thus imparting the upward force on the wing.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqjj9SbZdktciJWfA8u7ivb2qFT1tnu8O3Yu7xPiXtt1uvz8UPk6e8ITICV8S4vQEovqbKUV9psOucZP3lZGzCNRyyTCLJoP-UTwOgTY9-BFnomPo7K9eQSaIxA5oRLDlzz0kgyJn_QXcq3YQzlTgLGgC0_rnavaHYgV0lbDEkEnWfnhrDgXM-QcSq=s695" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="668" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqjj9SbZdktciJWfA8u7ivb2qFT1tnu8O3Yu7xPiXtt1uvz8UPk6e8ITICV8S4vQEovqbKUV9psOucZP3lZGzCNRyyTCLJoP-UTwOgTY9-BFnomPo7K9eQSaIxA5oRLDlzz0kgyJn_QXcq3YQzlTgLGgC0_rnavaHYgV0lbDEkEnWfnhrDgXM-QcSq=s320" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sir George Cayley, aviation pioneer<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">On the same page, Crouch claims “Cayley had a lifelong preference for oars as propulsion.” Actually,
in spite of an early drawing showing oars, Cayley was well aware of the
futility of such a scheme. Over <span>most of the second, third, and fourth decades of the 19<sup>th</sup>
century, </span>along with activities unrelated to aviation such as serving in
Parliament, <span>Cayley</span> searched for a lightweight
mechanical source of rotary power. Unfortunately,
by the middle of the 19<sup>th</sup> century studies of contained explosions of
petro-chemicals were just beginning, so Cayley gave up his search <span>for mechanical power</span> and returned to gliders.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 36:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> Orville Wright is quoted as
saying “Henson, Stringfellow, and Marriott made no contributions to the art or
science of aviation worth mentioning.” But then <span>Orville</span> went on, “Every
feature of Henson’s machine had been used or proposed previously. His mere assemblage of old elements
certainly did not constitute invention.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I find it curious these statements were included in this otherwise
complimentary book. Except for their chain drive of propellers and
interconnected rudder and warping<span>, </span>which soon
had to be abandoned, <span>Orville’s</span> statement applies
exactly to what<span> he </span>and his brother did. In this one statement <span>Orville’s judgement </span><span>actually
disqualifies </span>himself and his brother as inventors.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBHwZoMjvsOLUj1kMrbBzHUi4bmmOGxpleTirl8W1YvCKnJTC8EihIRzI7vUnO11AWEhAcLKP9nvDw2uhKWORejlwupG4CDKvLjihuvC4K3OB0LGVe1eivnuCo3oDyC9oo7GDSxE93D6kukhnKN6EeDVQSjJmmPNNEoP9eX24Uy4TH9wOdBDL5FH7L=s699" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="699" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBHwZoMjvsOLUj1kMrbBzHUi4bmmOGxpleTirl8W1YvCKnJTC8EihIRzI7vUnO11AWEhAcLKP9nvDw2uhKWORejlwupG4CDKvLjihuvC4K3OB0LGVe1eivnuCo3oDyC9oo7GDSxE93D6kukhnKN6EeDVQSjJmmPNNEoP9eX24Uy4TH9wOdBDL5FH7L=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>William Henson and his Aerial Steam Carriage<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 43:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here Hiram Maxim’s huge 1893
flying machine is described as having a 180 hp steam engine driving one 18-foot
propeller. In fact, numerous photos
show that it had two such engines driving two 18-foot propellers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is important since the engines were to
be independently throttled to yaw the vehicle which, in conjunction with
dihedral on the outer wings, was <span>intended</span> to enable
turning. The vehicle was never flown
freely and this scheme was never validated. It also was the only prominent vehicle prior to the Wrights to feature
an adjustable <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">horizontal</span> forward surface or canard <span>(which
was also never used).</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #00b050;"> </span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Chapter 2</span></u></span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 65:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author credits the Wrights with
the “genius” that was “never more apparent” than in devising their wind tunnel
balance that, through a mysterious “cascading chain of forces”, could indicate
the relative magnitudes of the lift and drag forces on a miniature test section
of a wing. In fact, the device, indicating
lift versus drag, was simply a flexible parallelogram that was explained to
them by Dr. George Spratt during his visit to their Kitty Hawk test site during
the summer of 1901. Wilbur admitted
this in an October 16<sup>th</sup>, 1909 letter to Dr. Spratt, and Orville
admitted it in his sworn deposition for the 1920 Montgomery case.</span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLU4dMaMPDwfD2N5zTp7ydwZH-nlnIBoZk-wOvPqUdW2lNlVbFVIRvZeKo2cMjuSyX-OAWLxNgmSuUgBQBiuSEgaoZEt2WT6A0bA08Hp1QkQ5dN0N5nK4F1YeIwsqx9KnRrci3siHW4KXlmTBwqKixvqrmmH_xYTf2mUsCID1NH1dBesaN9l15eAYJ=s2288" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1240" data-original-width="2288" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLU4dMaMPDwfD2N5zTp7ydwZH-nlnIBoZk-wOvPqUdW2lNlVbFVIRvZeKo2cMjuSyX-OAWLxNgmSuUgBQBiuSEgaoZEt2WT6A0bA08Hp1QkQ5dN0N5nK4F1YeIwsqx9KnRrci3siHW4KXlmTBwqKixvqrmmH_xYTf2mUsCID1NH1dBesaN9l15eAYJ=w659-h356" width="659" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>George Spratt's visit to Kitty Hawk, 1901</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Wind blowing on the test wing would allow
it to pull the parallelogram to an angle, the <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">trigonometric tangent </span>of
which would yield the wing’s lift-to-drag ratio. The Wrights modified this design to show the force
on a test item versus the drag on flat plates perpendicular to the air flow. It appears the whole idea of a wind tunnel
was raised by Octave Chanute, Dr. Spratt, and Mr. Huffaker at Kitty Hawk during
their visit in 1901.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no record
of Orville or Wilbur even mentioning one before discussing it with Chanute and his
cohorts that summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chanute also showed
them detailed photos of wind tunnel components during that visit.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">On this same page the
author claims the Wrights “discovered” the proper wing camber and aspect ratio
with their wind tunnel. What they
discovered was that they had to abandon the totally inappropriate wing shapes
they had been using <span style="color: #385623; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">for two years </span>in an attempt to suppress the
instability caused by their canard. Instead,
to get sufficient lift they had to revert to the wing shapes that had been used
previously by Lilienthal and many others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They also admitted this in a <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/inventors/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/1905/Nov24-1905.html" target="_blank">November 24<sup>th</sup>, 1901 letter to Octave
Chanute.</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><b> </b></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYfRb82nhop-G7uN_H1HnVxt64fn90JBPeH1AopTv76c0fEik_pcpohwvsYOLC5qqOBv5IGbqSMj1fG2PNoTV_q8OZnGcwGsAeN3MuDT6zeE4fGyqhoGsEstcWfU8A1HS6YcymvooSpTwRyfZelViBL9IB_tCzHJVBsIMOCpObErlBYR7hOxdp-9Sl=s433" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="332" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYfRb82nhop-G7uN_H1HnVxt64fn90JBPeH1AopTv76c0fEik_pcpohwvsYOLC5qqOBv5IGbqSMj1fG2PNoTV_q8OZnGcwGsAeN3MuDT6zeE4fGyqhoGsEstcWfU8A1HS6YcymvooSpTwRyfZelViBL9IB_tCzHJVBsIMOCpObErlBYR7hOxdp-9Sl=w373-h488" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Wrights' letter to Octave Chanute<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 66:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here it is claimed that the
original 1902 glider “sport[ed] a rudder”. In fact, it did not. What it had
were two fixed vertical stabilizers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Only later, when it was found that this made the spin problems worse,
was it changed to one moveable vertical rudder. (A fixed <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">aft</span> surface is a
stabilizer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A moveable <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">one is </span>either
a rudder or elevator.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deflection of
that rudder kept the glider from spinning in when warping was used to correct
an inadvertent roll. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(See <i>The</i> <i>WRight
Story,</i> <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">Chapter IV, </span>or the discussion in the previous article concerning
page 112 of the book <i>“Visions of a Flying</i> <i>Machine”</i> for more
detail.)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM22p42kifEZOfBr-vux48QwngUzMe3hLckQ-KEEsJghcsD5OnS-pgJk5bHXvozXZCNANpUoSd_HA-5F3T3bYQ4uMaZKFigcUhi-9OaChsapXmGCRH8tqPSYpEDBnP-mJTupfyahTTGiQsoIUlhxlDX6P72Y_hUJ1hgWSnddA-Yox4OqYehSEvqwN4=s864" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="864" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjM22p42kifEZOfBr-vux48QwngUzMe3hLckQ-KEEsJghcsD5OnS-pgJk5bHXvozXZCNANpUoSd_HA-5F3T3bYQ4uMaZKFigcUhi-9OaChsapXmGCRH8tqPSYpEDBnP-mJTupfyahTTGiQsoIUlhxlDX6P72Y_hUJ1hgWSnddA-Yox4OqYehSEvqwN4=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The 1902 Wright glider.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 67:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> It is claimed that the Wrights’ first engine
developed 12 hp “after it had been running for a few minutes.” Actually, with only convective water cooling
and a poor oiling system, the first engine would overheat within little more
than two minutes of running.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 70:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> The ludicrous statement <span>attributed to Orville Wright by the <i>Dayton</i> <i>Journal</i>
in 1923 is presented, </span>claiming that the 1903 “Flyer” could have flown for
20 minutes at 1,000 feet of altitude. Not only would the engine have overheated and seized in little more than
a couple minutes, but the vehicle only had enough power to climb about half way
out of ground effect, i.e., only about 15 feet above the ground. And this vehicle could not be effectively controlled! It’s disturbing that the National Air and
Space Museum’s Curator for Aeronautics <span style="color: #385623; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">would write a book without being </span>aware of
any of this.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 81:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> The device that allowed the
Wrights to accomplish a successful test program at Huffman Prairie in 1904 and
1905, their catapult, is <span>mentioned, again </span>without
any credit whatsoever being given to Octave Chanute for introducing the concept
and basic design to the Wrights. This
suppression, or ignorance, of Chanute’s contributions to the Wright’s efforts (as
listed in the discussion in the <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-wrong-wright-story-series-visions.html" target="_blank">previous article</a> in this series regarding page
84 of the Jakab book) is universal with Wright authors, as is lack of recognition
of Chanute’s and Spratt’s contributions to their wind tunnel. These, and other such omissions, are used to
build the myth of the Wrights’ legendary “genius” enabling them to <span style="mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 128;">see the
solution to </span>every problem they encountered completely on their own.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Further along on
page 81, disconnecting the rudder from the warping control to enable maneuvers
is mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span>Their
</span>1903 aircraft couldn’t lift itself off of the ground on its own,
couldn’t climb even half way out of ground effect, damaged itself in half of
its landings, was totally unstable, couldn’t be controlled or turned, and had
an engine that couldn’t run more than two minutes. <span>But by </span>October
of 1905 they had developed an airplane that could be catapulted into the air
with no headwind, could climb out of ground effect with an engine that could
run over a half hour until fuel depletion, was much less unstable and could be
kept under control, could be turned at will, and could be landed without damage. <span style="mso-themecolor: accent1;">In this book this is all </span>attributed to “growing experience in
the air”. Nothing is mentioned of having had to lengthen
and strengthen the airframe, completely change the balance of the machine,
changing <span>wing</span> anhedral to dihedral, changing
size, location, loading, and pivoting of the canard, devising aerodynamic
turning aids, also creating cooling, an oiling system, and the fuel feed and
mixing systems of the engine, and going through numerous propeller
designs. To say nothing of numerous
crashes, busting up airframes, wings, propellers, even engines, along with a few
minor injuries to themselves. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO7fuzTMIE-y--O1hDDZ0d-UdAg7nEgDogfiVcle-AWDeqsNNzhZnmWrWNnC3_hOAsWH8lYbEOrbRn60j62_FKAYPhW2gNXiGNMbp4C20DRs0fmJm8Yq0_SYcAP4NtVRdWXKYeMeub_x_Wrza-FNJtjz1g-rW2qhr6_jOiFGDBcMtznePLN0OVq8CQ=s949" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="949" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiO7fuzTMIE-y--O1hDDZ0d-UdAg7nEgDogfiVcle-AWDeqsNNzhZnmWrWNnC3_hOAsWH8lYbEOrbRn60j62_FKAYPhW2gNXiGNMbp4C20DRs0fmJm8Yq0_SYcAP4NtVRdWXKYeMeub_x_Wrza-FNJtjz1g-rW2qhr6_jOiFGDBcMtznePLN0OVq8CQ=w640-h145" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left: Wilbur with the 1903 Wright Flyer; Right: the 1905 Wright Flyer III<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><br /></b></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">I understand a
book that purports to cover the entire evolution of flight up to the present
day must take occasional shortcuts. But
two years of testing, <span>modification, and results were
just </span><span>summarized</span> here in one
paragraph.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 124:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> The erroneous and demeaning
assertion is made that the Wrights “were far less interested in scientific
theory or the fundamental physical principals underlying flight”. The author of <i>Visions</i> made the same
assertion <span>in person, </span>putting it more strongly by
saying that “They were engineers, not scientists”. Obviously, these history majors don’t
appreciate what it takes to do competent professional aircraft <span>design</span> engineering.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">The Wrights thought
they understood the physical principles involved. That is what distinguished them from most of
their predecessors. Unfortunately, in
some cases they were wrong, <span>including the physics
principal most basic to their airplane:</span> how a cambered wing generates
lift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is verified by a number of
their writings, including their major patent, <span><span>giving
erroneous explanations of lift. </span> </span>And they paid dearly for that mistake,
largely wasting their first two years of development work and testing, and
adopting a configuration that soon put them behind their competition.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigmA14CoRMCoLoHjqX9_qf5K0f4LFiZawuOFtiY-v20UX-tsCBIXa1rSHbEh0Od7pNK-Q47aThQA8QJPL1gLgoRH6j_vzEHfVKcM36OCa-NHQm6DKLKFzRL4YGiIhNTYoDRkma3J4eVzW1d1t2-qIUMuZvoBxpBhdMdXL9dGIr5TGBfqqzOtKiZUe2=s3621" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2981" data-original-width="3621" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigmA14CoRMCoLoHjqX9_qf5K0f4LFiZawuOFtiY-v20UX-tsCBIXa1rSHbEh0Od7pNK-Q47aThQA8QJPL1gLgoRH6j_vzEHfVKcM36OCa-NHQm6DKLKFzRL4YGiIhNTYoDRkma3J4eVzW1d1t2-qIUMuZvoBxpBhdMdXL9dGIr5TGBfqqzOtKiZUe2=w640-h526" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Wright's 1908 patent designs<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">In the next two
paragraphs the author goes even further into unfamiliar territory, claiming that
engineers don’t agree on how a horizontal spinning cylinder generates
lift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then goes on to settle this
dispute for them by giving an explanation without mentioning boundary layers or
stagnation points, key elements to understanding the phenomenon. Perhaps the <span>“engineers”
</span>advising him should go back to their first semester aerodynamic texts -
if indeed any of them <span>ever did study </span>aerodynamics.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Pages 134 & 135:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> The expenditures by
various countries on aviation up to WWI are listed showing the United States
ranked fourteenth behind such countries as Chile and Bulgaria. But no mention is made of this <span>largely</span> being due to the Wrights stifling the
development of aviation in the U.S. with their various patent suits and legal
actions. Much of this was enabled by
judgements from the notoriously inept and corrupt New York District Judge John
R. Hazel. They were demanding 10
percent royalties from any airplane related incomes, including exhibitions, and
20 percent from their only real competitor, the Curtiss company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did the Wrights suppress aircraft
production and development <span>in</span> <span>the U.S., </span>but even basic aviation research in academia
was largely eliminated because of the resulting lack of industry interest or
funding for such research.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf0ishpIwq4nXuHbQhQCvvWjrDPK6JVgq2KAMUQ-lgjhRYk5oLfh2aG2B7x48xLgIOg2Le8EXZmXoUa8qoP2TwRhTEGyNwRGFU1VIdVRnyBWj_Q26Z6MFbFZQF1Un3bGf9wQukCuWQggcSvf5asDb-SOJ2cn7SvgTqBVbCs4s7bSgz1JW1IIZleQL4=s1278" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="970" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf0ishpIwq4nXuHbQhQCvvWjrDPK6JVgq2KAMUQ-lgjhRYk5oLfh2aG2B7x48xLgIOg2Le8EXZmXoUa8qoP2TwRhTEGyNwRGFU1VIdVRnyBWj_Q26Z6MFbFZQF1Un3bGf9wQukCuWQggcSvf5asDb-SOJ2cn7SvgTqBVbCs4s7bSgz1JW1IIZleQL4=w486-h640" width="486" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Judge John R. Hazel<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> <br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">How ironic that
the very guys that, up through 1908, had put the U.S. first in the world in
aircraft development, managed in the next five years to drag the U.S. down to a
handful of uncompetitive unserviceable military airplanes while the major
European nations each had hundreds of modern capable combat aircraft. In fact, the original Wright Company only
lasted five years, and the second, the Dayton Wright Company, only survived WWI
by building a <span>faulty</span> British design under
license.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Page 147:</span></u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> For some <span>unstated</span> reason the Wrights’ commercial failure is primarily
attributed by this author to their pusher propeller designs having the
propellers located behind the wings. This is odd since the success of everything from the Republic Seabee to
the Convair B-36, the U.S.’s first true intercontinental bomber, would indicate
otherwise. <span>Hundreds
of </span>B-36’s were produced, constituting, along with B-47’s, the U.S. strategic
nuclear deterrent from the late 1940’s through the 1950’s. Obviously its six huge pusher propellers
were no impediment to its success.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4cpHcd0x4RQ5tTEqjRRmEbUGGbyxU7vGYFKcVsux0ZVrKkK55RlwVxMvZzaJeD08rsyxHk3xN1ygg7dvd-F0ig0kNeLHxMZcU3uA4dED3FeGzHM8zjq4RJc6Mbbb6S8j-eXvDHOX1WEV5RWR5dTnPBVKkxVaHj1BZqipioR0AwMvkdXsFcUEUtsUP=s1174" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="1174" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4cpHcd0x4RQ5tTEqjRRmEbUGGbyxU7vGYFKcVsux0ZVrKkK55RlwVxMvZzaJeD08rsyxHk3xN1ygg7dvd-F0ig0kNeLHxMZcU3uA4dED3FeGzHM8zjq4RJc6Mbbb6S8j-eXvDHOX1WEV5RWR5dTnPBVKkxVaHj1BZqipioR0AwMvkdXsFcUEUtsUP=w640-h208" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Republic Seavee and Convair B-36</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">No mention is made
of early Wright aircraft’s lack of wheels complicating ground handling and
requiring a rail and large catapult for launching, canard induced stability
problems, warp-induced spins, no useful load capability, and a disproportionate
share of crashes and crew deaths. These
deficiencies rendered Wright airplanes essentially useless for the military,
the first large American user of aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the time the Wrights eliminated these problems the rest of the
aircraft industry had left them far behind.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: times;"><u><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">Summary</span></u></span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>Wings</i> was an
ambitious undertaking, attempting to cover over two centuries of aircraft
development and production in 725 pages. Over 100 contributors are listed in the Acknowledgments. However, again, as with <i>Visions,</i> the
last book reviewed, only very few of these contributors were ostensibly
qualified to contribute any technical assistance, and these people apparently had
woefully inadequate knowledge of the Wrights.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;">As would
be expected in a Smithsonian book of this scope, many hundreds of notes were
listed at the back. However, only one of
the comments made in this summary pertains to a passage in <i>Wings</i> supported by any of
these references, that to an article in the Dayton Journal in 1923 quoting a
universally discredited statement by Orville Wright.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It</span> appears this
author relied heavily upon the advice of the author of <i>Visions of a Flying
Machine </i>since a number of the same <span>exaggerations
and </span>errors appear in both books. Also familiar is the technique of replacing research with assumptions <span>and opinions. </span>One
would expect more <span>on such an important subject</span>
from the highest level of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. </span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Any book of this
scope would, of <span>necessity, omit much </span>detail. But that does not excuse the inclusion of
incorrect information, particularly on what is universally considered the
origin of the entire technology and industry. This is particularly unfortunate since so many “aviation historians” have
relied on this material as the basis<span> for </span>their
work.</span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><br /><br />Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-60204517709310353052021-09-19T18:10:00.006-07:002021-11-14T14:11:44.172-08:00The Wrong Wright Story Series: Visions of a Flying Machine II (Part 2)<h2 style="text-align: center;"><u>The Wrong Wright Story 2</u></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">Peter Jakab's<i> Visions of a Flying Machine</i> </h2><h3 style="text-align: center;">Part II of a critique by Joe Bullmer<br /></h3><h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Introduction to Part II</u><br /></h4><p>The <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-wrong-wright-story-2-visions-of.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">previous article</a> in truthinaviationhistory discussed the first four chapters of the book <i>Visions of a Flying Machine </i>by <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/people/staff/peter-jakab" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Peter Jakab</a>. In this article, the subsequent six chapters of that book are critiqued. The article begins with a listing of the largely overlooked, but well documented and vital contributions to the Wrights' efforts made by Octave Chanute. The damage done to the historical record by <i>Visions</i> is summarized at the end of this article.</p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_bH3FxVbS79TXOa4ziGfZo0jzA96cCetc7tJZp8MxlbCqQCO_S6YB8Kwml_b6AJ5L0NoM0WH8SDM7RqmYUpkGFiHkcK_wkQZr2QYLQv65P8S8e2NSXk7k0dAa6e2DXrHVznKtCxk-iU/s488/visionscoverandchanute.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="488" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_bH3FxVbS79TXOa4ziGfZo0jzA96cCetc7tJZp8MxlbCqQCO_S6YB8Kwml_b6AJ5L0NoM0WH8SDM7RqmYUpkGFiHkcK_wkQZr2QYLQv65P8S8e2NSXk7k0dAa6e2DXrHVznKtCxk-iU/w675-h482/visionscoverandchanute.jpg" width="675" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left: Peter Jakab’s Visions of a Flying Machine. Right: The Wrights’ mentor, Octave Chanute.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div> </div>
<div> <u><b>Chapter 5: "Riding the Winds"</b></u>
<div>
<p><u>Page 84:</u> The Wrights’ relationship with Octave Chanute is discussed by saying that “Chanute provided the Wrights with little genuine technical assistance and few if any useful theoretical ideas.” This egregious falsehood is exactly opposite of the truth. According to records of their correspondence, Chanute provided the Wrights with, or alerted them to:</p>
<ul>
<li>His 1894 book that was the basis for their study of earlier works.</li>
<li>Realizing the biggest problem remaining to be solved was control.</li>
<li>The need to master control with gliders before adding power.</li>
<li>Trussed biplane wing construction.</li>
<li>First testing gliders unmanned with tethering lines.</li>
<li>The best gliding areas are the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas.</li>
<li>His cohorts (<a href="https://faculty.etsu.edu/gardnerr/wright-brothers/huffaker.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Huffaker</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070116080455/http://www.georgespratt.org/index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Spratt</a>) who showed the Wrights the reversal of the center of lift’s movement.</li>
<li>Doing tests with a wind tunnel to determine better wing shapes.</li>
<li>Photos of wind tunnels and the design of their lift balance.</li>
<li>The basic design of a falling weight catapult enabling testing near Dayton and flying for the next six years.</li>
</ul>
<p>In fact, it is evident that without these inputs the Wrights may well not have succeeded. If they did it would have taken them far longer, which may well have denied them the reputation of being the first to accomplish powered, manned flight.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuMuF1IJIZVl_Kkhg7K7sLW1SzSGwtRkoCVpPc6m4zx8Jj9oQWnGdLCTedxkdB_XE13tY6FAI7KN7e4nrQwDdxuyIoSdA_piPD1KYZ5RiRVFpztdX-rQS_CFaHQfdtKfoqvkcWvDsA3o/s1368/progresscover2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="952" height="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSuMuF1IJIZVl_Kkhg7K7sLW1SzSGwtRkoCVpPc6m4zx8Jj9oQWnGdLCTedxkdB_XE13tY6FAI7KN7e4nrQwDdxuyIoSdA_piPD1KYZ5RiRVFpztdX-rQS_CFaHQfdtKfoqvkcWvDsA3o/w503-h720/progresscover2.jpg" width="503" /></a></div>
<br /> <u>Page 110:</u> The claim is made that the wing tests at Kitty Hawk “confirmed their earlier assumption regarding the reversal of the center of pressure [lift].” As previously discussed in relation to page 65, the Wrights did not have an “earlier assumption regarding the reversal of the center of pressure”. They admitted that the Kitty Hawk tests suggested to them by Huffaker and Spratt in 1901 showing the reversal of center of pressure movement came as a complete surprise to them.
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMa2CRGim4UT1wBSU0xBYbW9-WzujNhAwH6a8YXv6VliRupJsxO-J5N6rj9hcNdMv2YqpATnf5LVwcRq_YwaFyg02V2KHdN_JsBBWJpzx3V3RqVjHSUp327KxvKLzgayZg7BEVLm6qiI/s700/spratthuffaker.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="700" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEMa2CRGim4UT1wBSU0xBYbW9-WzujNhAwH6a8YXv6VliRupJsxO-J5N6rj9hcNdMv2YqpATnf5LVwcRq_YwaFyg02V2KHdN_JsBBWJpzx3V3RqVjHSUp327KxvKLzgayZg7BEVLm6qiI/w654-h406/spratthuffaker.jpg" width="654" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Left: Dr. George Spratt (photo from the Harold E. Morehouse Flying
Pioneers Biographies collection in the NASA archives); Right: Edward
Huffaker</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><u>Page 112:</u> Here, the author’s shoddy research has led countless subsequent authors and historians into an unintended error. A discussion on the Wrights’ problem with wing warping drag is opened by saying “Wilbur took the next step and attempted to make an intentional turn with wing warping.” In fact, the Wrights, particularly Orville in his <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.04099/?sp=2" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1920 deposition</a>, made it perfectly clear that they were not attempting turns at Kitty Hawk, but rather were simply trying to maintain heading and avoid spins while correcting inadvertent banking when they ran into the problem.</p>
<p>They had put anhedral or droop into their wings to facilitate traversing a hill without getting rolled and blown sideways into it. Unfortunately anhedral made their gliders unstable in roll since the higher wing would develop more lift than the low one. But when they used warping to bring the glider back level, the downward warp on the low wing gave that wing substantially more drag causing it to drag back and slow down so much that it actually lost lift. This made the vehicle spin and roll further into the bank rather than level out.</p>
<p>Describing this problem in his 1920 deposition, Orville testified that “Sometimes in warping the wings to <b>restore lateral balance…”</b> In another reference to roll control he stated “When the wings were warped in an attempt to <b>recover lateral balance…”</b> On page three of their <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/WrightUSPatent/WrightPatent.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1906 patent,</a> it says “…owing to various conditions of wind pressure and other causes, the body of the machine is apt to become unbalanced laterally…. The provision we have just described [wing warping with coordinated rudder] enables the operator to meet this difficulty and to <b>preserve the lateral balance</b> of the machine.” Nowhere does their 1906 patent address turning.</p>
<p>The Wrights also describe their glider spinning into the lower lagging wing and auguring it into the sand. The Wrights referred to this as “well digging”. Had they been trying to turn, the vehicle would have slipped straight toward the other side, which it didn’t.</p>
<p>Actually, with the rudder mechanically connected to the wing warping, and only deflecting enough to keep the 1902 vehicle going straight, both it and the 1903 Flyer couldn’t turn. In fact, the Wrights were only able to make turns after they disconnected the rudder from warping in 1905. However this error in the book, along with laziness and/or lack of understanding by subsequent authors and historians, has perpetrated to this day the myth of the Wrights practicing intentional turns at Kitty Hawk.</p>
<h4><b><u>Chapter 6: "Seeking Answers: The Wrights Build a Wind Tunnel" </u></b></h4>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOFk5QSKyfLdJP4x6QNkD92jthAGWWNnZGQ8nzMLwfGRLqcvPHUM6WjBSkwcDSJyD_HupImskS8NBNDLBj3gtYCAU2KtB7THQS6T6mhdxgJnTj6aRWbn9ybGrDtpJzcpx0yGmgBTf0Q4/s400/reproduction.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="400" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOFk5QSKyfLdJP4x6QNkD92jthAGWWNnZGQ8nzMLwfGRLqcvPHUM6WjBSkwcDSJyD_HupImskS8NBNDLBj3gtYCAU2KtB7THQS6T6mhdxgJnTj6aRWbn9ybGrDtpJzcpx0yGmgBTf0Q4/w633-h396/reproduction.jpg" width="633" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A 1949 reproduction of the Wright Wind Tunnel by the National Cash Register company</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p><u>Page 119:</u> This chapter launches into a two-chapter discussion of what was supposedly wrong with <a href="https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/otto-lilienthal-%E2%80%93-the-glider-king/zQISgZQL4oVkIw" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lilienthal’s</a> lift data to cause the Wrights to have lifting problems in 1900 and 1901. Right away it erroneously states that they used Lilienthal’s incorrect value of Smeaton’s coefficient for both of these vehicles. This is obviously wrong since wing area is proportional to Smeaton’s, and the ’01 vehicle had twice the wing area of the ’00.</p>
<p>This two-chapter discussion of what was “wrong” with Lilienthal’s data and how the Wrights “corrected” it with their wind tunnel, includes a whole series of falsehoods that have been repeated <i>ad infinitum</i> by authors and “experts” for over 30 years. The first blunder is saying that Lilienthal used Smeaton’s coefficient to calculate his lift coefficients from the equation</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRdkfwK_gAWSFkcJKXGCOzywGfofPmBYZY50X4zFRXtE-atTFS9I5BF90GiAljbYADwR42zIsyyw-4rcC2W1tPxVrRqlVn1Gmc3q7GxI2s4KcxxY8py5Vg1VdEZeiPaeI6O8pXwDOePU/s1673/Smeaton.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="1673" height="74" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRdkfwK_gAWSFkcJKXGCOzywGfofPmBYZY50X4zFRXtE-atTFS9I5BF90GiAljbYADwR42zIsyyw-4rcC2W1tPxVrRqlVn1Gmc3q7GxI2s4KcxxY8py5Vg1VdEZeiPaeI6O8pXwDOePU/w642-h74/Smeaton.jpg" width="642" /></a></div>
<p>This is absolutely wrong since, as evident in Lilienthal’s book, <i><a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bga-sg-archive/Books/BIRDFLIGHT%20AS%20THE%20BASIS%20OF%20AVIATION.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation</a>,</i> he simply compared the lift on his wing sections at various angles of attack to their drag at 90 degrees. Since, at that time, the drag coefficient of any plate at 90 degrees was taken to be 1.0, the ratio of the pressures was the lift coefficient directly.</p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4RV0CgwUxtG8G3hTNW9BWOjr8yR1aU3Ls0NmjyOIv93wX010UdHDH1j02kiA0YVuhei2-0B5zOX6UaG-B2n2l31h4GY-nQVQjunZANRXHm_HtWZa9QpOlxc7l0669YGvQ4WjURWQX7o/s885/lilienthal+triple+glider.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="885" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib4RV0CgwUxtG8G3hTNW9BWOjr8yR1aU3Ls0NmjyOIv93wX010UdHDH1j02kiA0YVuhei2-0B5zOX6UaG-B2n2l31h4GY-nQVQjunZANRXHm_HtWZa9QpOlxc7l0669YGvQ4WjURWQX7o/w616-h484/lilienthal+triple+glider.jpg" width="616" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lilienthal's glider. Photo from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Otto-Lilienthal#/media/1/340975/99638" rel="noopener" target="_blank">britannica.com</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<i></i>
<p>The next blunder was spending pages on what was wrong with the whirling arm device used back then by many experimenters to calculate lifting data. As its name implies, a long arm went round and round with a test section on its tip. Obviously the test section was (without a breeze) continually passing through its own wake of turbulent air which could cause errors. Lilienthal did use a 25-foot diameter whirling arm to calculate some of his data. However he also did tests in steady natural wind with no turbulence. Both of these data were plotted as “Plates” at the back of <a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bga-sg-archive/Books/BIRDFLIGHT%20AS%20THE%20BASIS%20OF%20AVIATION.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Lilienthal’s book</a>.</p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1L-003HN68l3WuHwtTtr4A4SirXiPcJvabe0J-zKsODJNDQoIlqBaxKfIH55Wl2vb-wExlLbImyB9k6MUNjtRX7MYDPnO-ZnK4p4N4HQ0kiYfUubXAR19CQAttKU-7j1lt6QrYcLKcY/s512/lilienthal+whirling+arm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="512" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1L-003HN68l3WuHwtTtr4A4SirXiPcJvabe0J-zKsODJNDQoIlqBaxKfIH55Wl2vb-wExlLbImyB9k6MUNjtRX7MYDPnO-ZnK4p4N4HQ0kiYfUubXAR19CQAttKU-7j1lt6QrYcLKcY/w625-h448/lilienthal+whirling+arm.jpg" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lilienthal's whirling arm device.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<i><br /></i>
Later Lilienthal took the tabular data of lift coefficients for one of these plots and <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/LilienthalMuseum/library/Lilienthal_Practical_Exp.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">published it</a> in James Means’ <i>Aeronautical Annual</i>. Anyone willing to go through the trouble to compare all of the table entries to the corresponding points on the plots in the back of Lilienthal’s book can see that the tabular data, which is all the Wrights had, exactly corresponds only to the points on the plot for a natural steady straight smooth wind. So, contrary to assertions in the subject book, the data the Wrights used had nothing to do with a whirling arm, or Smeaton’s coefficient.
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAYlYCkHY-3uGhNo6U4mabNWHTok54Ia9Ad-edPNAziImoVhXWzaDqs1SWsItJ0ZRSWQciYEg0VORPkZtduw2RllZfozpVM6RM9-UoYtdS4ejYV-hiFPXeakCDkxxrLnv_35kEmoB1QU/s2048/aeroannual.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="2048" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJAYlYCkHY-3uGhNo6U4mabNWHTok54Ia9Ad-edPNAziImoVhXWzaDqs1SWsItJ0ZRSWQciYEg0VORPkZtduw2RllZfozpVM6RM9-UoYtdS4ejYV-hiFPXeakCDkxxrLnv_35kEmoB1QU/w648-h388/aeroannual.webp" width="648" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>James Means' </i>Aeronautical Annual</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p>Along with a lengthy discussion of the Wrights’ wind tunnel (we’ll get to that in a moment) the author spends a substantial part of the next 30 pages trying to say what could cause errors in Lilienthal’s data without actually determining anything. He uses the terms “could have”, “might”, “if”, “could be misleading”, “problems”, and “may have’s” without ever reaching a conclusion. The author’s task is made worthless by the fact that the Wrights admitted in a November 24, 1901 addition to a letter to Chanute (originally dated November 22, 1901) that the errors causing poor lift were theirs, not Lilienthal’s, and that there was nothing really wrong with Lilienthal’s data.<br /><br /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs61hkTcChxlCji4jscYiDpLJIt1JP_k1bitQAW_VZHfJtctqyaBA36Fwqa77BhzdIqgkBKzNcUZcoQBUV2FBgrTCl2w67q8KQJ9bIeVfhpPZFrp39vg2tqzvPU4IVBvfX4xN6JHYeFU/s1253/windtunneldiagrams.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1253" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs61hkTcChxlCji4jscYiDpLJIt1JP_k1bitQAW_VZHfJtctqyaBA36Fwqa77BhzdIqgkBKzNcUZcoQBUV2FBgrTCl2w67q8KQJ9bIeVfhpPZFrp39vg2tqzvPU4IVBvfX4xN6JHYeFU/w662-h250/windtunneldiagrams.jpg" width="662" /></a></p>
<br /><u>Page 124:</u> Near the bottom of this page we are told that “the Wrights’ wind tunnel work best demonstrates their brilliance as engineers”. No mention is made of the fact that the idea and design of the tunnel was discussed with the Wrights by Chanute and his cohorts, <a href="https://faculty.etsu.edu/gardnerr/wright-brothers/huffaker.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Huffaker</a> and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070116080455/http://www.georgespratt.org/index.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Spratt</a>, at Kitty Hawk. In fact, the subject was probably brought up by the Wrights’ guests since there is no mention anywhere of a tunnel by either of the brothers before then. As previously mentioned, during the summer of 1901, Chanute showed the Wrights photos of existing wind tunnels, and Spratt gave them the design of their “ingenious” and “inventive” lift balance with which to take test measurements.<br />
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr4Z5G4oxpdLvewqgIztGVsAbqezpSUyhoeOmYOYhG15mLZ5DsRhzCLLDpyVRBT_0BKnbedie2DMJN4kY-mbGoLfkc7K4JSvi9Qv9OcdsDhDDdwyaMe5JK-tWOnfc1GPlDwSifeMjsmE/s640/kittyhawkvisitors.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="640" height="461" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr4Z5G4oxpdLvewqgIztGVsAbqezpSUyhoeOmYOYhG15mLZ5DsRhzCLLDpyVRBT_0BKnbedie2DMJN4kY-mbGoLfkc7K4JSvi9Qv9OcdsDhDDdwyaMe5JK-tWOnfc1GPlDwSifeMjsmE/w570-h461/kittyhawkvisitors.jpg" width="570" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Visitors to Kitty Hawk: l-r Octave Chanute, Orville Wright, Edward C. Huffaker, and Wilbur Wright.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br />
</div><div>
<p>In a <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/Oct16-1901.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">letter to Chanute</a> from October 16<sup>th</sup>, 1901, Wilbur refers to the photos, and in a <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.03222/?sp=9" rel="noopener" target="_blank">letter to Dr. Spratt</a> from October 16<sup>th</sup>, 1909, he discussed Spratt’s lift balance and claims he will be sure to give Spratt his due credit for the idea in the future. Orville also mentioned that the lift balance was Spratt’s idea in his sworn deposition for the 1920 Montgomery court case.</p>
<p>Throughout just this one chapter he lavishes gushing adjectives and phrases on the Wrights, including “imaginative, clever, conceptualizing, genius, marvels, ingenious, incredibly impressive, amazing, sophistication, inventive, visualizing, think through a problem clearly, and technical skill.” He even, on page 135, gives the Wrights credit for devising the scheme of calculating lift coefficients from force ratios and thus avoiding the use of the controversial Smeaton’s coefficient, not realizing, as was just discussed, that is exactly how Lilienthal did it ten years earlier.</p>
<p><u>Page 144:</u> Here the erroneous claim that Lilienthal’s lift coefficients were wrong is repeated. A blunder trifecta is completed by repeating his claims that Lilienthal used a whirling arm and an incorrect Smeaton’s coefficient to generate the lift coefficients the Wrights used</p>
<p><u>Page 146</u>: A plot of the Lilienthal lift coefficients versus angle of attack is presented along with the Wright data for a similar wing. This clearly shows that the data are basically coincident at the angles used in flight, and that Lilienthal’s data are more consistent than are the Wrights’ data. Not questioning the validity of his previous claims, the author merely attributes this data agreement to coincidence.</p>
<p><u>Pages 147 & 148:</u> Here the author goes completely off the rails again saying that “Lilienthal’s….table had an even greater drawback” in that it could only be used for one wing shape! This statement is nothing short of bizarre. That is the purpose of lift coefficients, to express the different performances of differently shaped wings of the same size at the same flight conditions. This statement is exactly equivalent to saying that Volkswagen wheels are no good since they won’t work on a dump truck, or the recipe book has a drawback in that it calls for different temperatures or baking times for different dishes.</p>
<p><u>Page 149:</u> While he’s out of his element, the author calls the fact that Lilienthal’s lift coefficient data can only be used for one given airfoil or wing shape a “stumbling block” and a “pitfall”. But farther down the page he magnanimously forgives Lilienthal’s “mistakes” because of all his “contributions to the advancement of aeronautics.”</p>
<p><u>Page 150:</u> Here, after having sung their praises in previous chapters, the author finally acknowledges that the 1900 and 1901 Wright gliders had inadequate lift.</p>
<p><u>Page 152:</u> The subject of induced drag is raised and the author ascribes the improved efficiency of the 1902 wings to an improved camber or curvature shape. Although the Wrights’ camber change probably changed lift coefficient somewhat, the vast majority of the reduction in induced drag was due to their more than doubling the aspect ratio from 1901 to 1902.</p>
<p><u>Page 153:</u> The Wrights’ discovery of the significance of aspect ratio is mentioned here with no recognition that this was known by George Cayley a century earlier, and by many aviators in between. The Wrights could have learned this, years earlier, simply by reading. He also fails to mention that, along with changing their wing camber shape to much like that used by their more successful predecessors, they also changed their wing’s aspect ratio from 3.1 to 6.5, exactly the value used by Lilienthal on his test wings.</p>
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<i></i>
<p><u>Page 156:</u> Reprinted here is Orville’s boast about how their predecessors were so ignorant of camber that they all used highly inefficient shapes and none had developed good data. Orville wrote “we possessed in 1902 more data on cambered surfaces, a hundred times over, than all of our predecessors put together.” Unfortunately this author, and apparently all others, are unaware that although the Wrights may have had more data that any others, they totally failed to understand the basic aerodynamic principal that caused their data</p>
<p>But their predecessors, Augustus Herring, Horatio Phillips, and Otto Lilienthal, did understand lift. They all knew that the primary cause of lift on a cambered wing was lowered pressures on its upper surface. The Wrights thought it was all due to pressure on the bottom of a wing that met the flow at a positive angle. In fact, that’s why they always used the term “center of pressure” (on the bottom of the wing) instead of center of lift (on the top surface).</p>
<p>In their 1906 patent they stated that their aircraft were “…supported in the air by reason of the contact between the air and the <b><i>under surface</i></b> of one or more aeroplanes [wings], the contact surface being presented at a small angle of incidence to the air.” They thought the only purpose of camber was to allow the wind to impact the forward upper surface of the wing to keep it from flipping over backwards. They held this erroneous belief for years after creating their powered airplanes.</p>
<h4><u><b>Chapter 8: "'We Now Hold All Records!'"</b><br /></u></h4>
<p><u>Page 175:</u> The author claims that the moveable rudder “provide[s] another instance of the presence of visual thinking in the Wrights’ inventive method.” Unfortunately their “visual thinking” did not recognize the problem of warp induced yaw beforehand, and that the fixed rudder, which they tried first, would make the problem worse.</p>
<h4><u><b>Chapter 9: "The Dream Fulfilled"</b><br /></u></h4>
<p><u>Page 184:</u> Yet another example of careless research is the claim that, in <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/WrightUSPatent/WrightPatent.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the Wrights’ first patent</a> granted in 1906 “No mention of power is made in the claims.” In fact on page 1, lines 12-15, the patent states “….[the] aeroplanes [wings] are moved through the air edgewise at a small angle of incidence either <b>by the</b><b>application of mechanical power</b> or by the utilization of the force of gravity.”</p>
<p><u>Page 186:</u> Another try at belittling Octave Chanute is made by claiming that his statement that three-axis control was “ancient and well known” showed “almost unfathomable ignorance on the part of Chanute.” This claim actually shows “unfathomable ignorance” of the history of flight by a Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The concept of three-axis control was evident in a few glider concepts and vehicles, including Professor John Montgomery’s in the 1880s and going as far back as Le Bris’ 1857 glider which had wing warping and moveable horizontal and vertical tail surfaces. Moreover, the argument can be made that the Wrights didn’t actually have three-axis control until 1905 since their earlier vehicles all had vertical rudders only as an adjunct to wing warping to make the roll control work as intended. Those vehicles could only erratically control pitch and recover from inadvertent rolls, but could not intentionally execute turns.</p>
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<i></i>
<p><u>Page 189:</u> We are told how Wilbur and Orville “cleverly used their tables…and lift and drag equations to determine the ….power requirements for the aircraft.” Unfortunately they were only “clever” enough to do it for level ground skimming flight. They did not heed warnings going all the way back to Cayley a century earlier, that an airplane would need additional power for taking off and climbing away from the ground. As a result, their aircraft could not “raise itself by its own power into the air” as they so proudly claimed in their post-1903 statements. In fact, their airplanes could not climb out of ground effect until 1905, and could not achieve flight without the help of strong headwinds or a catapult until late 1910, long after numerous other aircraft were routinely doing so.</p>
<p><u>Pages 194-198:</u> On these pages the Wrights are lauded for making the “intellectual leap” that a propeller was just a wing moving in a spiral pattern and thus needed to be made up of cambered sections twisted as they went out from the hub to account for their increasing speeds through the air. Actually, this exact concept was presented to the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain in 1885 by Sidney Hollands and published in the U.S. by Chanute in February, 1893. (See the previous article <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2020/01/propelled-to-absurd-heights.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Propelled to Absurd Heights</i></a> by Paul Jackson in the January 26<sup>th</sup>, 2020 posting of this blog.)</p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaNf9towQApjSO2BjCW2iYpHHSAmy0k2IH0BOSx1JbAGekbC4PqCOBNDPKYQhluJ21AL20UBOj57v1Xlx7dYX7N0RKL12kWq_2uTGxJwyfS0clpXFHb7NkjrlpUBC8J2YZU33X231Lsk/s1313/sidneyhollands.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1313" data-original-width="865" height="758" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpaNf9towQApjSO2BjCW2iYpHHSAmy0k2IH0BOSx1JbAGekbC4PqCOBNDPKYQhluJ21AL20UBOj57v1Xlx7dYX7N0RKL12kWq_2uTGxJwyfS0clpXFHb7NkjrlpUBC8J2YZU33X231Lsk/w500-h758/sidneyhollands.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sidney Hollands, pioneer of the modern propeller</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<i></i>
<p>In fact, Hollands went the Wrights one better by also pointing out that the blades should be tapered as they progressed out from the hub to minimize bending loads and aerodynamic tip losses. It was primarily the increasing blade widths of the Wrights’ propellers that limited their efficiencies to around 65 percent. It may well also be this excessive tip loading that contributed to one splitting and causing Orville to crash during a 1908 demonstration at Ft Myer, killing Lt. Tom Selfridge and braking Orville’s back.</p>
<p><u>Page 206:</u> The assertion is made that the Wrights use of a 60-foot launching rail would “make it clear that the [1903] takeoff[s] had been unassisted, allaying any possible doubts that the Flyer had made a true flight.” However the author says nothing about the fact that at Kitty Hawk, on the morning of December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903, the 27 mph headwind with gusts even higher, supplied at least 90 percent of the airspeed, and over 80 percent of the lift required to get the Flyer into the air. It was almost flying sitting still without the engine and propellers turning. In fact, later that day the unattended vehicle did just that, the wind raising it up and rolling it over, destroying it. It would seem this wind constituted an essential assist and could raise, in Jakab’s words, “doubts that the Flyer had made a true flight.”</p>
<h4><u><b>Chapter 10: "The Meaning of Invention"</b><br /></u></h4>
<p><u>Page 213:</u> Although previous chapters lauded the Wrights’ “three-axis control” as enabling their 1902 glider to make turns, here that is directly contradicted by stating that “Before marketing their invention was possible, they would have to be able to make turns”. The author correctly points out that this was the purpose of their testing in 1904 and 1905 at Huffman Prairie, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he has made yet another contradiction within his own book.</p>
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<p><u>Page 217:</u> After spending the whole book describing the Wrights’ fabulously inventive genius, the book winds up by saying on the last page that “with the exception of the propellers, there was nothing fundamentally original about the way in which the 1903 machine was designed”. But as a last treat, two paragraphs down the author yet again demonstrates a somewhat schizophrenic style by following that statement with “they invented a fundamentally new technology.”</p>
<h4><b><u>Summary</u></b></h4>
<p>At this point I am somewhat at a loss for words to conclude this review. Not only is this the most inaccurate and confused book on the Wrights I have ever read, it is also possibly the most inaccurate record of technological history. And it was written by an Associate Director of the World’s premier aviation museum along with the help of some supposedly qualified technical contributors. Possibly some pressing deadline was imposed on the book preventing any real research. Or perhaps the intent was to do America a service by deifying two of its favorite sons. But still, these would not explain the numerous contradictions.</p>
<p>The real shame is that so many of the errors in this book have become part of the accepted historical record, and been repeated many times over, for decades, in subsequent books and media. This book seems to be yet another example of authority trumping truth.</p>
<p><b>--Joe Bullmer</b></p>
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</div>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-57548105438642092912021-06-27T21:50:00.007-07:002021-09-14T15:33:35.734-07:00The Wrong Wright Story Series - Visions of a Flying Machine I<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>The Wrong Wright Story 2</u></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: center;">Peter Jakab's<i> Visions of a Flying Machine</i> </h2><h3 style="text-align: center;">Part II of a critique by Joe Bullmer</h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><u><br /></u></h3>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">Introduction to the Wrong Wright Story series:</span><br /></u></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is the second in a series of critical reviews of four books and a television documentary about the Wright brothers’ creation of an airplane. The books include a biography authorized by Orville Wright, and three more by senior officials of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. This article refers to the paperback reissue of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/visions_of_a_flying_machine-the_wright_brothers_and_the_process_of_invention-peter-l-jakab-tom-d-crouch/dp/B00BG77AQ8/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Visions of</i><i>a Flying Machine</i></a> by Associate Director Peter Jakab, published in 1990 by the Smithsonian Press, ISBN 1-56098-748-0.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">These books were chosen because they have been used as source material for dozens of other publications containing discussions of the Wright brothers’ work and accomplishments. The NOVA documentary <i><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wright/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wright Brothers' Flying Machine</a></i>is perhaps the most prominent of approximately a dozen produced since 2003 portraying the invention of the airplane.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">These five accounts all contain numerous fabrications and false statements that contradict the Wright brothers’ original records, the records of other aviation researchers who preceded the Wrights, and even aviation science. Unfortunately, other authors have relied on these books as bases from which to launch into discussions of the Wrights’ work. As a result, nearly every source of information on the Wright brothers’ work is contaminated with some of these same falsehoods and errors.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">This series of articles represents an attempt by this author to establish “truthinaviationhistory” concerning the work of the Wright brothers. With this goal in mind, any technically qualified rebuttal to these critiques, or criticism of <i>The WRight Story</i>, would be welcomed.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><i>Visions of a Flying Machine: </i>Overview</u></span></h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">It may seem unlikely that a book with such an extensive list of contributors in its Acknowledgements section as <i>Visions</i> would contain so many errors. However, only three contributors are credited with technical qualifications. One of these made similar errors in his books, which subsequent articles in this series will reveal. The others have published only limited writings on the Wright brothers, indicating only limited research.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A couple years of researching thousands of pages of original records of the Wrights and their predecessors resulted in my publishing a book in 2009 titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer-2009-12-14/dp/B01K14WS0Y/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The WRight Story.</i></a> Reliable primary and secondary sources were consulted for historical events preceding the Wrights and those after 1905. However, only original Wright material was consulted for all descriptions of their work resulting in a successful airplane by October of 1905. Surviving authors and producers of the works discussed in these reviews were contacted in an effort to discuss and resolve differences, but none have expressed interest in pursuing a dialogue.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">A first reading of the book being discussed in this article revealed over 160 exaggerations or errors. Just addressing the 43 listed here precluded citing complete sources for each comment. However, eliminating more would be an injustice to portraying the nature of the book.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Chapter 1: "Why Wilbur and Orville?"<br /></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 15:</u> The author claims “The majority of the critical elements in the airplane were original to the Wrights.” Actually, Wilbur admitted that the truss biplane structure was copied from the <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/multimedia-gallery/5792hjpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Chanute/Herring glider,</a> their successful post-1902 wing camber and aspect ratios were essentially those used by numerous predecessors, and wing warping had already been used and patented by at least three experimenters. Cambered twisted propellers had also been recommended by a few predecessors, and even the forward elevator was a feature of Maxim’s 1894 machine. The only feature “original to the Wrights”, opposable wing warping with a mechanically coordinated rudder, had to be abandoned by them in 1905 in order to make turns.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 16:</u> Here he repeats, writing that “Much of what the Wrights accomplished was highly original.” These comments are the first examples of the author's frequent contradictions, since page 217 says that “with the exception of the propellers, there was nothing fundamentally original about the way in which <i>(sic)</i> 1903 machine was designed”. In a sort of double reverse, the next paragraph on 217 says “they invented a fundamentally new technology.”</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Chapter 2: "Aeronautics before the Airplane"<br /></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 33:</u> The author claims that “Using [Otto Lilienthal’s] data and tables, an experimenter could easily calculate the size wing required to support a given weight at a particular velocity.” Then on pages 143 to 149 he talks about how bad he thinks Lilienthal’s data was. This is another unresolved contradiction in the book.</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Chapter 3: "'You Must Mount a Machine'"<br /></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 46:</u> The author writes, “[Lilienthal] failed to see that [weight shifting] was a dead end as far as a large, powered aircraft was concerned.” Actually Lilienthal did not “fail to see that.” On page 284 of the current edition of his book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Birdflight-As-Basis-Aviation-Contribution/dp/0938716581" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation</a>,</i> Lilienthal pointed out that although wings twice as big would be more optimum for gliding, he felt he couldn’t safely handle gliders larger than about 160 square feet with just weight shifting. In the 1896 edition of James Means’ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aeronautical-Annual-1896-2/dp/0938716964" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The</i></a><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aeronautical-Annual-1896-2/dp/0938716964" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Aeronautical Annual</a>,</i> Lilienthal reported that he was well aware aerodynamic methods would be necessary to control larger aircraft. In fact, he was collaborating with other German experimenters on the design of such controls and had begun experimenting with them. Some claim it was actually a failure of one of these devices, rather than a piloting mistake, that resulted in his fatal crash.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 48:</u> Here the Wrights are given credit for being the first to realize that control was the most important problem to solve. But in his 1894 book <i><a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Contents.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Progress in Flying Machines</a>,</i> the Wrights’ principal research source, Chanute stated that experimenters should direct their attention to gliding or “soaring” flight, and that the “maintenance of equilibrium….was by far the most important aspect of flight yet to be solved”. Nonetheless, in the book under discussion, this author goes on to say that “The Wrights’ recognition of the centrality of control…was…the premier conceptual leap that set them apart from their predecessors and their contemporaries.” He apparently has no idea that they read it in Octave Chanute’s book.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In the next paragraph, Alphonse Penaud is given credit for developing dihedral for roll stability during the 1870s. Yet again a lack of research is evident. Sir George Cayley invented dihedral and <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Cayley/CayleyP1.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">reported on it in the November, 1809 issue</a> of <i>Nicholson’s </i><i>Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts.</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 49:</u> The careless claim is made that “proponents of inherent stability gave no thought whatsoever to controlling or steering their machines.” adding “Many reasoned that if simple straight-line flight was achieved, control could be easily dealt with later.” This completely misses the fact that that is precisely the approach the Wright brothers took, concentrating solely on achieving straight line flight until 1904, then beginning attempts at maneuvering and turning, finally accomplishing these by October, 1905. They stated this many times, even in their patent, wherein on page three, lines 78 to 87, they explained that their moveable coordinated rudder was invented to maintain straight and level flight.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 50:</u> In the second paragraph a severe lack of knowledge of aircraft design is exhibited by the author. He states “The Wrights were the first to see that control was [for airplanes] the very essence of maintaining equilibrium.” Actually, until recently all airplanes have been designed such that, once trimmed, they maintain equilibrium completely by their aerodynamic design without any control movements whatsoever. This was true of airplanes immediately following the Wright Flyers, and is largely what caused the Wrights to eventually totally change their designs not long before going out of business.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Later in the paragraph the author's lack of knowledge is confirmed by saying “…just as a cyclist must make constant control movements to stay on two wheels, the airplane pilot must exercise similar authority over his craft to stay in the air.” Anyone who has ever flown in an airplane, or even seen a film of a pilot flying one, should know this is not true. Even more astounding is the number of “aviation historians” that have confidently parroted these absurd statements in their books and TV appearances.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 51:</u> The Wrights’ experience of riding bicycles is given credit for the idea of banking an airplane in order to turn. This is another fallacy that has been picked up by countless authors and “aviation historians.” It’s quite likely that some cavemen, over 100,000 years ago, noticed that birds always bank when they turn.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 58:</u> Here and on the next page indecision is expressed as to whether or not the Wrights copied the trussed biplane design of the Chanute/Herring glider of 1896. Again, lack of research glares out. The Wrights both said they did! In a December 21<sup>st</sup>, 1909 letter Wilbur wrote, “We have repeatedly acknowledged our indebtedness to the Chanute double-decker for our ideas regarding the best way of obtaining the strongest and lightest sustaining surfaces [wings].” Explaining their design in his sworn deposition for the 1920 Montgomery case, Orville testified that “it was apparent that the wings of a Chanute double-deck type [of glider] could be warped.”</p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9szvddv49MMXxZ4hhLz3StPVuB1iuglHFGPgyAMhWxmTp8KVvhZI-iZSuM-ZyMSSySR6PzLL8zJ4vsBG-hhl75e0XpHI6wlRjf-Om2WF6pLEL_UoAIec8gZx_NZ1lb165LL06my3SnM0/s443/Chanute_hangglider.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="443" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9szvddv49MMXxZ4hhLz3StPVuB1iuglHFGPgyAMhWxmTp8KVvhZI-iZSuM-ZyMSSySR6PzLL8zJ4vsBG-hhl75e0XpHI6wlRjf-Om2WF6pLEL_UoAIec8gZx_NZ1lb165LL06my3SnM0/w640-h322/Chanute_hangglider.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Octave Chanute and his 1896 "double-decker" (as the Wrights called it)</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<i><br /></i>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><u><b>Chapter 4: "Learning the Art of Airplane Design"</b><br /></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">In this chapter, the book’s author, a history and arts major, attempts to explain key aerodynamic and stability and control aspects of aircraft design. Only major errors are discussed here. There are many others.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 65:</u> At the bottom of the page he writes, “Although the record shows little specific discussion of these issues by the Wrights before 1901, it is clear….that they had at least a basic understanding of the reversal of the center of pressure before building their first full-size machine.” (Although he cites two references in the Notes section of his book for this statement, examination of the references reveals no justification for such a statement.)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">On the next page he reverts to his favorite theme of Wright perfection, saying “Just as their initial instincts…regarding control moved them well ahead of their contemporaries, so too did their beginning assumptions concerning aerodynamics.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Actually, both brothers recorded statements directly admitting that their canards (forward elevators) were the result of their erroneous concept of the movement of the center of pressure on a wing. During <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/inventors/i/Wrights/library/Aeronautical.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">his speech in Chicago</a> in 1901 Wilbur stated, “Our peculiar plan of control by forward surfaces instead of tails was based on the assumption that the center of pressure would continue to move farther and farther forward as the angle [of attack] became less”, an assumption that proved to be false. In his legal deposition of 1920, Orville recalled their perplexity thus: “Our elevator was placed in front of the surfaces [wings] with the idea of producing inherent stability fore and aft, which it should have done had the travel of the center of pressure been forward [with decreasing angle of attack] as we had been led to believe.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The author admits that he couldn’t find much about the Wrights’ knowledge of center of pressure movements before 1901. The reason is that they didn’t know how it moved until the summer of 1901 when Chanute’s cohorts Edward Huffaker and Dr. George Spratt demonstrated it to them through wing balance tests at Kitty Hawk. Wright statements reveal that the reversal of movement of the center of pressure came as quite a surprise to them. Evidently they had only seen data on flat surfaces and neglected to check cambered ones.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUim24D5d1G1okqfO2GxHtDaE4nKZRZSDvoSpPvJYqLph2BeRmzm_Yw5GPBlVNXAhyphenhyphenuf1oub6GWsL6P1Ko129yQOo-H4Y59NY1dnFLQvDyoa-9ssPy09SnKNYqXZpnTsEiaAG7hoexJk/s2048/kittyhawkvisitors.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="2048" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUim24D5d1G1okqfO2GxHtDaE4nKZRZSDvoSpPvJYqLph2BeRmzm_Yw5GPBlVNXAhyphenhyphenuf1oub6GWsL6P1Ko129yQOo-H4Y59NY1dnFLQvDyoa-9ssPy09SnKNYqXZpnTsEiaAG7hoexJk/w640-h346/kittyhawkvisitors.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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</tr></tbody></table><i style="text-align: center;"> Visitors to Kitty Hawk. l to r: Huffaker, Chanute, Wilbur Wright, and Spratt.</i><br /><i><br /></i>
<p style="text-align: left;">This is a good spot to address the constantly repeated claims throughout the book that the Wright’s “intuition” or “instinct” about aerodynamics enabled them to “visualize” air flow correctly in their minds without actually seeing it. This ability is credited for their development of their 1900 and 1901 wing shapes which he repeatedly claims were very good. He later contradicts these statements by blaming Otto Lilienthal’s data for these two vehicles having totally inadequate lift.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In fact, these vehicles could barely fly, and the Wrights’ wind tunnel showed them they had to change wing camber and aspect ratio to something very similar to Lilienthal’s (and numerous other predecessors) which solved their lifting problems. In a<b> November 24<sup>th</sup>, 1901 (i can't find this letter)</b> letter to Octave Chanute, Wilbur admitted that “It is very evident that a table based on one aspect [ratio] and [wing section] profile is worthless for a surface of different aspect and curvature. This no doubt explains why we have had so much trouble figuring all our machines from Lilienthal’s table.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Other examples of the Wrights’ “instinct” for aerodynamics failing them, but not noted in this book, were not seeing</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>How cambered wings generate lift.</li>
<li>That an airplane needs tails to be easily controllable.</li>
<li>How wing warping would work in free flight.</li>
<li>That a fixed vertical tail wouldn't stop their warp-induced spins.</li>
<li>That stability and insensitivity to crosswinds were opposing goals.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 66:</u> We are informed that when the center of pressure and center of gravity coincide, an airplane is at equilibrium. Instantaneously, yes. But practically, equilibrium implies stability at that point, i.e., the airplane should want to stay there. That requirement is something that eluded the Wrights, and evidently also the author of the book being discussed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 67:</u> Here he states that Horatio F. Phillips’ 1884 airfoil shapes set the precedent for the Wrights’ early airfoils. One can only conclude that he has never seen Phillips’ airfoils because some of them look quite modern, and all had maximum cambers at least a third of the way back, as opposed to those of the Wrights in which maximum camber was located immediately behind the leading edges.</p>
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</tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgOq0najvC8E_w6L2FgfYoAs-2fohWZjahKXZWZhpU4mH44F_o0wzeO9TgyE7N5TiKPNL-toQ5HiSwmt9QQg9rNRaTkfELcs5-9-Ao6wLERwOwTN1KeIRXdoUn6jbL-E1Osex8pNdYmg/s572/image.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgOq0najvC8E_w6L2FgfYoAs-2fohWZjahKXZWZhpU4mH44F_o0wzeO9TgyE7N5TiKPNL-toQ5HiSwmt9QQg9rNRaTkfELcs5-9-Ao6wLERwOwTN1KeIRXdoUn6jbL-E1Osex8pNdYmg/w560-h640/image.jpeg" width="560" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Horatio F. Phillips' patented airfoil shapes</i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<i><br /></i>
<p style="text-align: left;">The author goes on to incorrectly discuss camber as if it was only “the [maximum] depth of the curvature” as opposed to the entire curvature of the wing from leading to trailing edges, including the critical location of maximum camber.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 68:</u> Again, reality is contradicted here by saying that the Wrights’ early wings, with maximum camber right behind the leading edges were a “marked improvement in aerodynamic efficiency over the….wing used by Lilienthal and others” and “it also provided much more lift than the wings used by contemporary glider experimenters.” (Here again a source in his Notes section of the book is referenced that has nothing to do with his claim.) Contradicting this on pages 154 and 155 the author admits that their 1900 and 1901 wings were terrible and the wind tunnel showed that they had to move maximum camber much farther back and increase aspect ratio (more than doubling it to Lilienthal’s value) to obtain reasonable lift for their 1902 glider.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 69:</u> He attempts to explain the “Penaud” method of achieving longitudinal stability but gets it exactly backwards by saying Penaud set his horizontal tails at a positive angle of attack. His explanation of how this would work is incoherent since it can’t work. In fact, Penaud set them at negative angles of attack to balance out the centers of gravity which were placed ahead of the centers of lift to achieve dynamic stability. With this, if the aircraft pitched nose up, Penaud’s negative tails would have a less negative angle to the wind and push down less, allowing the forward center of gravity to pull the nose back down. If the aircraft was pitched nose down, the tails would have a more negative angle, push down harder, and bring the nose of the vehicle back up.</p>
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<br /><i><i> Penaud's "aeronautical machines:" helicopter, planophore, and ornithopter.</i></i>
<p style="text-align: left;">And by the way, this author, like most all others, erroneously credits Penaud with originating this method of achieving stability. Sir George Cayley reported on using it for his unmanned gliders in <i>Nicholson’s Journal </i>in 1809.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Later on this page the author reveals the falseness of his assertion on page 65 that the Wrights knew about the reversal of movement of the center of lift (pressure) when they started. He says here that they “designed their forward rudder [canard] as if they were dealing with a wing having the properties of a flat plate,” i.e., no reversal of travel of the center of lift with angle of attack.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 70:</u> Here he says “the Wrights’ scheme of a moveable elevator to keep pace with a constantly roving center of pressure was fundamentally sound, and it has been the method for pitch control on virtually every airplane since.” Yet again ignorance of aircraft design, and even flying, is revealed by not knowing that airplanes, once the horizontal stabilizer is trimmed out, do not need any help from an elevator to maintain longitudinal balance. A proper understanding of the “Penaud” technique would have revealed why.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 71:</u> The author states that a canard stalls before the main wings because of its smaller size and thus avoids stalling of the wings which he implies is a stabilizing effect. Thus, two mistakes for the price of one. First, nothing stalls because of its size. It would stall first because of lack of camber or higher angle of attack, but not because it was smaller. Also, their canard is what made the airplane unstable and caused it to depart from level flight in the first place. It was therefore destabilizing.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 75:</u> It’s asserted here that the Wrights didn’t put a vertical tail on their gliders for the first couple years because “it would complicate matters unnecessarily.” No, they didn’t think one was necessary because they were only trying to fly straight, and their aerodynamic “instinct” didn’t tell them about wing warping creating asymmetric drag which yawed their airplane. That’s why a rudder was required; to maintain the original heading.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">In fact, in his speech in Chicago in 1901 Wilbur erroneously stated that “tails, both vertical and horizontal,..…may with safety be eliminated.” He then proceeded to design their next machines with vertical tails.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 78:</u> Here the author explains the lift and drag equations as though lift and drag coefficients are the same for all wing shapes. Actually, until November of 1901 the Wrights thought so too.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u>Page 81:</u> The bizarre tutorial on aerodynamics and airplane design is wound up by again admiring the Wrights’ supposed ability to mentally visualize aerodynamics, which, as previously noted, was often wrong. </p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;"><u>Conclusion - Part I: </u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">At this point the first four chapters of the book <i>Visions of a Flying Machine</i> have been discussed. Due to the length of this critique the remainder will be discussed in the second part appearing shortly in truthinaviationhistory. That part of the article will begin the discussion of Chapter 5 with a list of ten seldom noted, but well documented, significant contributions to the Wright effort by Octave Chanute, without which the brothers' achievement of success would have been problematic.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img /><img /></p>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-5927470091785638512021-04-19T13:35:00.007-07:002021-08-01T11:37:50.556-07:00The Wrong Wright Story Series - The Wright Brothers<h1 style="text-align: center;"><u>The Wrong Wright Story 1<br /></u></h1><b>
</b><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>The Wright Brothers </i>by Fred Kelly</h3><b>
</b><h3 style="text-align: center;"><u>A Critique by Joe Bullmer</u><br /></h3><h3><br /></h3><b>
</b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMoebvFOowxgTIoHEG84FNT66N_6nwyEuAlMGDXWltZumOo11PfX9KPbLEnz9YnerY4bk04M5kP4AMy4fGQgyVr_Txb3KKReTHbqdwXtzu5MbeMypUwm9ocbitPtcoXatFqP30eNhlS0/s1612/fredkellywright.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1612" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMoebvFOowxgTIoHEG84FNT66N_6nwyEuAlMGDXWltZumOo11PfX9KPbLEnz9YnerY4bk04M5kP4AMy4fGQgyVr_Txb3KKReTHbqdwXtzu5MbeMypUwm9ocbitPtcoXatFqP30eNhlS0/w640-h294/fredkellywright.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><b>
</b><p><b> </b></p><p><b>This article, the first in a five-part series, addresses some of the discrepancies in Kelly’s 1943 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Biography-Dover-Transportation/dp/0486260569" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Wright Brothers</i></a>, (paperback reprint ISBN 0-486-26056-9) as compared to the Wrights’ original records and other well-established aviation history and scientific facts. Only his chapters IV through VIII are addressed since this material covers the period from 1899 through 1905 wherein the Wrights developed a powered controlled airplane (as discussed in chapters III and IV of my book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer-2009-12-14/dp/B01K14WS0Y/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The WRight Story.</i></a>)</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On page 47 of the paperback edition of Kelly’s book, Orville gave him the impression that previous aviation experimenters such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9ment_Ader" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Clément </a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cl%C3%A9ment_Ader" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ader</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_Maxim" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hiram Maxim</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Lilienthal" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Otto Lilienthal</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Chanute" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Octave Chanute’s</a> team and the Scottish experimenter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Pilcher" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Percy Pilcher</a> had all accomplished very little. Actually, according to the French Aeronautical Society, Ader flew his first powered airplane smoothly for 165 feet (the length of his testing field) in 1890. Maxim’s powered vehicle, a result of his technical research, lifted off of its support rails for about 10 seconds and 400 feet in 1894. Lilienthal did over 2,000 controlled glides, some 1,000 feet long, during the mid-1890s, and Pilcher accomplished nearly 1,000 glides during the late 1890s.</b></p><b>
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</b><p><b>In an 1895 letter, Pilcher warned of too much stability making a glider difficult to handle, something the Wrights are sometimes credited with discovering seven years later. In fact, Pilcher was creating an engine for powered flight in 1899 when he was killed attempting a gliding demonstration in foul weather to generate funds for his experiments. Lilienthal was also investigating power sources and more refined controls during the last couple years before he was killed.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>By 1896, Octave Chanute’s group had accomplished around 1,500 glides. A member of his team of researchers, Augustus Herring, created a manned trussed biplane glider with smoothly cambered wings that was their most successful design. Its wing layout and structure were copied by the Wrights for their vehicles. In fact, in a letter written on December 21<sup>st</sup>, 1909, Wilbur wrote, “We have repeatedly acknowledged our indebtedness to the Chanute double-decker for our ideas regarding the best way of obtaining the strongest and lightest sustaining surfaces.” On November 30<sup>th</sup>, 1910, he penned, “we considered Chanute’s double-deck truss superior….and succeeded in adapting it to our own ideals and principles of control." However, the Wrights failed to use Herring’s wing shapes, which set them back a couple years until their wind tunnel showed them that they had to adopt wing camber curvatures and aspect ratios (wing length to width) similar to those used on the Chanute/Herring and Lilienthal gliders.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>But even more unfortunate for the Wrights, they failed to adopt the aft surfaces that the Chanute/Herring vehicle used for control of pitch and yaw. The need for such controls had been illustrated by Sir George Cayley in a 1799 engraving, and documented in his November 1809 article <a href="https://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Cayley/CayleyP1.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">"On Aerial Navigation"</a> in <i>Nicholson’s</i><i> Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts.</i> In it, he stated that an aircraft needed an “up-and-down” rudder in addition to a “side-to-side” rudder, both located behind the main lifting wings. This had also been recognized by aviation experimenters since Cayley, including Jean-Marie LeBris in the 1850s, Alphonse Penaud in the 1870s, and of course Herring and Langley in the 1890s. Many of these experiments were discussed and illustrated in Chanute’s 1894 book <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Progress_in_Flying_Machines/uKsJAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Progress in Flying Machines</i></a>, which the Wrights obtained in 1899 prior to their experiments. Ignoring or overlooking these features caused the Wrights great difficulty in developing their aircraft and, by the time they discarded the forward elevator in 1910, they were hopelessly behind other aircraft designers.</b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KjMWICco1LjkrHAEB1nW6xRQKln3QJGwZvNvIBwYxlFAbhgzwP9V4-TiYzc2eNZBv_ag0wRVs8XkGvxK3rIls_41REn4C6-nuG33KO9VLTf_MmQu1Y7BioRH5zOCPWeXQdldokn5-cc/s608/cayleyengravings.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="608" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KjMWICco1LjkrHAEB1nW6xRQKln3QJGwZvNvIBwYxlFAbhgzwP9V4-TiYzc2eNZBv_ag0wRVs8XkGvxK3rIls_41REn4C6-nuG33KO9VLTf_MmQu1Y7BioRH5zOCPWeXQdldokn5-cc/w640-h243/cayleyengravings.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Sir George Cayley and his 1799 engraved silver disc, the first drawing of an airplane.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
<br />
</b><p><b>Evidently, not having researched aviation developments prior to the Wrights, Kelly was not aware of any of this. But even more egregious, subsequent historians and authors either did not bother to research flight experiments that preceded the Wrights, or they chose not to tarnish the Wright image established by Kelly a half century earlier. Thus evolved the myth of Wright “genius” in developing the configuration of their aircraft. In fact, aircraft layouts rapidly evolved to more closely resemble mid-19<sup>th</sup> century configurations of Cayley and LeBris than the early 20<sup>th</sup> century Wright Flyers. In any case, the impression Orville gave Kelly that previous experimenters had accomplished next to nothing is patently false.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Before leaving Herring, it should be mentioned that in 1898 he created an airplane that he claimed made a short powered flight into a stiff headwind in October of that year. Unfortunately it was destroyed in a storage shed fire before it could demonstrate its full potential.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On page 49, Orville claims that no one before them had thought of warping or bending wing extremities for lateral control. Actually, warping had been employed by LeBris in 1857, Richard Hart in 1870, John Montgomery during the 1880s, Clément Ader in 1890, Pierre Mouillard in 1896, and even Lilienthal in 1896. In fact, LeBris, Ader, and <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US582757A/en" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Mouillard</a> had patented it. These controls could either yaw or roll a vehicle depending upon their degree of deflection. Slight deflections would tend to roll a vehicle away from the downward warped wing, while large deflections would yaw and roll the machine into the downward warped wing due to its disproportionately large drag increase slowing it down, actually reducing its lift. This control reversal perplexed the Wrights for a couple years until they came up with the moveable rudder to resist the yaw and force the vehicle to hold its heading while the wing warping returned it to level flight. </b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvOgPKmYVQLg2ClcBSHrXHOnITzhlk99F9NMTW05z8rEGGcHe1H0ProrK7IowobBWJYrCHpkErvndL1hz72DFcfSVOz3S751Q-pT2ccXW56eSJ5GzGaaE3ORGcHB0lyzs10FbFb1Sh3k/s1946/patentdrawings.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1946" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvOgPKmYVQLg2ClcBSHrXHOnITzhlk99F9NMTW05z8rEGGcHe1H0ProrK7IowobBWJYrCHpkErvndL1hz72DFcfSVOz3S751Q-pT2ccXW56eSJ5GzGaaE3ORGcHB0lyzs10FbFb1Sh3k/w640-h174/patentdrawings.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Patent drawings by (l to r) LeBris, Ader, and Mouillard.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
<i><br /></i>
</b><p><b>So the Wrights created their aft rudder not to yaw or turn, but to continue flying straight when correcting inadvertent rolls. In spite of their having explained this many times, even in their patent (see page four, lines 16 to 45), everyone who discusses the Wrights and their work always assumes their coordinated rudder was created to turn. Perhaps their lawyer, Harry Toulmin, described it most clearly in an explanation to the patent examiner, William Townsend, for their patent application based on the 1902 glider. Toulmin wrote “….the vertical rudder is <i>in no sense a steering device</i>, but is simply for correcting the increased resistance offered by one end [side] of the machine over the other arising from the different angles at which the ends of the planes [wings] are presented to the wind, and this it does automatically.” In fact, the Wrights’ records show that they couldn’t reliably accomplish turns with their aircraft until they disconnected their rudder from warping in 1905.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On page 53, Orville takes credit for devising the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canard_(aeronautics)" rel="noopener" target="_blank">canard</a> or forward-mounted elevator configuration of their early vehicles. In reality, Wilbur was the major designer of their early gliders. In a <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/mcc.006/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">13 May, 1900 letter to Octave Chanute</a>, Wilbur stated that the 1900 glider would have an aft elevator similar to the kite they had tested the year before. But Wilbur changed his mind, and since he fabricated the machine at Kitty Hawk before Orville even arrived, it is clear Orville had little, if anything, to do with its configuration. The Wrights came to value the ability of the canard elevator to prevent stalls and avoid post-stall dives. Actually, considering the pitch instability their forward-mounted elevators created until they were abandoned in 1910, it seems odd that Orville would want to claim credit for that feature.</b></p><b>
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</b><p><b>On Kelly’s page 54, Orville claims that Wilbur was the one responsible for misunderstanding the movement of a cambered wing’s center of lift with varying angle of attack, resulting in their aircraft’s instability in pitch.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On that same page, Orville makes the false statement that a positively loaded canard (one generating an up force at normal flight angles) results in pitch stability, a mistake often repeated to this day. The argument usually cited is that when an aircraft with a positively loaded canard surface is pitched up, the canard’s greater angle of attack will tend to stall it before the main wing does, thus allowing the angle of attack to drop avoiding stall of the main wings. While generally true, that is not what stability is about. Stability is concerned with how well an airplane avoids such unintentional pitch excursions to begin with. With a higher angle of attack, a positively loaded canard pulls a slightly pitched up aircraft farther up and away from a stable level attitude and toward a stall. That is unstable.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Discussing their test site on the next page, no credit is given to Chanute for recommending the Carolina and Georgia coasts, with their sand dunes and winds, as being excellent for gliding experiments. <a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/May17-1900.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">He did so in a letter to Wilbur on May 17<sup>th</sup>, 1900 </a>while they were looking for a site.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Orville’s limited understanding, or perhaps recall, of technical issues is revealed in his discussion of the 1900 and 1901 vehicles’s glide performance on page 69. He blames the poor performance on improper maximum wing camber when in fact the poor performance was not due to the amount of maximum camber but rather to locating the maximum camber just aft of the wing’s leading edge with the rest of the wing flat or reflexed, and also to the low aspect ratio of the short stubby wings. Actually, maximum camber should occur from a third to halfway back in the wing, and aspect ratio should be at least twice what it was on those machines. Of course, Kelly could judge none of this.</b></p><p><b> </b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Tqt2L91oEZZHV8lZLavlyki8fu5NDoxKStO82xYhMQXrqb1dzZjAOaoP3y0z489pwhLs_8cDb0k5Mrq1iA6D1CoWoVHUziAMQn74frgKO2Cdx9fXwVit9Yn8c_IHv8lPuEUPzKMI4lQ/s633/1900+Wright+Glider.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="633" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Tqt2L91oEZZHV8lZLavlyki8fu5NDoxKStO82xYhMQXrqb1dzZjAOaoP3y0z489pwhLs_8cDb0k5Mrq1iA6D1CoWoVHUziAMQn74frgKO2Cdx9fXwVit9Yn8c_IHv8lPuEUPzKMI4lQ/w640-h472/1900+Wright+Glider.webp" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The 1900 Wright Glider, designed primarily by Wilbur Wright.</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
</b><p><b>Page 71 discusses the Wrights’ discovery of the true movements of their wings’ centers of pressure or lift without any mention of the fact that the visitors Chanute brought to Kitty Hawk, Dr. George Spratt and Edward Huffaker, had to inform the Wrights about it and suggest a test to prove it. The Wrights had thought that, just as on a flat plate, a cambered wing’s center of lift or pressure would gradually move from the leading edge to the midpoint as the angle of attack increased from zero to 90 degrees. However, on a cambered wing, at the low angles of attack used in flight, the center of lift actually moves forward as the angle increases. This is due to the more angled curvature accelerating and thinning the flow sooner along the forward upper surface of the wing. Also, any flow separation area on the aft upper surface expands forward from the trailing edge of the wing as the angle of attack increases, destroying lift there. </b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmtse5zlrHeZv2TFdfHrc6swyzokKwzy6wIl6PBtDNm8UJ65K_IauULjA_IUPRVFdMFaCbDmUV90Hg_jcAlg8yH6iXp0MiMlSS_Uz233KCC4K58WHiSsULvD7NsofDKeRvNHp4Hk6qHs/s1024/wrightvisitors.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="1024" height="517" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmtse5zlrHeZv2TFdfHrc6swyzokKwzy6wIl6PBtDNm8UJ65K_IauULjA_IUPRVFdMFaCbDmUV90Hg_jcAlg8yH6iXp0MiMlSS_Uz233KCC4K58WHiSsULvD7NsofDKeRvNHp4Hk6qHs/w640-h517/wrightvisitors.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Photo from Octave Chanute's 1901 visit to Kitty Hawk. (l to r: Octave Chanute, Orville Wright, Edward Huffaker, Wilbur Wright.)</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
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</b><p><b>Finally, during testing at Kitty Hawk in 1901, Spratt and Huffaker talked the Wrights into separating one wing from their glider and determining where it would balance in pitch at various angles of attack. This is another thing Orville had to admit under oath in his 1920 legal deposition for the Montgomery patent infringement case. He testified that “Dr. Spratt and Mr. Huffaker both suggested that there might be a rearward travel of the center of pressure on the curved surfaces at the small angles of incidence [as the angle is reduced]”. But before that, in his September 18, 1901 speech to the Western Society of Engineers, Wilbur said that “While the machine was building, Messrs. Huffaker and Spratt had suggested we would find this reversal of the center of pressure”.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Kelly recounts on page 73 that, according to Orville, in this same 1901 speech, Wilbur blamed their gliders’ poor performance on errors in the Lilienthal pressure table they had used to design the vehicles. Orville added that at the time he was not so sure that Lilienthal’s data was in error. Actually, while Wilbur only expressed uncertainty about Lilienthal’s data in that speech, I found no contemporary record of any dissension or position on the matter by Orville.</b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_J3hYUO7ZfTha6ioz4o5FRyyDxpgmsWZ5NSDHBdRHB7VTPdzmL1vp5nKLZJfSkhg31ZrOeHPg75wEvoLWk2lLq1zuQWjgRs2JhTnUUdZk06ep9Tb3NbpIrw_t-A5jEDdmdEEeX3ChC8Y/s2048/lilienthal+table.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1341" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_J3hYUO7ZfTha6ioz4o5FRyyDxpgmsWZ5NSDHBdRHB7VTPdzmL1vp5nKLZJfSkhg31ZrOeHPg75wEvoLWk2lLq1zuQWjgRs2JhTnUUdZk06ep9Tb3NbpIrw_t-A5jEDdmdEEeX3ChC8Y/w419-h640/lilienthal+table.jpg" width="419" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Otto Lilienthal's Table of Normal & Tangential Pressures</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
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</b><p><b>Apparently, Orville didn’t tell Kelly that a couple months later their wind tunnel actually showed <a href="https://wrightstories.com/lilienthal-data-not-in-error/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">there weren’t any errors in Lilienthal’s data.</a> In fact, the errors resulted from the Wrights' poor camber shapes and aspect ratios. Wilbur clearly admitted this in letters to Octave Chanute on November 24<sup>th</sup>, 1902, stating that “[Lilienthal’s data] table is probably as near correct as it is possible”, and another on December 1<sup>st</sup>, 1902, “It is very evident….that a table based on one aspect [ratio] and [wing section] profile is worthless for a surface of different aspect and curvature. This no doubt explains why we have had so much trouble figuring all our machines from Lilienthal’s table.”</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On the following two pages, Orville claims to have designed and built their first and second wind tunnels himself, and to have designed the balances in the tunnels that yielded lift and drag data. In twelve years I have found no record to support this. What I have found is a letter Wilbur sent to Chanute on October 16<sup>th</sup>, 1901 mentioning the wind tunnel photos Chanute showed them at Kitty Hawk, stating “The wind from the fan is rendered uniform in direction by the same means [as] in the photographs you showed us at Kitty Hawk”. Orville finally explained under oath in his 1920 deposition that they had gotten the design of the lift vs drag force balance from Dr. Spratt, writing, “This utilized an idea which had been suggested by Dr. Spratt.” Clearly, their guests at Kitty Hawk had familiarized the Wrights with the designs of some of the ten wind tunnels that had been built previously.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Then, on page 76, Orville claims that with their tunnel, they “discovered” the significance of wing aspect ratio - the ratio of a wing’s width or chord to its length or span. They may have, but this had already been discovered a century earlier by Sir George Cayley as documented in his November, 1809 article in <i>Nicolson’s Journal</i>, and by numerous experimenters throughout the 19<sup>th</sup> century such as Maxim, Lilienthal, and Langley. <br /><br /></b></p><b>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMakpE5bbWRrrvP5hIDhk9F8ENhZzWEy7ZofkDBIk7YxWpoU1USqQaJDhRoXfs55_Oy5cXwNo1mNYUPEAULoFsUfntZBpL7HOygbL-RXkxX1O6EUQVH5fO4Fh_cBgtBKvO1yjwOgsMh0/s2048/Cayleysdesigns.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1911" data-original-width="2048" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMakpE5bbWRrrvP5hIDhk9F8ENhZzWEy7ZofkDBIk7YxWpoU1USqQaJDhRoXfs55_Oy5cXwNo1mNYUPEAULoFsUfntZBpL7HOygbL-RXkxX1O6EUQVH5fO4Fh_cBgtBKvO1yjwOgsMh0/w393-h367/Cayleysdesigns.heic" width="393" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Cayley's gliders in which his assistant and coachman briefly flew.<br /></b></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></b><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><b></b><b>Orville claims on the next page that “they were the first men in all the world” to compile wing design data with their tunnel that could be used to design an airplane. They were not the first. Other aviators had already compiled design data from their wind tunnels (Maxim, Zahm, Phillips, and Wenham), or by using whirling arm devices and natural winds (Lilienthal and Langley). In addition, Orville’s statement is misleading since, unlike many of their predecessors, the Wrights never published their data so it could be used for designing by anyone else.</b><b>
</b><p><b>On page 80, it’s claimed that the Wrights were the very first to know correct wing shapes by 1902. An incomplete list of experimenters that preceded the Wrights, and used camber and aspect ratio wing shapes far superior to those of the Wrights' 1900 and 1901 machines, includes George Cayley (1799), LeBris (1857), Wenham (1866), Penaud (1870), Goupil (1883), Phillips (1884), Montgomery (1885), Lilienthal (1889), Ader (1890), Langley (1890), Pilcher (1896), Herring (1896), and Whitehead (1901). All but a couple listed here actually created models or vehicles that flew. Most of this was covered in Chanute’s book, which the Wrights obtained in 1899.</b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4Q5T3n3gF9GT1s1mdGRkB8cpbLO1aXtGNPpQh8LpLCOZWoJwmhTUjyY56KkVQ7K50Wnx0OFO4adGUmJmnZbnBEVvDlCihKuZiklhtuIpRyAu0VT2YWkqGhwx2E_fG6HEamZU8PtpWE/s711/montlangwhite.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="711" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4Q5T3n3gF9GT1s1mdGRkB8cpbLO1aXtGNPpQh8LpLCOZWoJwmhTUjyY56KkVQ7K50Wnx0OFO4adGUmJmnZbnBEVvDlCihKuZiklhtuIpRyAu0VT2YWkqGhwx2E_fG6HEamZU8PtpWE/w640-h222/montlangwhite.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>l to r: Montgomery's 2nd Monoplane Glider; Langley's Aerodrome No. 5; Whitehead and his No. 21 aircraft</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
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</b><p><b>
On page 81, Orville takes complete credit for figuring out the problem caused by the fixed vertical tails on the 1902 glider, and figuring out the solution of a moveable rudder. But Kelly takes the discussion too far by claiming that the Wrights’ system of ailerons (actually warping) and rudder deflection is used today (today = 1943?). Furthermore, the following paragraph explains that the Wrights connected them to move together automatically, a system since used briefly in only a very few aircraft and discontinued due to safety concerns. Even the Wrights found that the controls had to be disconnected and used at different times and with different deflections. For example, when correcting a roll, less rudder deflection is required to hold a heading than is used to swing the airplane into a coordinated turn. In fact, on an airplane with dihedral, the controls for roll and yaw are cross-controlled (i.e., one is reversed) to side slip in a crosswind landing. </b></p><p><b> </b></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXbTnLfPqiiCJBuxkP_DgFG-7t-shqFFclYMvJAA3LUu5_JUg7UpsoDWFNJH6lEb3anby8Bhaaj9DCL5S4ks94UuCu6n_YPWp9Kt4xsHkNQLsDt4gdIFcrL3msN0Wsga7iH0FFfeMLys/s1000/Wright_1902_glider_group_photo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="1000" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXbTnLfPqiiCJBuxkP_DgFG-7t-shqFFclYMvJAA3LUu5_JUg7UpsoDWFNJH6lEb3anby8Bhaaj9DCL5S4ks94UuCu6n_YPWp9Kt4xsHkNQLsDt4gdIFcrL3msN0Wsga7iH0FFfeMLys/w640-h232/Wright_1902_glider_group_photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>The flight crew for the 1902 Wright glider, from left to right:
Octave Chanute, Orville Wright, Wilbur Wright, George Spratt, Augustus
Herring, and Dan Tate. <br /></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
<br /><i> </i>
</b><p><b>Orville says on page 84 that they doubted that an engine of 20 pounds per horsepower was available, but Wilbur wrote his father on September 23<sup>rd</sup>, 1900 claiming that they would have no problem obtaining a suitable engine. Actually, engines of half that weight per horsepower existed at that time. It seems likely that the Wrights had their assistant Charlie Taylor build their engines simply because they didn’t want to spend the money for existing ones, particularly since they thought there was a good chance of destroying at least one of them in testing.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>On page 89, Orville claims that they developed a better understanding of the proper design of a propeller than anyone else, but does not claim that they were the first to see the propeller as a spinning wing. The latter has been incorrectly implied or assumed, without research, by almost all historians and authors since Kelly. As reported in a previous article in this blog, in 1885 Sidney Hollands presented a paper to the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain explaining that a propeller should be cambered, twisted, and tapered toward the tips. This was reported in Chanute’s book, which, again, the Wrights had obtained in 1899. (Reverse taper, as used by the Wrights, puts unnecessary bending and twisting loads on the blades and exaggerates aerodynamic losses at the tips, much as reverse taper on wings would require heavier structure and degrade their efficiency.)</b></p><b>
</b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdLcGqtjOU0knrBIkgPHAfNDe-SOIjN4uCo7toaaXG_UpiKgK9ULLlYHisuYI3gLS-cwHj_AH71Gp3A7nb3Insd_pfpg9N-Ya7MTKw2_Jipcekl-iwd_0clmPqazvvXQY6fShlHlUb50/s486/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="486" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEdLcGqtjOU0knrBIkgPHAfNDe-SOIjN4uCo7toaaXG_UpiKgK9ULLlYHisuYI3gLS-cwHj_AH71Gp3A7nb3Insd_pfpg9N-Ya7MTKw2_Jipcekl-iwd_0clmPqazvvXQY6fShlHlUb50/w640-h368/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><b>
</b><p><b>Page 101 presents the Wrights’ famous claim that on their fourth trial on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903 their aircraft flew 852 feet in 59 seconds, a feat not verified by any witnesses or by photography. At least four different analyses have determined that the photo claimed by Orville to portray the end of the fourth flight shows the vehicle to be stopped less than 280 feet from the launch rail. For a detailed mathematical analysis of the photo see the <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">November, 2019 article on this site.</a></b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Kelly, on page 128, appears to give total credit to the Wrights for the idea and design of the falling weight catapult first used in 1904, as have authors and historians since. In actuality, the idea and design were given to them in a July 29<sup>th</sup>, 1902 letter from Chanute, who himself got the design from Albert Merrill, a New England gliding enthusiast. Chanute wrote “I have your letter of July 27<sup>th</sup> and enclose a letter from Merrill and some photos”, and farther along, “Merrill had written to me to get my endorsement for…..a method for imparting initial velocity for a glider through a falling weight”.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Page 133 contains an interesting claim by Orville that, although they had to disconnect the rudder from wing warping in 1905 in order to make turns, they reconnected it “several years later”, albeit with a device to alter rudder deflection to enable both roll corrections and turns. I have never found any contemporary record of this, but if true, it must have been temporary and prompted by some opponent in a patent suit pointing out that testing forced them to abandon the very control scheme they patented and were defending in court. The technical limitations of a warp/rudder interconnect were explained in previous comments about Kelly’s page 81.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>These are the major discrepancies in Chapters IV through VIII of Kelly’s 19-chapter book. They contradict information in Wright letters and records made from 1899 through 1905, the years from the Wrights first experiments through to the development of a controllable airplane. Many of these differences could be said to have been fabricated, or at least exaggerated, by Orville to glorify his contribution. Others might ascribe them to forty years of fading memory. However, many other details were accurately recounted, and there are other examples of Orville, after Wilbur’s passing, having claimed credit for things that are not supported by their contemporary records.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>It is evident that using Kelly’s book as a basis, a narrative of the Wrights’ development of the airplane could end up quite different from that derived from the far larger mass of contemporary records along with such material as Orville’s 1908 article in <i>The Century</i> and his 1920 legal deposition. This would be particularly true if someone only vaguely familiar with the science were to fill in numerous blanks with assumptions. Unfortunately, that’s what has happened over the intervening three quarters of a century. This will become obvious in subsequent articles here discussing other books and the latest TV documentary</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>In all fairness to Kelly, it should be pointed out that his book was published ten years before McFarland’s compilation of the actual Wright records. Without McFarland’s compilation, it would have taken years for Kelly to have fact checked Orville’s statements. And that’s if he had reason to suspect that Orville was sometimes spinning yarns. But the other books and program I will be reviewing do not have that excuse. These, and countless other books and documentaries, were created a half to two thirds of a century later and appear to be products of either poor research, technical inadequacy, or a desire to glorify the Wrights’ legacy. </b></p><b>
</b><p><b>_____________________________________________________________________________________</b></p><b>
</b><p><b> "The Wright Brothers A Biography by Fred C. Kelly, 1989, Dover Publications, Inc. 31 East 2nd Street Mineola, N.Y.11503</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>(First published by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1943 as <i>The Wright Brothers: A Biography Authorized by Orville Wright)</i></b></p><b>
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</b><p><b><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /></b></p><b>
</b><p><b><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /><img /></b></p>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-49156888828530769272021-02-01T17:33:00.016-08:002021-05-20T19:49:19.385-07:00The Wrong Wright Story - A Series by Joe Bullmer<div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <u>Introduction<br /> </u></span></h1>
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</b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaMXEpXNzPej2ljcBhMz5sjg-i2u1uMp0VPfA69eEIQXrxNPaS4WHC9AXbYPBQucMBu1i0xnOjFnf8YBkhRciN3_gmiEBLOmjfcr0M9JSa0R6lOPLTVcS-TvlZj3jWEOSGgVbTkbFbGk/s640/wrightporch.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="423" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaMXEpXNzPej2ljcBhMz5sjg-i2u1uMp0VPfA69eEIQXrxNPaS4WHC9AXbYPBQucMBu1i0xnOjFnf8YBkhRciN3_gmiEBLOmjfcr0M9JSa0R6lOPLTVcS-TvlZj3jWEOSGgVbTkbFbGk/w424-h640/wrightporch.jpg" width="424" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Wilbur and Orville Wright (Library of Congress)<br /></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <br /></b></div>
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</b><p><b>This five-part series of articles is yet another effort to bring truth to the story of the Wright brothers in this most appropriate site by listing some of the errors in Fred Kelly’s, Tom Crouch’s, and Peter Jakab’s books, and in the most recent NOVA Television production, all purporting to be accurate accounts of the Wrights’ development of an airplane. These books have become standard research material for other authors and spokespersons, and errors in them have proliferated throughout numerous accounts of the Wrights’ work for decades.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Some of you may know me from previous articles appearing here, including the <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-wright-perspective-by-joe-bullmer.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">series of four articles</a> published in 2018 discussing the compilation of papers titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Flyer-Engineering-Perspective/dp/0874749794" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Wright Flyer, an Engineering Perspective</i></a>, and the <i><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/kitty-hawk-1903-what-happened_19.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Kitty</a></i><i><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/kitty-hawk-1903-what-happened_19.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"> Hawk - 1903 - What </a><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/kitty-hawk-1903-what-happened_19.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Happened</a>,</i> and <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Fourth </i></a><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Flight Mensuration</i></a> articles from 2019. Or you may have my book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer-2009-12-14/dp/B01K14WS0Y/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The WRight Story.</a></i> If so, it doesn’t surprise you that I don’t agree with much of the traditional stories about the Wright brothers’ work and accomplishments.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>With two Aeronautical Engineering degrees, I pursued a 30-year career in aerospace engineering, much of it involving aircraft design, performance, and stability and control. For many years it had been obvious to me that some aspects of the traditional story of the Wright brothers’ work were not compatible with their photographs. After retirement I researched their records for a couple years and found that far more was wrong with the traditional story than I would have ever imagined.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>The first step in researching historical events is to locate ground truth if at all possible. Technical and historical errors in previous recounts of the Wrights’ work rendered them unusable. The best one could do was to use the brothers’ own records made as they worked, their correspondence, test results, diaries, drawings, data, photos, articles, and hardware. With both brothers directly involved, it was assumed that details had been accurately recorded at the time.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Well over a thousand of these papers reside in the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/wilbur-and-orville-wright-papers/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Library of Congress</a> in Washington, D.C. Additional items are in the <a href="https://www.fi.edu/history-resources/wright-notebooks" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Franklin Institute</a> in Philadelphia and at <a href="https://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/wrightbrothers/educational/primary" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Wright State University</a> near Dayton. It would have taken a prohibitively long time just to gather this material. Fortunately, the vast majority - the Library of Congress holdings - had already been reviewed by Marvin McFarland, who spent four years compiling over twelve hundred of the Wright and Wright-related documents into two volumes of nearly 1,300 pages published in 1953 (<a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461&view=1up&seq=11" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Volume 1</a>, <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015003322487" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Volume 2)</a>. I know of no evidence that McFarland had altered any of the documents or omitted technically significant items for his compilation.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Evidently, I was the first practicing aircraft design and performance engineer with a modern understanding of aerodynamics and aircraft design to have examined all of these documents in detail, plus some of the material at the Franklin Institute and Wright State. From this, a coherent detailed story of the development and testing of their aircraft evolved as related in my book <i>The WRight Story</i>. At all times it was important to interpret the Wrights’ beliefs and decisions in light of the aviation art as it was understood in their time, but also to explain their problems and the effects of their solutions with a modern understanding of aircraft design and performance. Surprisingly, it appears this had not previously been done by a reasonably qualified individual, on this scale, and to this level of detail.</b></p><b>
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</b><p><b>The popular modern legend of the Wrights can be said to have largely originated with Fred Kelly’s 1943 book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Biography-Dover-Transportation/dp/0486260569" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The Wright Brothers, a Biography.</i></a> Kelly was a journalist with no technical background, but he ingratiated himself with the Wright family and wrote the book based on their recollections, relying entirely on Orville’s recounting, four decades after the events, of their technical work and marketing efforts. (This has led some researchers to refer to Kelly’s book as largely an autobiography by Orville Wright.) Unfortunately, much of this Kelly/Orville Wright account, created in the early 1940's, is at odds with information recorded by the Wrights 40 years earlier as contained in McFarland's compilation and elsewhere.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Eventually, it fell naturally to the Smithsonian, arguably the U.S. and the world’s largest and most esteemed keeper of history, to become the custodian of the Wright legacy. But in order to obtain the officially recreated 1903 “Flyer”, the Wright family forced the Smithsonian to sign a secret perpetual legal agreement in 1948 stipulating that neither the museum, nor their successors, would ever recognize any powered aircraft preceding the 1903 Wright Flyer as being capable of manned controlled flight. (Amusingly, the drafters used the word "aircraft" instead of "airplane," thus technically including some powered lighter-than-air vehicles that had been quite capable of carrying people in controlled flight by 1903).</b></p><b>
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</tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECA2aV-azHiMNmmPmTf3OVRWt4MaHJGkq3b8PhCUENxes-i4MpM6H-I7dTIZQnpMbVYFFeXVNx43vkExtUD7KWx8Qp0sfbDaBVWX7Kl2VB1Zhh98JM7GZfKfw7brZLiyDq49S0ODivQc/s300/wright-1903-300x199.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="300" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECA2aV-azHiMNmmPmTf3OVRWt4MaHJGkq3b8PhCUENxes-i4MpM6H-I7dTIZQnpMbVYFFeXVNx43vkExtUD7KWx8Qp0sfbDaBVWX7Kl2VB1Zhh98JM7GZfKfw7brZLiyDq49S0ODivQc/w640-h424/wright-1903-300x199.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></b></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i> Above, the claimed original 1903 Wright Flyer 1 is on display at the
Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum as long as no
aircraft is ever recognized as capable of flight before the Wright
Brothers’ machine.*</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><b>
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</b><p><b>With the establishment of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in 1976, that facility became the official authority concerning the history of aviation and, in particular, the story of the Wright brothers. However, the 1948 legal agreement hangs heavily over the museum, and they have been loath to tamper with any facet of the Wright brothers’ story and contradict the family’s approved version as recounted in Fred Kelly’s 1943 book.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>In 1990, the Chief Curator and later Associate Director of the museum, Peter Jakab, published a book titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Visions-Flying-Machine-Brothers-Invention-ebook/dp/B00OEW5S70" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Visions of a Flying Machine</i>.</a> Then, in 2004, the museum’s Senior Curator for Aeronautics, Tom Crouch, published <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wings-History-Aviation-Kites-Space/dp/0393326209" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Wings, A</i><i> History of Aviation</i>.</a> They also jointly published<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Invention-Aerial-Age/dp/B000LL5V1G" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i> The Wright Brothers and the</i><i> Invention of the Aerial Age </i></a>in 2003.These books, based in part on information in Kelly’s book, became three of the most popular and respected narratives of that story. Subsequent Wright historians and authors, even up to David McCullough, have relied heavily upon these works for research material and their basic story. A number of TV documentaries have done likewise.</b></p><b>
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history, authored by Smithsonian Curators Tom Crouch and Peter Jakab</i></b></td></tr></tbody></table>
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</b><p><b>The problem is that Kelly was simply a journalist, and Crouch and Jakab, while PhDs, had history and arts degrees, not technical education, much less aeronautical engineering degrees. Evidently, if they saw the Wrights' technical records, they did not understand much of their significance. Although their books have Acknowledgements sections filled with the names of those who helped them create the books, only a couple of people in each listing contributed any technical assistance. Worse yet, the authors filled in many blanks with unfounded and incorrect assumptions.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b> Such highly credentialed technical experts as the authors of the papers comprising the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Flyer-Engineering-Perspective/dp/0874749794" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>Engineering Perspective</i></a> based much of their work on the official Smithsonian story. Consequently, even they were led astray in many ways, as discussed in my four-part series on the <i>Perspective</i> published in this site in 2018. Over the years, countless retellings of this erroneous story have appeared in various media, the most recent being <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wright/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">a NOVA PBS program</a> purported to be kicking off a series on significant “breakthroughs” in history.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Peer reviews are an accepted method of arriving at the truth in historic and technical publications. Unfortunately, in spite of their extensive acknowledgements, these books have evidently not been reviewed for historical or technical accuracy by anyone qualified to do so until now. The goal here is to establish “<i>truthinaviationhistory”</i>, and since the books and production are already in the public domain, so must be these reviews. I invite similar qualified examination of my book or articles, and would welcome any substantive dialogue.</b></p><b>
</b><p><b>Parts 1 through 5 of this series will be posted to this blog in the coming days.</b></p><b>
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<br /></b><a name='more'></a><p><b>*Editor’s Note: In exchange for permission to display the Wright Flyer 1, <a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Th_Smithsonian_contract.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the Smithsonian Institution infamously signed a contract</a> forbidding them from naming anyone but the Wright brothers as first to fly - or even capable of flight before December 17, 1903</b></p><b>
</b><blockquote>
<p><b><i>Neither the Smithsonian Institution or its successors nor any other museum, or other agency, bureau, or facilities, administered for the United States of America by the Smithsonian Institution or its successors, shall publish or permit to be displayed a statement or label in connection with with or in respect of any aircraft model or design of earlier date than the Wright Aeroplane of 1903, claiming in effect that such an aircraft was capable of carrying a man under its own power in controlled flight.</i></b></p>
</blockquote><b><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /></b><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" />Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-25903042644736348962020-12-16T14:46:00.039-08:002021-12-04T22:41:45.692-08:00"Wright Brothers, Wrong Story" by William Hazelgrove: Another Old Wrong Story <h1 style="text-align: center;">William Hazelgrove’s </h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><i><u>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story</u></i></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">A NecessaryReview</span></h1>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">By Marcia Cummings Hubbard, Editor</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Part I of Ii</h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><pre><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl6dBtzrieQs4ndcVG1Ty3NNznvOiG2Eo3WmwoVWrWhyphenhyphenJofdV08jPhoeTpPVihmZgPNFtAVf_-0B4WFHvnPVJMj-gx2OXDXt4l0rEYqYUXeOKfHvRz3Gw9FcD4r-tmDkfBUukqI_o-LU/s346/Wright+Brothers+Wrong+Story+image.jpg"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="244" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl6dBtzrieQs4ndcVG1Ty3NNznvOiG2Eo3WmwoVWrWhyphenhyphenJofdV08jPhoeTpPVihmZgPNFtAVf_-0B4WFHvnPVJMj-gx2OXDXt4l0rEYqYUXeOKfHvRz3Gw9FcD4r-tmDkfBUukqI_o-LU/w453-h640/Wright+Brothers+Wrong+Story+image.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="453" /></a></pre></div>
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<p>In the summer of 1899, writes William Hazlegrove, Wilbur Wright took his first aeronautical contraption out to a field near his house in Dayton, Ohio. It was a simple kite that was constructed after a Chanute or a Herring biplane glider. According to Wilbur’s account, he wanted to test warping the wings of the kite for lateral control, after he had gotten the idea from twisting the box of a bicycle inner tube. Wilbur and later historians described the kite event as eminently successful, and author William Hazelgrove crows in his book, <i>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story,</i></p>
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<blockquote><span style="color: red;"><i><b>“Already Wilbur knew more than anyone else investigating </b></i><b><i>aeronautics."(page 69) <sup>[1]</sup></i></b></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p>Already balderdash. To any serious student of aviation history, this statement is ridiculous. The principles of flight had been studied for centuries by the time Wilbur Wright inserted himself into the picture. By 1899, all that was really needed for man to successfully fly was a light and powerful enough engine to lift the plane and its pilot into the air. </p>
<p>See Dr. Albert Francis Zahm <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/40067638?seq=1">"Conspectus of Early Powerplane Development"</a> - preface shown below. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcnSikzUbyKbI-fZMRYnTXsowe_DFjKKwP0uzhcZcZQEmLHDO2yr1wsd1Ip8hWuBHCcEBp3MwyK7xdRzCIB9NNfrYjwcEJQcWm830wBEy1IjYTmWf60oWLGDm_0DZ_FCkIMY3zqNmK-A/s891/Zahm+Conspectus.gif"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="621" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUcnSikzUbyKbI-fZMRYnTXsowe_DFjKKwP0uzhcZcZQEmLHDO2yr1wsd1Ip8hWuBHCcEBp3MwyK7xdRzCIB9NNfrYjwcEJQcWm830wBEy1IjYTmWf60oWLGDm_0DZ_FCkIMY3zqNmK-A/s16000/Zahm+Conspectus.gif" /></a></p>
<p>As stated by Dr. Zahm, "nineteenth century contributions to aviation art...[included the] addition of <i>three-torque control</i>." "<i>Three-torque control</i>" is three-way control, one of which is the lateral control that some aviation historians credit to the Wright Brothers. Wilbur Wright did not "discover" the principles involved in lateral control when he did his kite experiment in 1899, as some lightweight history detectives claim. Methods of lateral control were well known by that time and had even been patented. For examples, lateral control had been investigated by such pioneers as John Joseph Montgomery and Louis Pierre Mouillard and patented as far back as 1868 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aileron" rel="noopener" target="_blank">British scientist Mathew Boulton</a>, based on his publication “On Aerial Navigation.” Mouillard had been granted a patent in 1897 and Montgomery, who had experimented with ailerons as far back as 1885, in 1906. Even warped or twisted wings for control, as opposed to ailerons, were not a new idea, according to expert aviation pioneer Octave Chanute, who published the landmark <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/31015366/">“Progress in Flying Machines”</a> in book form in 1894.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Hazelgrove states that Wilbur’s wing warping in 1899 <b><i>“was an aviation first....The first ailerons fitted to an experimental kite or aircraft of any kind.” (page 68) </i></b><b> </b></p><p><b>These assertions alone should discredit William Hazelgrove’s book as serious aviation history. But the author, unbelievably, goes even farther in his claims for the Wrights</b><b>.</b></p>
<p>According to Hazelgrove, <b><i>no one before the Wrights had studied the wings of the plane and what gave them lift. (page 57) </i></b>This is nonsense! By the time of Wilbur's kite experiment, the important cause of the lift of an aircraft's wing was a fact already known to more than one pioneer. To aeronautical engineers, it's called the Bernoulli Principle. Since air travels faster over the top curve of a cambered (curved) wing, there is less pressure exerted above than from the slower moving air underneath. According to Joe Bullmer in <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The WRight Story</a></i>, it's clear from Wilbur’s early writings and statements that he didn't know the Bernoulli Principle. Further, the Wrights claimed they discovered from their wind tunnel experiments in 1901 that the aspect ratio contributes to lift. They were late. Professor Langley's research as well as others before had shown that the wing's aspect ratio contributes to lift. It was Langley who nearly perfected the correct number of<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=IYnl_XPggZYC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=Smeaton%27s+coefficient&source=bl&ots=TZWD-nOR22&sig=ACfU3U1ezZD3jysxCtpvsjDSLzSaaududg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjl-7adv9PtAhV_IDQIHanWDt84ChDoATACegQIARAC#v=onepage&q=Smeaton's%20coefficient&f=false"> Smeaton's coefficient (to .003)</a>, for calculating lift, not the Wrights. That is clear from a letter that Wilbur wrote to Octave Chanute.</p>
<p>Dr. Albert Zahm, referenced above, was among the pioneer investigators of wings and what gives them lift. From the <a href="https://www.nd.edu/stories/super-speed/">University of Notre Dame:</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i><b>"In 1882, an ambitious Notre Dame student named Albert Zahm built what might have been the first wind tunnel in the United States so that he could study the lift and drag of various wing shapes.</b></i></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Zahm built the hand-driven contraption by removing the vibrating screens from a farmer’s winnowing blower. Two decades before the Wright brothers’ famous flight in 1903, Zahm was among the first to conclude that slender, concave surfaces shaped like a bird’s wing would make the best wings and propellers."</b></i></div>
<div> </div>
<div>Hazelgrove, however, disregards the early history, including Dr. Albert Zahm's experiments. He instead asserts that little to nothing was known about lift, balance and control by the manipulation of a wing before Wilbur came along with his "wing warping" and his two months of wind tunnel experiments in late 1901! He thinks that when Wilbur twisted his cardboard box - <i>Eureka</i>! - he understood more than anyone else ever had. But by this time, actually, as Octave Chanute said, there were already various methods of lateral control, like ailerons, winglets, and wing twisting (or warping.). Even manipulation of the wings in conjunction with the rudder, as promoted in the Wright 1906 patent, wasn't new.</div>
<p><b>Astoundingly, Hazelgrove's hyperbole rockets his readers even farther into Wright outer space. </b><b>He genuinely believes that Wilbur was a scientific genius of the</b> caliber of Isaac Newton,see Galileo, or Leonardo da Vinci - the very stuff of greatness.</p>
<p>He maintains that the hitherto unknown "secret" of flight came to Wilbur like the flash of inspiration that manifests in the mysterious muses of artists like Mozart, Rembrandt, or Vincent Van Gogh. This is beyond balderdash. Even Newton knew that he stood on the shoulders of the giants who came before him.</p>
<p><b>“...[It] was up to [Wilbur] to crack the code of flight," </b><b>says Hazelgrove. <i>(page 56) </i></b>When and where? As already stated, the “code of flight” had long been cracked before 1899. As rival Glenn Curtiss remarked when he first saw a Wright plane in 1908, "He [Orville] has nothing startling about his machine and no secrets." <sup>[<a href="#fn2b">2</a>]</sup></p>
<p>But proponents of the Wrights believe these brothers didn't need shoulders to stand on. As time went along, the Wright followers basically claimed for them the discovery of the principles of flight and the invention of the airplane. Everyone who preceded them was a failure; everyone who came after them was a thief who copied them. The Wright adherents indeed have come to resemble a gigantic cult that celebrates ignorance and ignores science.</p>
<div>
<p>In promoting William Hazelgrove's book, Amazon describes it as the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Wrong-Story-Problem/dp/1633884589/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">"first deconstruction"</a> of the Wright history. This is another falsehood - Joe Bullmer's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><i>The WRight Story</i></a> was published nearly ten years before <i>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story.</i> In this book, aeronautical engineer Bullmer describes "26 myths surrounding the Wright Brothers' research.”</p>
</div>
<div>So what is Hazelgrove's discovery that merits "deconstruction” of the history status. It’s his observation that Wilbur was the genius of the brothers Wright. It’s his recognition that as time went on, Orville slanted the story of their Flyers to exaggerate his own contributions to flight. Is that all?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Because this interpretation isn't new. It began even before Wilbur's death in 1912. For example, in a 1908 article in Century magazine, Orville claimed the first flight for himself. Although the article had both brothers in the byline, Wilbur didn't write it because he was in France at the time. But Orville’s flight wasn’t considered long enough by most aviators, including Wilbur, to be considered a true flight.</div>
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<div><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6KuYi3sV4AEMFjHkVcsv0JTLfaMlOy55yKuvAV7JzDUzuboPFhBfsieTNby75EG2Kzivlc7Z-g4PWxnzY5dP0tAxtobtFPlFWky2wG9ElCUPLC6UZyOM88BhEQqG7qchmtikh47mvvg/s1000/Century+magazine+image+II+1908.jpg"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="652" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6KuYi3sV4AEMFjHkVcsv0JTLfaMlOy55yKuvAV7JzDUzuboPFhBfsieTNby75EG2Kzivlc7Z-g4PWxnzY5dP0tAxtobtFPlFWky2wG9ElCUPLC6UZyOM88BhEQqG7qchmtikh47mvvg/w418-h640/Century+magazine+image+II+1908.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="418" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbDmEBXLBt3K-lni9qfdRmkB90CZVWbuSTtB6Dzuofl0m6Wgd0Vl0oUoQCaA9S44ng3VlQmzMPq7LB5KjhgKZD5Bvym4n5zcddOSN3vmrmXLk_GbUbz00z_hC10jrh-CXRFtMtMaLpeM/w640-h526/Wright+Century+Magazine+1908+Paint.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Note that when Wilbur Wright died in 1912, (see clipping below), it was accepted that he was first to fly, not Orville. Compare with Century magazine article (above) written in 1908 by Orville. Wilbur obviously knew about this article.</i></b>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><i><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghbvqCxU6rTEyAr3zKxDaZeo8FPhCHLrf6nY2BVbjqbThyiiqBB06uU16eifsWWzDsNTf6zJJFKIn1aKhH7rqczs518tjIOkDyP_Qgzs-mClbEkF7H8IijH_Oq47sRbCJwQdmE5mZ-bo/s1600/Wilbur+Wright+NY+Times++logo+date.JPG"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="402" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgghbvqCxU6rTEyAr3zKxDaZeo8FPhCHLrf6nY2BVbjqbThyiiqBB06uU16eifsWWzDsNTf6zJJFKIn1aKhH7rqczs518tjIOkDyP_Qgzs-mClbEkF7H8IijH_Oq47sRbCJwQdmE5mZ-bo/s320/Wilbur+Wright+NY+Times++logo+date.JPG" width="320" /></a> </i></h2>
<h2><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscz26SmkS2nQiX8hhgxAsxx3XC3SwRqryobOI2ivdv_D2WSUZAfdcdpyDFEvoAU_LlwBGv4PAl2349MCa4bNTIPxCU5c2RwRopAOLZVyCwSMoRK_P7OlJhHUYi_uXO7HEcKcHD3nvXBo/s1600/Wilbur+Wright+Snip+NY+Times+death.JPG"><img alt="Compare this article written in 1912 to Orville’s 1908 account in Century magazine." border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="634" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscz26SmkS2nQiX8hhgxAsxx3XC3SwRqryobOI2ivdv_D2WSUZAfdcdpyDFEvoAU_LlwBGv4PAl2349MCa4bNTIPxCU5c2RwRopAOLZVyCwSMoRK_P7OlJhHUYi_uXO7HEcKcHD3nvXBo/w400-h251/Wilbur+Wright+Snip+NY+Times+death.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a> </h2>
<h4><u><b><i>Will the"approved" Wright "Historians" </i><i>ever</i><i> get it right?</i></b></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">The notes presented so far are only a sampling of the astonishing number of errors in this book. Hazelgrove and other Wright "historians" simply haven't done their homework. Still, it's disappointing to advocates of historical truth that Hazelgrove’s book was approved by our own Smithsonian Institution, which is supposed to represent the pinnacle of research and science. Hazelgrove was even awarded a December 2018 article in its publication <i>Smithsonian Magazine:</i><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/why-wilbur-wright-deserves-bulk-credit-first-flight-180970714/">"Why Wilbur Wright Deserves the Bulk of the Credit of the First Flight.</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The universe is positively teeming with books and publications about the Wright Brothers. Check the list of Wright books on Amazon.com, or just type "Wright brothers" into Google. But these books, articles, and writings all tell essentially the same story, the one both Wright brothers appear to have contrived beginning on or near December 17, 1903. The same one they elaborated on in the news with their press release in 1904 and which Orville tried to cement for posterity in his Century magazine article in 1908. Both Wrights realized they had much to gain by claiming the first manned, motorized, controlled, heavier-than-air flight in history and their spin included exaggerating their own efforts and downgrading those of anyone else. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It worked. In 1943, their story <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Biography-Dover-Transportation/dp/0486260569/ref=pd_sbs_14_2/133-2714878-4928504?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486260569&pd_rd_r=b7885f80-551e-415f-8237-e61d3534ebbb&pd_rd_w=wFTMC&pd_rd_wg=gDmpJ&pf_rd_p=ed1e2146-ecfe-435e-b3b5-d79fa072fd58&pf_rd_r=W8V8YQCF0R885WB6HDKQ&psc=1&refRID=W8V8YQCF0R885WB6HDKQ">“<i>The Wright Brothers"</i></a> was widely accepted, written as a biography with the byline of journalist Fred Kelly, but in reality written by Orville and/or checked by him line by line. This was his "approved version," published before he died on January 30, 1948. Based on these stories, writers have continued retelling this basic narrative for another nearly three quarters of a century.</p>
<h4><i><u>More Wrongs than Rights </u></i></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">But by investing time and scrutiny, we have found more and more holes in the Wright story. until it’s beginning to dry and crumble like old Swiss cheese. Consequently, we are starving for real histories based on the facts we now know, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=https%3A%2F%2F"><i>Wright Brothers Wrong Story</i></a> doesn't meet the criteria for a <i>real</i> history. The reality is that a deep study of Wright statements and writings, and those of their witnesses, uncover too many falsehoods and contradictions. Plus new scientific studies based on mathematics and aeronautical science are also exposing the fiction. See the many posts in this blog, "The Wrights: Truthinavaition history," such as articles by aeronautical engineer Joe Bullmer, studies by author/historian Paul Jackson, and research by yours truly. </p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwow3imE_amr5Z8DttTAJDzuUVQtV_BG4nIwXmlUgi_ftCXMt07i8YYh-126HbxOMZTop1zeVdO82pDGcYKZkFzrmCbafWpgDn625OtJR60JvvbkItngkelmS7V4g-9D1i8ervheUeSmk/s1600/Wright+orville_wilbur_katherine_wright1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="284" data-original-width="655" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwow3imE_amr5Z8DttTAJDzuUVQtV_BG4nIwXmlUgi_ftCXMt07i8YYh-126HbxOMZTop1zeVdO82pDGcYKZkFzrmCbafWpgDn625OtJR60JvvbkItngkelmS7V4g-9D1i8ervheUeSmk/s640/Wright+orville_wilbur_katherine_wright1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Siblings l to r: Orville, Katharine, and Wilbur Wright. (Author William Hazelgrove consistently spells Katharine's name wrong, as "Katherine.")</i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p style="text-align: left;"><i>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story</i> demonstrates that we are still being served up the same convoluted tales of the Wrights. Adding to that, the retellings can appear slipshod, poorly edited, and laced with errors from picayune to enormous. Writers clearly use their imaginations to fill in the obvious holes left by the Wrights, even though both brothers made attempts to render their story air- (and space-) tight. Orville Wright even directed his heirs to burn selected papers.</p>
<h4><u><i>Historians Need to Dig </i></u></h4>
<p style="text-align: left;">If scrupulous historians want to excavate the true bones of the Wright story, with Wright DNA intact and not doctored by the Wright “historians/writers,” they are going to have to actually dig. Many partially buried clues are protruding out of the cyber sands in plain sight, like dinosaur fossil bones exposed by the weather. Historians are going to have to more carefully examine primary sources, not books by authors in thrall to the Wrights, or to the Smithsonian, or to particular geographical areas like Dayton, Ohio. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="ight-Brothers-Wrong-Story-Problem/dp/1633884589/ref=sr_1_52?ie=UTF8&qid=1534882480&sr=8-52&keywords=the+wright+brothers+book">Author William Hazelgrove</a> has mostly penned books of fiction, though his Wright story is not his first foray into history. But if <i>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story</i> is an example of his history books, librarians need to re-catalogue them as fiction. As one who has spent the past many years researching the Wright story, this recent effort is mostly an elaborate attempt to reword the same old story with a "new hook" that isn't new at all. If truth in aviation history is ever to prevail, the Wright story will in fact be seen as one of the wonderful mythical tales of our American folk heroes - and much of the "genius" of the Wrights will be recognized as their ability to convince so many of their falsehoods for so long. Of course, as in many folktales, there is some truth in the telling, but this mostly myth becomes an egregious insult to history and those pioneers who came both before and after.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, there is more Wright fiction that must be dealt with. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;">An (astoundingly inaccurate) theme that slithers through Hazelgrove's book may be one of the reasons why the Smithsonian, whose present influence encourages Wright story adherents, touts this book. It is the story of the Langley Aerodrome, and Glenn Curtiss's supposedly fraudulent attempts to rebuild and fly it. In Part 2 of this review, I will discuss these experiments and Orville Wright's attempt to discredit them, as time will permit. The Orville Wright twenty eight year long episode about this plane may, in the end, take a book. </p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> _____________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">References:</h4>
<div style="text-align: left;"> <sup>[<a href="#fn1a">1</a>] William Hazelgrove, <i>Wright Brothers, Wrong Story: How Wilbur Wright Solved the Problem of Manned Flight </i>(Amherst, NY: Promethus Books, 2018), 69. (Note: further citations from this text will only list the page number.)<br /></sup></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><sup> [<a href="#fn2a">2</a>] C Roseberry, <i>Glenn Curtiss: Pioneer of Flight</i> (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company Inc, 1972), 125.<br /></sup></div><div style="text-align: left;"><sup><br /></sup></div>
<p> *********</p>
<p><i>Follow this blog. Also coming up: Critiques by aeronautical engineer Joe Bullmer of the most commonly accepted narrations, therefore, “references,” about the Wright Brothers' history.</i></p>
<p><i><br /><br /></i></p>
<p> </p>
<h2> </h2>
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<p><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /></p>
<p><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /></p>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-29709431370980240852020-10-06T17:32:00.031-07:002020-10-06T17:55:28.202-07:00The Wright Propeller: Reply by Author-Historian, Paul Jackson, to Comment on "Propelled to Absurd Heights" <p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJEKMbqCphT_53k7gY8VmIEio30NWuVU59WkSXAKQX6qYouMYNKUPORWdqBNMzl4msqpOsZ2cW7skQBwwcPH8tNqowo-xLln30LYPixENzDcwnWIop6ROOdnbZZl5VNBFpm6qMup-zlM/s1600/Fig+10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJEKMbqCphT_53k7gY8VmIEio30NWuVU59WkSXAKQX6qYouMYNKUPORWdqBNMzl4msqpOsZ2cW7skQBwwcPH8tNqowo-xLln30LYPixENzDcwnWIop6ROOdnbZZl5VNBFpm6qMup-zlM/s640/Fig+10.jpg" width="579" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. Barnstorming aviatrice Katherine Stinson was the fourth woman in
the U.S. to earn a pilot's license, on July 24, 1912, in a Wright Model
B. The massive propeller tips are obvious</td></tr>
</tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Comment</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span class="datetime secondary-text" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2020/01/propelled-to-absurd-heights.html?showComment=1597183700421#c5069943588069558220" rel="nofollow">August 11, 2020 at 3:08 PM</a></span></b></span></p><p>by Anonymous Reader of blog post titled<a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/"> Propelled to Absurd Heights</a> <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/">--</a>Paul Jackson, Author <br /></p><p class="comment-content"><br /></p><p class="comment-content"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i></i></span></p><blockquote><p class="comment-content"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>"Arm chair quarterbacking, as usual...<br /><br />The
Wrights had decided that they would only use information that they have
verified themselves, so crap in a book that they may not have fully
read or understood, and in which they don't didn't have the hindsight of
knowing to be correct is unfair. Further, you slander them for the
crime of successfully building and piloting and airplane while heaping
praise on a fellow who only made a prop. What a load of crap.</i></span></p><p class="comment-content"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i>Signed, Anonymous"</i></span></p></blockquote><p class="comment-content"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i></i></span></p><p class="comment-content"><span class="datetime secondary-text"> </span></p><p class="comment-content"><span class="datetime secondary-text"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Reply to Anonymous</b></span><br /></span></p><p class="comment-content"> Dear Anonymous:</p><p class="comment-content"><br />You censure me for being what is termed wise after the event. This I refute, having merely drawn attention to the fact that the Wrights were “unwise after the event” — the event in question being Hollands’ design and public announcement of an efficient propeller nearly two decades before the Wright Flyer.<br /><br />I must assume that the opprobrium directed towards me is because I recognized, and drew attention to the importance of Holland’s previous invention of the modern propeller, whereas the Wrights didn’t. That’s not arm chair quarterbacking; I prefer to call it painstaking research. <br /><br />The statement that “they would only use information that they [had] verified themselves” reinforces a view of the Wrights as arrogant and negligent. I am not sure you wanted to say that. Good inventors survey their whole field, evaluating all that others have previously done, and putting the best of everything into their new invention. But, like others, the Wrights had a blind spot for Hollands’ work. The point I make is that if Wilbur and Orville were half as smart as they are made out to be, they would have (a) diligently read-up on, and tested Hollands’ previously published ideas and (b) realized that he had an excellent design. They failed to do so, even after Chanute gave them Hollands’ findings in great detail.<br /><br />In actuality – as other entries in this blog make clear – the Wright patent filed in 1903 contains the most gargantuan error it is possible to make on the fundamental subject of how a wing creates lift. They could not conceivably have “verified themselves” that 100 percent of wing lift comes from the underside (and not 67% from above), or proved by experiment that the cambered leading edge is only there to stop it flipping over backwards. This is aerodynamic illiteracy—as demonstrated by Giovanni Battista Venturi in 1797. Clearly, the Wrights aped others while not understanding the elementary science of what they were copying.<br /><br />“In a book that they may not have fully read or understood.” Is it being suggested, here, that some Englishman, two decades previously, could write an aeronautical treatise on the superiority of pointed-tip propellers which the Wrights (a) could not be bothered to read or (b) did not have the intelligence to understand, even if they had read it? Remember: these were the “geniuses” who “invented the airplane.”<br /><br />“You slander them for the crime of successfully building and piloting and airplane,” I am told. Firstly, the written word is not slander, it is libel. Secondly, building an airplane is not a crime. Thirdly, stating that someone has performed an entirely legal and morally upright act cannot be libelous. Although somewhat baffled by the accusations, I plead not guilty.<br /><br />The bottom line is that, even today, most medium/small airplanes employ a propeller invented in London in 1885 and not a propeller invented in Dayton in 1902. It looks like by pointing that out, I have caused (what you refer to as) the “cr*p” to hit the (Hollands’) fan</p><p class="comment-content">Sincerely,</p><p class="comment-content">Paul Jackson </p><p class="comment-content">Retired Senior Editor of Jane's All the World's Aircraft</p><p class="comment-content"><a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/">-</a></p><p> </p><p class="comment-content"><br /><br /></p>Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-21364539161777239692020-01-26T12:36:00.000-08:002020-06-15T16:29:59.066-07:00Propelled to Absurd Heights<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A down-to-earth assessment of the Wright Brothers' competence in air-screw design</b></span> </span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Paul Jackson</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">Editor-in-Chief, Ret, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft </i></span></span></b></span></h3>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
</h2>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtoW1nWsj0yv1ZVP2Tb_Xu0knUlwCx55YJMZVOcpFqUSIMBzmxLeykjovBOYPEaJ8tqmBxRRl1mVdL0W2Iw8fKOmtxIMcxJnpc0dtgCqYDF5XLwHYPqEQiFAyA7x3YcAUxCofFNYnaBQ/s1600/Fig+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtoW1nWsj0yv1ZVP2Tb_Xu0knUlwCx55YJMZVOcpFqUSIMBzmxLeykjovBOYPEaJ8tqmBxRRl1mVdL0W2Iw8fKOmtxIMcxJnpc0dtgCqYDF5XLwHYPqEQiFAyA7x3YcAUxCofFNYnaBQ/s400/Fig+1.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center"><td class="tr-caption">Fig 1. William Shakespeare was “a man more sinned against than sinning”
(King Lear Act 3, Scene 2). Over-hyped by fawning supporters he, sadly,
has to be taken down a peg in the cold light of digitalized history</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Wherever their skills permit it, traditional aviation historians employ Shakespeare-like prose to describe, with all the eloquence at their disposal, the inventions and achievements of the Wright Brothers. That is most apt, for the Bard of Avon was as fecund in the realm of the written word as were Orville and Wilbur in developing all aspects of the airplane.<br />
<br />
Shakespeare has been credited with coining 3,200 words in the English tongue, plus at least 150 more expressions in daily use. Truly, he was a prolific and popular playwright.<br />
<br />
Prolific and popular. Perhaps the shortest English sentence to be an enigmatic oxymoron. Why? Consider baffled Elizabethan audiences leaving The Globe theatre, grumbling that idiot Shakespeare had made it impossible for them to follow the plot because of all the invented words and phrases of obscure meaning littering the script. Why didn’t the fool write in English?<br />
<br />
Of course, he did. What has happened is that modern researchers tasked with discovering the origin of any English word have traced it back through literature until they found it in Shakespeare — whereupon they declared that, because the man was genius, he must have invented it. Therefore, there is no need to look any further back.<br />
<br />
The Internet has much to answer for in its debasement of scholarship, but it is highly efficient in exposing lazy scholars. The gradual digitalization of pre-Shakespeare literature in recent years has made it possible — in a search taking a few thousandths of a second — to pinpoint a given word in writings from before the Bard’s birth. <br />
<br />
Thus, those 3,200 words credited to Shakespeare have shrunk, within the past few years, to 1,700, and the tally is diminishing with every passing month.<br />
<br />
Similar exaggerations of the Wright Brothers’ prowess are also being exposed by freshly digitalized documents, but the process is being fiercely resisted by aviation historians who hope to emulate another significant figure in English history: King Canute, resister of the incoming tide.<br />
<br />
Whereas it is not an offense to rob Shakespeare of the credit for a word it is now known he borrowed, the home of what purports to be the original Wright Flyer, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, has a serious legal problem with documents which prove the wrights did not do, or invent, something they claimed they did. <br />
<br />
The covenant of November 1948 with the Wright family forbids the Smithsonian from publishing anything which disproves the Wright 1903 Flyer was, “The World's First Power-Driven Heavier-than-Air Machine in Which Man Made Free, Controlled, and Sustained Flight” and that, “By Original Scientific Research the Wright Brothers Discovered the Principles of Human Flight” and “Taught Man to Fly”.<br />
<br />
Refusal to acknowledge the relevant pre-Wright documents was not the result of laziness, as was the case with Shakespeare’s writings, but of a legal imperative: Contradict any of these assertions and the Flyer gets removed from the building.<br />
<br />
The Old Guard’s problem is that now, any literate child, working at a computer in their bedroom, can download, from the Internet, date-marked documents published by learned bodies which shatter claims of Wright primacy in more than one field.<br />
<br />
<h3>
A prop for the Wright legend of brilliance</h3>
The Hartzell company is based in the Wrights’ home state of Ohio and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of propellers. Surely, it — of all authorities — can be relied upon to present an accurate, unbiased assessment of the chronology of airplane propeller development. Let’s see what its website (http://hartzellprop.com/wright-brothers-propellers) has to say on the matter:<br />
<br />
“In the late 1800s, several flying machines emerged from early pioneers who based their propellers on screw-shaped design. But it was the Wright brothers who were the first to acknowledge that an aircraft propeller should be shaped more like a wing than a screw.<br />
<br />
“The two brothers reasoned that propellers could act like rotating wings spinning through the air. The idea was that the rotating propeller blades would act as “airfoils” (wing shapes) that produce a pressure differential, displacing air backward to produce forward thrust.<br />
<br />
“Using data from their wind tunnel experiments, the Wrights created an efficient propeller design modeled after one of their wing shapes. They then set out to invent a propulsion system that utilized a small engine and two large, slow-turning propellers.”<br />
<br />
There; as plain as day: The Wright Brothers designed the world’s first efficient aerial propeller. They did so in their wind tunnel, which was put into service (according to the Smithsonian) in October 1901. The modern propeller was invented in Dayton, Ohio, in 1902 or 1903. The first such propeller was tested, at sub-scale, on a motorised rig at Dayton on December 15, 1902.<br />
<br />
Don’t bother with Wikipedia’s history of the propeller; it is exactly the same: “...the Wright Brothers realized that a propeller is essentially the same as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing">wing</a>, and were able to use data from their earlier wind tunnel experiments on wings, introducing a twist along the length of the blades.”<br />
<br />
<h3>
Surely, an impossible fact to miss</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJ500Nhkt6GuvyqwAvH2DksFS1yX3YfgopVSHQ60XESSRnsXWtYSmx3ztwfVtT9hHHEQpYofbz0oRuhX4nQLzltkZmID-WtmxTMJO2CjpGeBPQn-U_cV3hLtfFixcHOIitJ_ltyef_DE/s1600/Fig+2a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJ500Nhkt6GuvyqwAvH2DksFS1yX3YfgopVSHQ60XESSRnsXWtYSmx3ztwfVtT9hHHEQpYofbz0oRuhX4nQLzltkZmID-WtmxTMJO2CjpGeBPQn-U_cV3hLtfFixcHOIitJ_ltyef_DE/s640/Fig+2a.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 2. Sidney Hollands described the attributes of an efficient, modern
propeller two decades before the Wrights’ failure to build such a device
(via Royal Aeronautical Society)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But let’s use the wonders of modern digitalization of historic records to go back in time two decades before “the Wrights invented the propeller” in the wind tunnel at the rear of their cycle shop. Back to London, England, in June 1885, where the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain is holding an exhibition of the latest in aviation science in the Crystal Palace (which was originally built to house the 1851 Great Exhibition).<br />
<br />
We know that a certain Englishman, Sidney Herbert Hollands, exhibited an airplane propeller of revolutionary design at that event. This was recorded in the Society’s archives by Baden Baden-Powell (sic), editor of the house magazine, Aeronautical Journal (and brother of Robert, later founder of the Boy Scouts) but, by an oversight, full details were not bound into the Society’s journal of proceedings.<br />
<br />
But all is not lost, for a copy of the report crossed the Atlantic and landed on the desk of the doyen of US aviation pioneers, Octave Chanute. In February 1893, Part IX of Chanute’s book Progress in Flying Machines (downloadable at http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Aero_Feb1893.html) had this to say:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hollands however, made some experiments on the best form of lifting screw-blades, and stated that he had found it advantageous to make the fan blade concave on the driving or lifting side, and that the angle of maximum efficiency was 15° with the plane of motion at the tip and 30° at the root. <br />
<br />
The form which he found most efficient was two-bladed; with the blades narrowest at the tips, slightly concave on the lifting side, the tip slightly drooping, each blade being approximately the shape of an elongated shallow spoon or scoop, and with a pitch equal to about two-thirds of the fan's diameter, giving a mean angle of blade of 22° 30' with the plane of motion. <br />
<br />
These blades were of thin sheet steel, and their forms will be noted as confirming what has already been stated as to the advantages of the bird-like form of wing. M. Hollands said further:<br />
<br />
I find another advantage accrues also from the use of these very thin, sharp edged hollow blades — viz, that there is no appreciable resistance to rotation that does not contribute to lifting effect. </blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G-nM-xbBkXNBPNXI3HYq26lZkAflO5bp8H4ynwLShuBYGLX0FekKcRldiDjRYOlZhbIXz_IeoveHydnzUV_pj61n8UC5tEQrDSeylPP9eoMSzm7GQL0UP40L_iZ2POcgyDc_42vpMGA/s1600/Fig+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3G-nM-xbBkXNBPNXI3HYq26lZkAflO5bp8H4ynwLShuBYGLX0FekKcRldiDjRYOlZhbIXz_IeoveHydnzUV_pj61n8UC5tEQrDSeylPP9eoMSzm7GQL0UP40L_iZ2POcgyDc_42vpMGA/s640/Fig+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 3. A selection of typical, modern propellers, built for light
aircraft by the Hercules company in the UK, home of its designer,
Hollands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Let’s just recap. A cambered blade; wide at the hub and narrowing towards the tip; the angle of leading-edge incidence progressively reducing towards the tip. Doesn’t that describe a modern, efficient propeller? Chanute was a mentor to the Wrights and they were actively seeking out literature to assist their quest for flight. Does anyone, seriously, suggest that Hollands’ researches did not come to their attention, by active or passive means?<br />
<br />
And Hollands’ ideas yet again crossed the Atlantic, but in first-hand form, when the Scientific American published his article, ‘Wind Motors, Ancient and Modern’ in its Supplement of September 1, 1894.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Wright Brothers: innocent bystanders</h3>
At this point, regular readers of this blog will be expecting so see a scathing denouncement of the Wrights for stealing Hollands’ ideas — in the manner they appropriated many others. Nothing could be farther from the writer’s mind. Together with the rest of the aeronautical experimenters, the Wrights foolishly ignored Hollands’ careful researches and pressed on with their own, inefficient designs.<br />
<br />
No particular criticism can be made of the Wrights for not realising the significance of Hollands’ writings, because all the others failed to take them up, as well. But the Wrights have been elevated by their own boastfulness and the sycophancy of others into a category head and shoulders above “all the others.” Now it appears they were not as smart as they, or their biographers, made out.<br />
<br />
To give him his due, Hollands kept trying. In another magazine, he co-authored with G Lacey Hillier a series of aviation articles, saying in Part III<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“With further reference to aerial propellers, one of the present writers has found by comparative experiment that a very advantageous feature of design is to make the blades concave on the driving side (and, therefore, convex on the other side), which form really amounts to extending the lifting form of the aerocurve to propeller blades, which latter have been hitherto made flat.” [an ‘aerocurve’ being a lifting surface incorporating camber]</blockquote>
<br />
And then, in Part IV, referring to a series of comparative experiments with different propeller designs and numbers of blades:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“4. That it is very advantageous to make the blades with a certain degree of concavity on the driving side* (or ‘conchoidal’), and therefore convex on the other or advancing side.<br />
<br />
5. That there is a distinct advantage in making the blades narrow at the tip, and broadest near the root, which form is quite contrary to previous aerial practice in aerial fans.”</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
[*The term “driving side” might be a little confusing to some. The reason Hollands and almost all others of his time refer to the concave back of the blades thus, is that they thought a cambered surface created lift (or thrust) by building up a pressure on the bottom, or concaved side. They were largely unaware of the dominance of a lower pressure on the convex side, sucking the aircraft forward. In spite of Phillips and Lilienthal publishing fairly correct explanations, the Wrights maintained their mistaken belief until well after they developed their airplanes.]<br />
<br />
Part IV includes comparative diagrams of the Hollands pointed-tip propeller and the alternative design with its narrow root and wide tip. For two propellers, each of 10 feet in diameter, the Hollands has its centre of mass at 4 ft 2½ in diameter and centre of pressure at 4 ft 7½ in; for the wide-tipped propeller, the numbers are 6 ft 6½ in and 6 ft 4 in, respectively. <br />
<br />
Comments Hollands: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“This reduction of the radius of the centre of mass not only reduces the centrifugal pull of the blades, but the centre of pressure being correspondingly reduced, the bending moment of the arms, and consequently the pull on the back stays becomes much less. Both these conditions conduce to lightness of construction.<br />
<br />
“Because of the structural advantages, the reduction of radii of the two centres reduces the necessary torque, or turning effort. After all, it is only logical to make the blades narrow towards the region of the highest velocity, i.e., at the periphery, and, of course, a regularly increasing area towards the root where the velocity of rotation is least."</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj8V-BZkOPF7zE4Zh9flDd9wf5CHzEJb5eEVbNbDsi_QjjgGT5mquTcvjeB1cuvlj7XN-XKR5bdt1euHrEONhCYRcSSxJkg0oHXCIuXPibj_MAkXgpFY4i783YEueaV3_8pO0aPOpI1o/s1600/Fig+4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj8V-BZkOPF7zE4Zh9flDd9wf5CHzEJb5eEVbNbDsi_QjjgGT5mquTcvjeB1cuvlj7XN-XKR5bdt1euHrEONhCYRcSSxJkg0oHXCIuXPibj_MAkXgpFY4i783YEueaV3_8pO0aPOpI1o/s640/Fig+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
Fig 4. Hollands’ 1901 comparison (simplified and further annotated)
of two blade shapes for a 10-foot propeller: his own (left) and the
broad-tip variety employed (although in what was then the future) by the
Wrights. On the left, the bending arm of the center of pressure (P) —
which is trying to snap off the blade — is near to the prop’s axis. On
the right, the leverage of P is enhanced and the blade is more highly
stressed. And this was before the Wrights added even more mass to the
tips of their later props, worsening the situation. Adjacent to P is M,
the center of mass; the greater the distance of M from the rotational
axis, the more horsepower is absorbed just in turning the weight of the
prop. So, the narrow-tip prop scores on both counts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Apologies, good reader; you have not been provided with references for these two articles. They appeared in January and April 1903 in the UK quarterly magazine, Flying. The Wrights probably saw at least the January 1903 edition, as it also contained a four-page, second-part report of Wilbur’s talk to the Western Society of Engineers.<br />
<br />
The articles were published as the Wrights were putting the finishing touches to their patent application (submitted March 23, 1903) and starting manufacture of the Flyer. So, as a further recap: cambered blades with narrowing at the tips and progressively reduced twist, outboard. Do the opposite, and more horsepower is needed to turn the prop; and the blades themselves are subjected to a greater force trying to snap them off backwards.<br />
<br />
And, in the light of these vital and timely revelations, what did the wizard Wrights do? This:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKh_xCUqWSZLobdwR_f7CpWKWJ4eutmufOn21Bw6NKCXmWGj251rNync_vYMgwvxlsciTtMiVGixlgeIb8UOPETaSVpADQ8iJUi3FolJsVGNSPjT_R2NJkAYqpYKZPQgAD-Vm2Yuq_4s/s1600/Fig+5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZKh_xCUqWSZLobdwR_f7CpWKWJ4eutmufOn21Bw6NKCXmWGj251rNync_vYMgwvxlsciTtMiVGixlgeIb8UOPETaSVpADQ8iJUi3FolJsVGNSPjT_R2NJkAYqpYKZPQgAD-Vm2Yuq_4s/s640/Fig+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 5. The Flyer’s propellers at Kitty Hawk in December 1903. Twist,
yes; camber, a little; narrowed tips, no way. An improvement on some
others’ designs, granted; but a pitiful effort compared with what
“aeronautical geniuses” should have been achieving at that time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
America is not entirely without honors in the matter, though, for on February 10, 1901, Augustus Herring had written to Chanute reporting encouraging results of “experiments with curved surfaces and screw propellers with straight & with curved blades.” The following year, Chanute brought Herring to the Wrights’ gliding camp at Kitty Hawk, but it is unclear whether the latter had any influence on the Flyer’s prop.<br />
<br />
Historians dazzled by the Wrights’ self-publicity feel obliged to give Herring a poor write-up and stress the later animosity between the two. But as Herring’s letter shows, he was closer to the optimum propeller formula in 1901 than were the Wrights at the time.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAfDW3nprJm8qVCTdi9X7TWj9NABO0tG1GnrfDcYB1n1sjvlbMOtmG1wtUeyQ7KKpa5QUAR4D0x9jL5KFhzg0efK_JNqSAXjQH5Oe-lKdEpL9pCSsG9BgT-i0trRcFrUrBi1WkVQwNbE/s1600/Fig+6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAfDW3nprJm8qVCTdi9X7TWj9NABO0tG1GnrfDcYB1n1sjvlbMOtmG1wtUeyQ7KKpa5QUAR4D0x9jL5KFhzg0efK_JNqSAXjQH5Oe-lKdEpL9pCSsG9BgT-i0trRcFrUrBi1WkVQwNbE/s640/Fig+6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 6. Herring tells Chanute he has been experimenting with both
cambered and what, today, would be called ‘scimitar’ blades. The date
was February 1901 — nine months before the Wrights even began
experiments in their wind tunnel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And also was Hollands closer to the optimum propeller formula than he (or any others) realized. Nobody seemed to be taking into account another spin-off resulting from the propeller-is-a-wing-on-its-side concept. The ideal lift distribution across a wing from an induced drag standpoint is for lift to taper off near the tips — a concept which the Spitfire employs par excellence. This reduces the amount of swirling flow from the bottom of a wing around to the top, which destroys most of the lift at the tips; thus the proliferation of “winglets” on modern airliners. <br />
<br />
The aerodynamic advantage of tapered tips is every bit as important as the mechanical bending moment advantage that Hollands did describe for that shape. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Cranks</h3>
Two basic shapes of Wright blade are discernible in the years after 1903. First came the rounded tip; then, from 1908 onward, the ‘cranked’, or bent tip. The waters are muddied slightly because the first disclosure of the Flyer, in France during August 1908, was with 1903-style propellers as a consequence of the others being damaged in transit. Further confusion arises from the fact that the props look bent only from certain angles. Whatever; there is an obvious kink in their trailing edges and they are appreciably wider at the tips.<br />
<br />
The reader should also note that the later Wright propeller design was less close to Hollands’ ideal shape than its predecessor. It had even greater mass (and area), even farther from the hub, meaning it soaked-up even more horsepower for no good reason, and tried even harder to snap off its blades through increased backwards forces at the tip. Furthermore, the aerodynamic tip losses previously described — but not then understood, or taken into account — will have been multiplied (the wider the tip, the greater the loss.)<br />
<br />
Yes, folks; the more the Wrights refined the design of their propeller, the more inefficient and dangerous it became.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYr6T3gXXUCDkFYzPn0HZUWK9VjKjm21oenChO9qStNR30WSb-e9f6yJKnDKxe7MwRGAe0rMREfkESMyFb88DsN3GvShWZjTu3NxxtJhN2AbBjGLBhYudD7r-74XaOuBNuznAzkrMDek/s1600/Fig+7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjYr6T3gXXUCDkFYzPn0HZUWK9VjKjm21oenChO9qStNR30WSb-e9f6yJKnDKxe7MwRGAe0rMREfkESMyFb88DsN3GvShWZjTu3NxxtJhN2AbBjGLBhYudD7r-74XaOuBNuznAzkrMDek/s640/Fig+7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 7. The 1905 Flyer modified with two seats and ‘cranked’ blades
during trials at Kitty Hawk in May 1908. Note that the aircraft still
needs a downhill run to take off</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Wb1V0fAClVEA_AAjZhk1OLAkh04W-7lC8j_EKUXXLDkyv8M-SMk-wP-mv5Azhu0BE1mO8MtFBOXZdSq_mykDuprzY14JuQ-TAouYW-5HyShiGZCRzmFeastQFQ_Z0nhFzHwdcT_uck/s1600/Fig+8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3Wb1V0fAClVEA_AAjZhk1OLAkh04W-7lC8j_EKUXXLDkyv8M-SMk-wP-mv5Azhu0BE1mO8MtFBOXZdSq_mykDuprzY14JuQ-TAouYW-5HyShiGZCRzmFeastQFQ_Z0nhFzHwdcT_uck/s640/Fig+8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 8. Propellers of the Flyer which killed Lt Selfridge on September
17, 1908, when (according to the Wrights) one blade disintegrated in
flight. Blade incidence to the direction of travel almost varies from 0°
to 90°, and strain on the hub must have been immense</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1QbF0fnYJ_mC2VaVvn4kmJ-I6v61MEUbjvkkQ5iZ5UkTR6zC54EB_y8NAs4Rea9pZyv0Sqez33shIeVZUYOa7l-B7qKL1lzIbNoOGrsHgl9HWcIi9cGbo0d1PMWok65MLvLXrnjOlEQ/s1600/Fig+9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO1QbF0fnYJ_mC2VaVvn4kmJ-I6v61MEUbjvkkQ5iZ5UkTR6zC54EB_y8NAs4Rea9pZyv0Sqez33shIeVZUYOa7l-B7qKL1lzIbNoOGrsHgl9HWcIi9cGbo0d1PMWok65MLvLXrnjOlEQ/s640/Fig+9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 9. Wilbur flies sister, Katharine on February 15, 1909. The propeller tips seem to be of a compromise design</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
If it’s any good: steal it</h3>
<br />
Propellers are all about converting engine horsepower into forward thrust. Hartzell says the Wrights obtained over 66% efficiency (taking Orville’s written assertion as being true); some aviation historians report that this was later improved (with the cranked design of 1908) to 81½%. That may be compared with the near-ideal 90% of modern shapes.<br />
<br />
How overloading the tip area and, consequently, increasing aerodynamic losses can make a propeller more efficient is a mystery which Wright-worshipers prefer not to explain. One conjectural explanation might be that the Brothers became vaguely aware of tip losses and thought the answer was to build a wider barrier to airflow overspill in that location. We now know the opposite to be the true state of affairs. In an analogy: faced with getting a Jeep across quicksand, the Wrights were loading it with concrete blocks to give the tires better grip.<br />
<br />
And as Joe Bullmer highlights in <i>The WRight Story</i>, the Brothers’ airplane patent contains irrefutable, written evidence of a fundamental misconception in aerodynamics: their belief that 100% of lift (and of propeller thrust) generated by a cambered airfoil comes from the lower (propeller’s back) surface. In the real world, some 67% of lift (thrust) derives from suction on the top (prop’s front) surface — hence the tip losses because the top surface is trying to “steal” air from the underside. <br />
<br />
In proceedings of the (UK) Society of Engineers in 1908, it was claimed that Hollands’ propeller achieved 26 lb of thrust per horsepower inputted, whereas the Wrights’ best figure was a mere 16 lb. The arguments can go back and forth ad infinitum, involving complex formulae and even more esoteric methods and calculation and comparison. (It helps greatly to be in ignorance of tip loss.) Let us, therefore, base our analysis on a simple human trait which infallibly gives a correct answer in such matters: pure greed.<br />
<br />
If the Wright propeller had been the best available, it would have been widely copied. Had it been patented (and, interestingly, it was one of the few aeronautical things the Wrights didn’t attempt to protect), it would have been either built under license or, just pirated. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yet nobody flattered the Wright propeller. This might have been because the rest of the world’s aspiring aviators were so staggered by the Brothers’ brilliance in propeller design that they felt unworthy of copying it; or because they investigated it and found it inadequate. Human nature suggests the latter is the right answer.<br />
<i><br />[*Let it be explained, here, that some propellers break Hollands’ rules by having constant-chord blades with square(ish) tips. Reasons for this did not concern the early aviators. It will be noted that such props are attached to high-power, or high-revving [eg, microlight] engines. Moreover, they are usually metal or composites in structure. Typical of the square-tipped type are those fitted to early versions of Lockheed Hercules — but each engine is rated at 4,200 hp, compared with the Flyer’s 12 hp. Current Hercules versions have abandoned the square tips for a more tapered design.]</i><br />
<br />
In regular letters to the editor of Flight for most of 1909, Hollands was still stressing the superiority of his design and challenging Frederick Handley Page, and others, to better it. Had he but known, he was pushing at a door that was beginning to open — except in the US, where the Wright Flying School continued to employ the cranked-tipped monstrosity of a propeller that had (according to Orville*) shattered and killed Lt Selfridge, US Army, during the 1908 military trials. The Model B was no different, and even a decade after Kitty Hawk, Wright airplanes were still flying with broad, cranked-tip propellers.<br />
<br />
<i>[*The Wrights were their own air accident investigators for this crash and, if they are right, the unnecessarily large strain imposed on the prop, as predicted by Hollands, would be an obvious suspect for the cause of the disintegration. However — as it is planned to discuss in a future blog — later, less partisan analysis also points fingers at engine malfunction; overloading of the airplane; pilot’s unfamiliarity with the new propeller design; and structural failure, allowing the propeller to come into contact with a rigging wire.]</i><br />
<br />
Around the same time, 1908, Hollands was working on a metal propeller, for which 85% efficiency was claimed. If confirmed in practice, this patented design scores only a few percent short of the figure for a typical propeller 100 years later. In fact, Hollands held several patents, including one for a reversible propeller with hydraulic actuation. This was applied for in 1898, some considerable time before Hamilton Standard of the US won the 1933 Collier Trophy for the world’s “first” hydraulic propeller.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJEKMbqCphT_53k7gY8VmIEio30NWuVU59WkSXAKQX6qYouMYNKUPORWdqBNMzl4msqpOsZ2cW7skQBwwcPH8tNqowo-xLln30LYPixENzDcwnWIop6ROOdnbZZl5VNBFpm6qMup-zlM/s1600/Fig+10.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJEKMbqCphT_53k7gY8VmIEio30NWuVU59WkSXAKQX6qYouMYNKUPORWdqBNMzl4msqpOsZ2cW7skQBwwcPH8tNqowo-xLln30LYPixENzDcwnWIop6ROOdnbZZl5VNBFpm6qMup-zlM/s640/Fig+10.jpg" width="579" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 10. Barnstorming aviatrice Katherine Stinson was the fourth woman in the U.S. to earn a pilot's license, on July 24, 1912, in a Wright Model B. The massive propeller tips are obvious</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2YDDyw1dyGUMoSLjKt9-_9JvYTOJgPQx2MrhM6ejfuoJKDvvHYVQgcXCx4L9n9GPlp0-IxZhjWAZuSV3FtJycXuSKkeokO1ar-uxJmpzy0xj3CrNmFyZvv-cdirUFrwk1TAQU254Jec/s1600/Fig+11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2YDDyw1dyGUMoSLjKt9-_9JvYTOJgPQx2MrhM6ejfuoJKDvvHYVQgcXCx4L9n9GPlp0-IxZhjWAZuSV3FtJycXuSKkeokO1ar-uxJmpzy0xj3CrNmFyZvv-cdirUFrwk1TAQU254Jec/s640/Fig+11.jpg" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 11. By 1917, Katherine had learned the error of her ways and switched to a Curtiss JN4 with a ‘Hollands’ propeller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpunOHJkhDALxwPi07byQgUEF3E702_ys4YKlLCAi-SkAJ_4gqcQGA94KTe7PO88qmyRYoWdujGKT6Hk-l8dpZdIEMSw1_endpx7UssUDEyq0J_78fwgkfd0KH0rAND3sBS8YxxGfuDk/s1600/Fig+12.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxpunOHJkhDALxwPi07byQgUEF3E702_ys4YKlLCAi-SkAJ_4gqcQGA94KTe7PO88qmyRYoWdujGKT6Hk-l8dpZdIEMSw1_endpx7UssUDEyq0J_78fwgkfd0KH0rAND3sBS8YxxGfuDk/s640/Fig+12.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 12. In 1916, the Wright company, then on its last legs, finally
discovered the (W)right stuff and fitted its otherwise unremarkable Type
L with a cambered, scimitar-shape propeller, having pointed tips. If
Hollands and Herring received letters of grateful thanks from Orville
for their far-sighted observations of a decade-and-a-half earlier, they
never mentioned them</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2rvcMWUKvAcCf_1CuBgXtF8B_H4JvHduhyLpKBxBUI6lS4yFg5ldg9hrFBSzqcWqLUQW5aQ5ORctPATayCz98shVH3FOv_l4Chd4fPDM5QXG7LwLBeSUSNseY1tiLYUlSaCGXEkDKeY/s1600/Fig+13.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2rvcMWUKvAcCf_1CuBgXtF8B_H4JvHduhyLpKBxBUI6lS4yFg5ldg9hrFBSzqcWqLUQW5aQ5ORctPATayCz98shVH3FOv_l4Chd4fPDM5QXG7LwLBeSUSNseY1tiLYUlSaCGXEkDKeY/s640/Fig+13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig 13. Sopwith’s Camel — one of the more famous participants in the air
battles of the First World War. If a camel is, “a horse designed by a
committee,” then a Camel with a Wright propeller would have been, “an
Allied fighter designed by the Kaiser,” and the Red Baron would have
enjoyed a walkover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Postscript </h3>
To obviate any attempt to misinterpret the purpose of the above study, let it be understood that it is not the writer’s purpose to advance any claim that Hollands “invented the propeller.” There were other, relevant contributions from experimenters such as Lanchester, Drzweiki, and Prandtl. Hollands, perhaps, didn’t do it all by himself — but all the essential data are concentrated in his writings and the key fact is that they all pre-date, by a large margin, manufacture by the Wrights of a much inferior product.<br />
<br />
Indeed, Orville’s account of propeller development, in How We Invented the Airplane, is bizarre. The Brothers borrowed books on ship propellers from the Dayton Public Library and found the data could not be applied to aerial propulsion — which is fair comment; air is compressible and water is not, thus an entirely different approach is essential. So, as a next step, they “began the study of the screw propeller from an entirely theoretical standpoint.” Entirely omitted is any expression of the faintest curiosity about what other aviation researchers were doing in the line of propulsion.<br />
<br />
Yet, we know for certain the Wrights were cognizant of Hollands’ work because their authorized biographer, Fred C Kelly says, “they did not begin serious reading until 1899. Among the books they read was Octave Chanute’s Progress in Flying Machines...” which, of course, contained Hollands’ detailed formula for an efficient prop. Orville could have told Kelly that they found the air-propeller literature as unhelpful as that for water. They’d have been wrong, but at least admitted they had pursued a blatantly obvious avenue of research.<br />
<br />
That said, the Wrights’ reputation for propeller prowess seems to have been thrust upon them by sycophantic historians, including those at Hartzell and Wikipedia. As far as is known, they (certainly Wilbur) never asserted that they invented the cambered, twisted propeller. True, they said things like, “we discovered” or “we reasoned” without claiming they were the first to do so; that was left to a later generation of unknowledgeable, lazy historians. The same false credit was awarded to them for wing-warping flight control. In truth, they came up with a poor propeller design; then modified it to be worse.<br />
<br />
Those whose view of the Wrights’ aeronautical brilliance remain stubbornly undimmed, in spite of all the above, might wish to indulge themselves in the ultimate Wright experience. At Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, Wright "B" Flyer Inc (www.wright-b-flyer.org) offers pleasure flights in a replica Model B, tail number N3786B. Nobody having persuaded any of the innumerable 1903 Flyer replicas to fly in anything remotely resembling a safe fashion, this is the nearest anyone will come to the original Wright stuff. Be assured, it’s perfectly safe; this one has narrow-tip Hollands propellers, built by Sensenich, instead of the over-stressed, super-wide originals. (Something approaching the latter can be seen on an accompanying Model B replica, N2283D, that managed 2½ hours of flight for a film before suffering an accident and permanent grounding. A third, new Model B, due to fly in 2020, appears to have pointed-tip, carbon fiber props. So: flyable Wright replicas without replica Wright propellers; there’s a message in there, somewhere.<br />
<br />
Why the Wrights did not check-out Hollands’ more advanced thinking (and he receives several additional mentions in the Chanute volume on account of his parallel work with airplane engines) must remain a matter of conjecture, although one might suspect a certain degree of arrogance or pig-hardheadedness. Two lessons emerge:<br />
<ol>
<li>For all the remarkable capabilities ascribed to them, the Wrights failed to apply the basic mechanical knowledge demonstrated by Hollands two decades earlier. </li>
<li>Not only did the Wrights not arrive at the same conclusion as Hollands, they did not have the wit to copy a good propeller design when it was handed to them on a plate.</li>
</ol>
And, in view of the earlier revelations of this blog, one question cries out for an answer: How might the Flyer have performed at Kitty Hawk in 1903 with a pair of decent, Hollands propellers?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>---by <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Paul Jackson FRAeS, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">former Editor-in-Chief, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft</i> (1995-2019)</span></span></b><br />
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-50981598755574204202020-01-18T14:48:00.000-08:002020-01-19T15:38:06.069-08:00A Follow-On to Readers' Comments on Mensuration of the Fourth Flight by Paul Jackson <span style="color: #cc0000;"> PREAMBLE:</span> Two readers (Anonymous' and "Unknown") kindly took the trouble to respond to the <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" target="_blank">previous blog post,*</a> authored by Joe Bullmer, in which the Wright Brothers' own photograph of the "852-foot, 59 second" fourth flight of December 17, 1903, is examined in detail and found to contain serious anomalies. The picture shows the launch rail and the airplane on the ground, the two separated by only some 277 feet (as computed by trigonometry). The propellers have stopped, but "Unknown" suggests this could be a photographic illusion - leaving open the possibility that the flight did, eventually, cover 852 feet.<br />
<br />
Yet, neither correspondent addresses, with anything stronger than a shrug, the fundamental point that this picture might well show, not the Mk I Flyer in December, 1903, but the modified (two-seat) Mk III Flyer in May, 1908. Nor do they acknowledge contradictory testimony from the Wrights which compounds the uncertainty. Below, therefore, is a broader view of events, and a plea for traditional historians of the Wrights to "grasp the nettle" and declare their own view of what this picture really shows. If you have not already done so, we recommend you read Bullmer's analysis first.*<br />
<h2 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> <span style="color: #cc0000;">COMMENT:</span> Unknown----I offer a different opinion: <i>It does not matter if the propellers are turning, or not</i>. The apparently stopped prop was, merely, one of the factors alerting the observant expert (Joe Bullmer) to the fact that several things do not seem right about this photo. </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> However, the propellers are a red herring.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span>The airplane
is pictured on the ground and going nowhere; it has finished flying (for ever!)
and the elevator is broken off by a heavy landing. We have been told that at
first-hand by Orville Wright; and seen a close-up picture of the crash site
taken by Orville himself. The latter can be viewed on the Smithsonian Institute
website at <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/wright-brothers-1903-flyer-damaged-photograph">https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/wright-brothers-1903-flyer-damaged-photograph</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> In case anyone
should think Orville is not to be believed, here is the</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">proposition:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> T</span></span></span></span>he intention of the investigation described below is to
determine the height of the aircraft above the local surface at the moment when
the</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">long-view photograph (analysed by Joe) was taken.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> As explained in a previous blog post, ‘Kitty Hawk – A New Perspective’
a line drawn between the eye (or camera lens) and the horizon bisects all
objects it touches at the same height as is the eye/lens, providing the ground
is level. (That, it was. Refer, for example, to Orville Wright in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How We Invented the Airplane</i>: “These
flights started from a point about 100 feet to the west of our camp. The ground
was perfectly level for a mile or two in every direction, excepting those
towards the big and<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> the smaller Kill Devil Hills.)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> As earlier
demonstrated on this blog, the Wright camera tripod was of 4 foot height, and
the distance from the camera base to the center of the lens was a further 3
inches or so.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP4fM0yDLTpqFCTszuMhyphenhyphenNhipIlCp2VYzXOWzJs4cOtUeAODQM8784UaDBkUA-_hjVVPPCiufgWDPjZOMbTba9DVxB0X2kDf9143Izkk-IujHJ7KouwK86LOOTlExOCg1n83jKkI3tOM/s1600/Fourth+flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1386" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyP4fM0yDLTpqFCTszuMhyphenhyphenNhipIlCp2VYzXOWzJs4cOtUeAODQM8784UaDBkUA-_hjVVPPCiufgWDPjZOMbTba9DVxB0X2kDf9143Izkk-IujHJ7KouwK86LOOTlExOCg1n83jKkI3tOM/s640/Fourth+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Fig 1. Annotated
photograph of the Flyer against the horizon </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the far distance
of the photograph are sand dunes. Were they not to be there, the natural
horizon would be slightly above the base of the dune, but below its crest. The
natural horizon is marked X-X on the annotated photograph. Line X-X passes
through all things 4 ft 3 ins above the surface of level ground,</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span></i></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whether they be near or far.</i></span></span></span></span></span></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></span></span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">Turning now to the
airplane, the Flyer exhibit in the Smithsonian has a gap between the wings of 6
ft 2 in. From this, it can be deduced that the line X-X passes about 9 inches
below the propeller axis. Highly accurate drawings by Herb Kelley, available at
<a href="https://silodrome.com/1903-wright-flyer-blueprints-free-download/">https://silodrome.com/1903-wright-flyer-blueprints-free-download/</a>
show that the vertical distance from the propeller axis to the underside of the
landing skids is a fraction of an inch over 5 ft.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPbAvjQuBk1VsiK3Sh2bzk-DR8G-Cj073xSCOx1WtuSX1moCnOAqvkJJpfHG1tMQ07TL8vh__rts5Tnb7Jtk6jRdJvBNwQNnaWsFl_v620lhVQzIOIXPRX_28wyZKXoNejYuuG8q3qY/s1600/Kelley+drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="836" data-original-width="1600" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEcPbAvjQuBk1VsiK3Sh2bzk-DR8G-Cj073xSCOx1WtuSX1moCnOAqvkJJpfHG1tMQ07TL8vh__rts5Tnb7Jtk6jRdJvBNwQNnaWsFl_v620lhVQzIOIXPRX_28wyZKXoNejYuuG8q3qY/s640/Kelley+drawing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Fig 2. Part of Herb
Kelley’s Flyer three-view drawing. The circled measurement is 5 ft <sup>1</sup>/<sub>8</sub>
in</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> As a</span> further check,
line X-X passes exactly equally between the two wing trailing edges, measured
at the airplane’s centre-section. According to Kelley’s scale drawing, that
line is fractionally under 9 inches below </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">the propeller centers.</span></span></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thus, 5 feet minus
9 inches equals 4 feet 3 inches: so the bottom of the Flyer’s skids are 4 feet 3
inches below line X-X and, furthermore, the ground is 4 ft 3 in (camera height)
below line X-X as well. The skids are on the ground. The eagle has landed.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> In summary, therefore, the indicators determining that the Flyer is at rest are as follows: </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<ol>
</ol>
<br />
<ol></ol>
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> 1. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> Orville Wright wrote, </span></span>by hand, on the back of the ‘fourth flight’ long-view photograph, currently held
at Wright State University, that it showed, “the point where it landed in
flight of 59 seconds.” He did not take the opportunity to write it was, “the
point where it swooped close to the ground, but then recovered and flew for another
570 feet.” See archivist’s notes on attribution of the original picture caption
at <a href="https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms1_photographs/1268/">https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms1_photographs/1268/</a></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<ol>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> 2. Perspective analysis,
relying on the laws of physics, shows the skids and the ground surface are in
the same location (ie, the airplane is touching the ground).</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> 3. If both props are
turning, Joe’s analysis does not “fall apart” (as is claimed) at all. Even if
both are whizzing round at full speed, the Flyer is stuck on the ground with a
broken elevator and can’t take off to extend its flight because of the drag of
the skids on the sandy surface; it needs a special launch rail before it can
fly any farther. And Orville didn’t claim that the airplane got any farther
than where it is shown in the picture; indeed, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">he took </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">another </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">picture to show
why it couldn’t.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> We are being deliberately sidetracked into a side-show debate
on whether, or not, some ill-defined, mysterious, trick of the light has
confused the camera shutter. What the aviation historians of the world — starting
with those in the Smithsonian — need to be resolving right now is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what airplane we are looking at, and in
which (1903 or 1908) year</i>.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"> There <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> an alternative
explanation for the apparent perspective of the airplane vis-à-vis the ground
if the Wrights’ description of the event photographed (852 feet on 12-17-1903) is taken as Gospel. It would be most interesting if somebody would like to posit it.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">—<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Paul Jackson FRAeS, </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">former Editor-in-Chief, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft</i> (1995-2019)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">* <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" target="_blank">The Wrights' Fourth Flight - Mensuration" - Joe Bullmer</a> </span></span><br />
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-55647453741327831262019-11-04T17:05:00.000-08:002020-05-14T14:44:19.299-07:00The Wrights' "Fourth Flight" - Mensuration<br />
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<![endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Mensuration<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Fourth<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flight”</u></span></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><u><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>by Joe Bullmer </i></span></span></b></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.25in; text-align: center;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68R38MLahGu31JCyvLEKixiPHbJv9mI4F1yRYOjF75MHwGQhvNoJhcPA4XngImlePaHDuPH0pz5JSncWW45KxY-Psrz4PcwcgqjhOdyEI7KQC9KEVgacPirIamUyCyJngdJqm6sQb0fQ/s1600/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="486" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68R38MLahGu31JCyvLEKixiPHbJv9mI4F1yRYOjF75MHwGQhvNoJhcPA4XngImlePaHDuPH0pz5JSncWW45KxY-Psrz4PcwcgqjhOdyEI7KQC9KEVgacPirIamUyCyJngdJqm6sQb0fQ/s640/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">( </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Figure 1</span>)</span> Photograph identified by Orville Wright as the end of the fourth flight Dec 17,
1903</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Measurements</span></u></span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> On December 17th, 1903, the Wright brothers claimed they made four attempts at manned, powered flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Piloting was alternated between the brothers with Orville making the first attempt. The first three were basically out of control throughout, none exceeding 200 feet in distance. However, the fourth attempt, the second by Wilbur, was claimed to have gone 852 feet with its mid portion under fairly smooth control. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> A photograph which</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> Orville Wright asserted in writing was taken after the fourth attempt, shows the launch rail and the aircraft off at a distance. </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">(See <span style="color: #cc0000;">Figure 1 </span>above.)</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> Some have questioned whether the aircraft actually appears to be 852 feet, a sixth of a mile, beyond the end of the launch rail. Consequently, an analysis of the photo was done using magnification devices and common geometric and trigonometric mensuration techniques on large scale proportionally accurate prints of this and other relevant Wright photographic plates.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> One of the
first things evident in this analysis, particularly on blowups of the photo in
question, is that the propellers, and thus the engine of the aircraft, are
stopped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently this had not been
noted prior to this examination. Also,
the aircraft is on or very near the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If indeed this is a photo of a flight, it was definitely taken after the
end of it. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Figure 2)</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1147" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkQrnZK2NpRYEBdPfzU3C1L1i2q6NQSKLHqne4sIUxQ-pdC3Bx2HSa-_mbgWJIG7YPs0c3x4qTdxM1VKMuERsvMM_3wJ-Jgtdx4Kc9UHtownvdPe-T5udWcHRDEWlDsvRC-9ksJh51KI/s640/1903+or+1908+claimed+image+of+4th+flight+w.+prop+highlighted+from+film%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Figure 2)</span></span> "Fourth Flight" photo blown up, showing one of the stopped propellers highlighted.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> The first step in any mensuration analysis is to identify known dimensions.
The launch rail appearing on the right of the photo was known to be 60 feet in
length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airplane off in the distance
had a wing span of 40 feet and four inches with a separation between the
biplane wings of 74 inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Due to the
small size of the image and its rounded wing tips, for mensuration purposes the
wing span used here was 40 feet, an approximation of less than 1%.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comparison of the ratios of wing tip separations
to span showed the aircraft to be headed within a few degrees of directly away
from the camera, its wings essentially crosswise to the camera. (parallel to the optical plane).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Major unknowns in the subject
photo are the focal length of the camera, the distance from the camera to the
launch rail, the rail’s angle to the camera, and the size of and distance to
the sawhorse appearing in the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Focal length of a camera can often be used to calculate accurate
distances to objects of known size. However the bellows type camera used by the
Wrights has a variable focal length dependent upon the lens used, so since no
record of it was found it was considered unknown for this analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, since the camera’s tripod had
adjustable legs, it’s height above the ground is not precisely known.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In mensuration of this type, it is desirable, if possible, to perform independent
analyses using horizontal and vertical dimensions for verification or
refinement of results. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.25in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><u><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Horizontal Mensuration<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></i></span></u></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b></i></span>The camera was mounted on a tripod about
four feet in height and obviously pointed somewhat downward as evidenced by the
optical axis being below the far horizon in the uncropped version of the photograph appearing as <span style="color: #cc0000;">Figure 3.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-lfGr8cHZ05IfjrvQqWVFliadzi6_wWG0-eL80xpeRHPk3lNdgtgllN3tLVOrL7-4SUBv4pc-WDBWeonMUYJeTGXdRw3mynGe5yhcUR4EZHffVI4CNzKlNvWaKflqokkKfSf97ud0mY/s1600/Fourth+Flight+annotated+OW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="861" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-lfGr8cHZ05IfjrvQqWVFliadzi6_wWG0-eL80xpeRHPk3lNdgtgllN3tLVOrL7-4SUBv4pc-WDBWeonMUYJeTGXdRw3mynGe5yhcUR4EZHffVI4CNzKlNvWaKflqokkKfSf97ud0mY/s640/Fourth+Flight+annotated+OW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Figure 3</span>) Uncropped photograph that Orville Wright identified in writing as the end of the 852 feet fourth flight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Subtended angles of objects in the photo as well as the angles between
objects were measured from a reference point at the bottom center of a large proportional blowup of the image.These angles were
then graphically referenced back ten feet to an assumed camera position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The distance from the reference point at the
bottom of the photo back to the camera position was estimated considering
camera format, pointing angle, and footprint sizes appearing at the bottom of
the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be shown later that,
due largely to compensating factors, the exact distance between the camera and
reference point is not critical to calculation of the distance from the end of
the launch rail to the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ignoring less than two degrees of parallax, the triangle described by the
60-foot rail and lines from its ends to the camera resulted very nearly in an
isosceles triangle lying on the ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bisecting
the 26º vertex of this triangle yielded two right triangles 30 feet on their
short sides with angles opposite those sides at the camera of 26º/2 = 13º.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: red;">(Figure 4)</span> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ibTGG_IC02QjJkGCkbi4blFsrHSp25u8v3aR4JP5_peEaMRrFtEoFQuhmoqcjPBE93l6TEf8uAbVkdrhaaml5L_Nv7KHeSAHzKc9xV8voJFuh82NXPhGek26q2Whwv_UP9bkRqyyBsg/s1600/Fig+2.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="647" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ibTGG_IC02QjJkGCkbi4blFsrHSp25u8v3aR4JP5_peEaMRrFtEoFQuhmoqcjPBE93l6TEf8uAbVkdrhaaml5L_Nv7KHeSAHzKc9xV8voJFuh82NXPhGek26q2Whwv_UP9bkRqyyBsg/s640/Fig+2.1.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;">Figure 4</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Then
30/tan13º = 30/.231 = 130 feet for the distance from the camera to the center
of the launch rail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the concern here
was with the distance of the aircraft from the launch end of the rail, so that
end was 130/cos13º = 130/.974 = 133 feet from the camera. The bisector of the
26º angle (the center of the rail) was 28º from a line through the optical
axis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mensuration was carried out using these
values, namely 40 foot wings separated by 74 inches and a 60 foot launch rail
canted at 28º from the optical plane, the launch end of which was 133 feet on the ground from the
camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">In
a large print of the fourth attempt photo, the launch rail measured 3.75 inches
and the wing span .99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two thirds of the
60 foot rail equates to the aircraft’s 40 foot wingspan, so the rail
measurement was reduced by two thirds to 2.5 inches to represent the aircraft’s
wingspan.This measurement was rotated
to be perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera (parallel to the optical plane and the aircraft's wings) by dividing it by the
cosine28º which is .883.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus forty feet
of the rail rotated to perpendicular to the optical axis became 2.5/.883 = 2.83
inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: red;">(Figure 5)</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLzWIdTfBWQLjRQWMzhZsgiLBoQx1IrhnwBnPZsxHBgugbe6Tgi6glzvoZnOrxV0wIecXGj-lgZBQRBfV6QrK4Isq6kUxUXaHVJAcQyXum2Blid4Vav_4Zj2zDwu3dpX0eoXv-Gxw7K0/s1600/Paul+diagram+Fig+3.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1314" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLzWIdTfBWQLjRQWMzhZsgiLBoQx1IrhnwBnPZsxHBgugbe6Tgi6glzvoZnOrxV0wIecXGj-lgZBQRBfV6QrK4Isq6kUxUXaHVJAcQyXum2Blid4Vav_4Zj2zDwu3dpX0eoXv-Gxw7K0/s640/Paul+diagram+Fig+3.1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #e06666;">Figure 5</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Objects
twice as far look half as big, so the ratio of their measurement scales is
proportional to their distances from the camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the blowup the aircraft’s 40 foot wings
measured .99 inches and 40 feet of the rail rotated crossways to the camera was found to be 2.83 inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
scale ratio is then 2.83/.99 = 2.86. The aircraft was thus 2.86 times farther
from the camera than was the end of the rail, or 2.86x133 = 380 feet from the
camera.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately since the rail end and the aircraft
are not on a straight line from the camera their distances could not simply be
subtracted to arrive at the distance of the aircraft from the rail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently a double triangulation had to be
used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The camera,
rail launch end, and aircraft center formed a triangle whose angle at the
camera was 32º with the distance from the camera to the rail's launch end having been
found to be 133 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: red;">(Figure 6)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbZ6XZgkvPhE6OXADB_DdATIiz3I74CKN_tBxAHhQmq5EA0olBdHw6-6XPFqU3vkqzoXO6BTL2WkTJN2Tjhyphenhypheny7V1_LBBYM2ZJEamOCjpDfaJzPKyVvc8DBwjZ5F-96sfaEuc-Kf5lC9g/s1600/Fig+4.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="1272" data-original-width="708" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbZ6XZgkvPhE6OXADB_DdATIiz3I74CKN_tBxAHhQmq5EA0olBdHw6-6XPFqU3vkqzoXO6BTL2WkTJN2Tjhyphenhypheny7V1_LBBYM2ZJEamOCjpDfaJzPKyVvc8DBwjZ5F-96sfaEuc-Kf5lC9g/s640/Fig+4.1.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;">Figure 6</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> A line was
drawn from the rail end perpendicular to the line going from the camera to the
aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus two right triangles were
formed, one with its acute angles at the camera and rail end, and an adjacent
one with its acute angles at the rail end and the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both triangles shared the line from the rail
end running perpendicular to the camera-to-aircraft line.The length of the shared line was sin32ºx133
= .53x133 = 70.5 feet.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The length
of the line from the camera to the perpendicular line was cos32ºx133 = .848x133
= 113 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Subtracting this from the
distance from the camera to the aircraft gave 380 – 113 = 267 feet from the
perpendicular line to the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
the angle of the triangle at the aircraft equaled the arctan70.5/267 = 15⅓º.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hypotenuse of this right triangle was
267/cos15⅓º = 267/.964 = 277 feet which is then the distance of the aircraft
from the launch end of the rail.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A possible uncertainty in this analysis was the distance of the point on the
ground shown at the bottom center of the photo from the camera, so the entire analysis was repeated with the distance set at zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since there are a number of offsetting
factors in the procedure (primarily angles offsetting distances) the result for
distance of the aircraft from the launch end of the rail in this case was 275
feet, a change of less than 1%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus the
calculated distance of the aircraft from the rail is essentially independent of the distance assumed
from the camera to the reference point at the bottom center of the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.25in; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><u><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Vertical
Mensuration</span></span></u></i></b></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
two objects in the fourth flight photograph other than the airplane that show
vertical dimensions, the launch rail and a sawhorse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the rail height is two orders
of magnitude smaller than its length used in the horizontal analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Analyses similar to the horizontal analysis
just described but comparing rail heights to aircraft wing vertical separation
revealed that an error of one one-hundredth of an inch in measuring the rail
height on the blowup of the fourth attempt resulted in an error in calculating
the distance from the rail to the aircraft of over 80 feet or about 30%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The height of the rail near the launch end in
the blowup varies from .04 to .06 inches depending upon exactly where it is
measured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus it was evident that rail
height could not yield a solution comparable in accuracy to that obtained in
the horizontal analysis.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other
vertical dimension that might be compared to the aircraft’s wing separation is
the height of the sawhorse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But there
are a number of problems associated with using the sawhorse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First off, there were at least two sawhorses
used by the Wrights at Kitty Hawk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One appears in a photo from December 14<sup>th</sup>
of 1903 and another in a photo from May 11<sup>th</sup>, 1908. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both photos sawhorse heights could be
scaled from the separation of adjacent aircraft wing tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one from the 1903 photo measured about 21
inches high and the other 28 inches high.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To calculate the distance from the camera to
the sawhorse in the fourth attempt blowup the sawhorse width must be determined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In both photos mentioned in the previous
paragraph the sawhorses were at oblique angles to the optical axis of the
photos, and the obliquity angles could not be determined with any
accuracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus although their heights
could be measured, the spread of the sawhorse legs could not accurately be
determined from these photos.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the fourth
attempt photo the sawhorse was almost in line with the optical axis and its leg
spread is 0.825 of its height.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
ratio could be applied to the known heights of the sawhorses in the other
photos to determine their widths, but this left another uncertainty, namely
which sawhorse to use.</span><br />
<span id="goog_1920287190"></span><span id="goog_1920287191"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A much
greater uncertainty arose from the measurement of the subtended angle of the sawhorse
legs from the camera in the fourth flight blowup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only was the horizontal subtended angle
small (from two to three degrees) but optical parallax becomes a factor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vertical parallax angle to the sawhorse
would be nearly six degrees, a non-negligible amount.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The
importance of parallax can be easily seen by looking down one of the acute
angles of a 45º or 30º-60º triangle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Looking straight down on the triangle the true angles are obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But looking at an acute corner with the
triangle nearly edge on to the line of sight it becomes evident that even small
changes in viewing angles result in big changes in apparent angles of the
corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, at only small sight
angles to the plane of the triangle its acute corners appear as obtuse angles.)</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Determination
of the distance from the camera to the sawhorse was crucial in determining its
scale factor relative to the scale factor of the aircraft, and thus the
distance to the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Multiple
analyses revealed that an error in the subtended angle of the legs of the
sawhorse of ½ degree resulted in an error in calculation of the aircraft
distance from the end of the launch rail of over 70 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering possible errors introduced from assuming: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> a. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>that both
sawhorse proportions are the same,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> b. that the subtended angle of the sawhorse legs from
the reference point in the blowup can be determined much more accurately than </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">½ degree, and </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> c. that six
degrees of parallax can be neglected,</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">it was concluded that any aircraft distance derived
from the sawhorse could not lend more accuracy to the result obtained from the
horizontal analysis that used the launch rail length.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Result</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></u></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">To explore any possible source of significant error, the horizontal analysis was repeated assuming that the camera was positioned 60 feet farther back relative to the launch rail, i.e., 30 feet behind a line on the ground perpendicular to the rail at its starting end. In this case the distance of of the aircraft from the rail's launching end came out to be 298 feet, an increase of 7 1/2 percent. Consequently, the horizontal analysis is considered accurate to within about 7%. Both vertical analyses, although encompassing the horizontal result, showed uncertainties of nearly 30%. So it was evident that vertical
analyses could not improve confidence in the result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus the most confident result of the
mensuration was obtained from the horizontal mensuration alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore the conclusion of this analysis is
that </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The distance
from the launch end of the rail to the aircraft was found to be 277 feet with a
confidence of plus or minus 19 feet.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">This is less than one third of the 852 foot distance
claimed for the fourth attempt at Kitty Hawk
on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
the most distant results from the low confidence vertical analyses were well
under half of the claimed distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
order for this analysis to yield the distance claimed, the rail would have to
have been 200 feet long and 450 feet from the camera and this analysis would have to be in error
by 210%. Conversely, if it was 852 feet away from the end of the 60-foot rail, the aircraft's image would have to appear one-third of its present size. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.25in; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><u><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Implications</span></b></span></i></u></span></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The photo
claimed to be of the fourth attempt on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903, at Kitty Hawk and examined here clearly shows that the
propellers were stopped and the aircraft was on, or very near, the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, based on this analysis, either the
aircraft did not go anywhere near 852 feet, or if it did, this is not a picture
of it.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
<a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.06010/?sp=62" target="_blank">November 2<sup>nd</sup>, 1906, letter</a><span style="color: black;">* to Octave Chanute,</span> Wilbur Wright stated
their opinion that any flight of less than 100 meters, 328 feet, would just be a "jump" and would prove,
using his word, “nothing.” Here he was
discussing distances over the ground and considering the requirement to achieve
sufficiently stable control to demonstrate the thrust necessary to maintain
flying speed and generation of enough lift to sustain the vehicle in the air as
opposed to merely making a semi-ballistic hop using the kinetic energy obtained
from a ground run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of the other attempts earlier that day exceeded 200 feet. Consequently, this analysis indicates that, if held to their own criterion for success, the Wrights' photography provides no evidence of a successful powered flight in 1903. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -0.25in; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><u><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Addendum</span></b></span></u></i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">To
justify his first attempt on December 17<sup>th</sup> as being a success,
Orville claimed that without the strong headwind he would have flown over 500
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some might find it tempting to use
this rationale to legitimize their claim for distance on the fourth
attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, to Orville an even more
important and often repeated claim was that their aircraft took off using “its
own power alone with no assistance from gravity or any other motive source
whatever.”</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact the
strong headwinds on the 17<sup>th</sup> supplied 80% of the lift required for
his and their subsequent takeoffs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
those strong headwinds there would have been no flying at all by the Wrights in
1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their aircraft was almost flying
sitting still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So either it flew a great
deal farther through the air but could come nowhere near lifting off of the
ground on its own, or the plane left the ground on its own but did not
demonstrate sustained flight. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can’t
be claimed that the wind had nothing to do with its ability to achieve flight
but everything to do with it demonstrating successful flight distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Historians can’t have it both ways, and
neither could Orville Wright.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result of this analysis also calls into
question the claimed 59 second duration of the fourth attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dividing 59 seconds into 277 feet yields an
average ground speed of only 4.7 feet per second, or about three miles
per hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The official government
records of the sustained wind speeds at Kitty Hawk
on December 17<sup>th</sup> as recounted by Orville Wright were 24 miles per
hour at the time of their fourth trial and 27 miles per hour during the first
attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the average airspeed for a 59-second, 277-foot fourth attempt would have been 27 miles per hour, the same as the minimum wind speed at the time of their
first trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, if on that day the wind was so strong that they needed 59 seconds on the fourth attempt to cover 277 feet, then with the stronger wind on their first attempt giving the same airspeed, their vehicle would have taken off on its first trial with no ground run at all and would have
made no forward progress whatsoever. Obviously, a 59 second flight time is not compatible with the flight distance calculated herein.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Assuming an average airspeed for their vehicle of 35 miles per hour on their fourth attempt, and a corresponding ground speed of 11 miles per hour (16 feet per second), it would have taken about 17 seconds to cover 277 feet. </span>If the
airspeed was 30 miles per hour, the flight time would have been 31.5
seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Headwind gusts would have
increased these flight times slightly.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggb6CAfMCBUmr-MxdYUeriyKJ9E6WdSe4QIP4BfYkKK3u3Oo4D_DpZnp2PRnO3N6TBubF4RNYuk1nVwKF84799fy2_Wt7gCOiEjTPmCGtqrhx1x0K3P_wn0vl4lqGpHa0Jn0UEcjJYLhk/s1600/Wright+fourth+flight+Paint+III.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="881" data-original-width="1600" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggb6CAfMCBUmr-MxdYUeriyKJ9E6WdSe4QIP4BfYkKK3u3Oo4D_DpZnp2PRnO3N6TBubF4RNYuk1nVwKF84799fy2_Wt7gCOiEjTPmCGtqrhx1x0K3P_wn0vl4lqGpHa0Jn0UEcjJYLhk/s640/Wright+fourth+flight+Paint+III.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">(Figure 7)</span> Photograph clearly showing three objects on lower wing. Again, this is the photo claimed by Orville Wright and historians to document the fourth flight, December 17, 1903. (blown up and cropped) **<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -.25in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
analysis can offer no further insight into the significant discrepancies
between the times and distances claimed for the fourth flight attempt at Kitty Hawk on December 17th, 1903 and those calculated herein from the photograph claimed to show the end of the fourth attempt. It also does not address the three dark objects on the lower wing of the aircraft. <span style="color: #cc0000;">(Figure 7 above.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> * This article is a companion piece to the previous study in this blog by Joe Bullmer titled: <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/08/kitty-hawk-1903-what-happened_19.html" target="_blank"><i>Kitty Hawk - 1903 - What Happened? </i></a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Enjoy!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Copyright 2019 - Joe Bullmer </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i> </i></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4pzLrVB_CC4_4d1rx7jU4hcw9Yq9CeGuJ6bpYtBGCmk-6mNJJ1kl0jjgqNnJR8Kr6OV0wU-B15UEPFxxw24efxyGRo1dR9Fv43R9QHN4EqQP37DjvamqeK54AoVlFpZre_qRGvZQCUY/s1600/IMG_0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4pzLrVB_CC4_4d1rx7jU4hcw9Yq9CeGuJ6bpYtBGCmk-6mNJJ1kl0jjgqNnJR8Kr6OV0wU-B15UEPFxxw24efxyGRo1dR9Fv43R9QHN4EqQP37DjvamqeK54AoVlFpZre_qRGvZQCUY/s320/IMG_0571.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aeronautical engineer, historian, and author, Joe Bullmer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" target="_blank">"The WRight Story"</a> available at Amazon.com.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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**Note: Photos and their captions provided for the most part by the editor of "Truth in Aviation History."</div>
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<img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" />Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-19000390624964133132019-08-19T16:24:00.000-07:002019-11-07T01:06:41.089-08:00Kitty Hawk - 1903 - What Happened <br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Kitty Hawk – 1903 – What Happened ?</span></i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Joe Bullmer </span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnFHyh34-Qc9M7TTYbnygLo3eAlAgBOwK0hnUV4BpEg1aPTeH6zvuMQWxKmkM6cgIbhyphenhyphen0x8SvEZoBzTtR-NZchrgZn2DrTttnjzOY6z783492LZGfX4QNHIXuBrzlzT9cZNuQy5GQ-zc/s1600/Telegram+Orville_Wilbur_Wright+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="474" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDnFHyh34-Qc9M7TTYbnygLo3eAlAgBOwK0hnUV4BpEg1aPTeH6zvuMQWxKmkM6cgIbhyphenhyphen0x8SvEZoBzTtR-NZchrgZn2DrTttnjzOY6z783492LZGfX4QNHIXuBrzlzT9cZNuQy5GQ-zc/s640/Telegram+Orville_Wilbur_Wright+cropped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur. The common story of first
manned motorized flight is based on their claims of what happened near
Kitty Hawk, NC, on December 17, 1903. -Ed.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The traditional story of the Wright
brothers’ accomplishments at Kitty Hawk in 1903 seems to be well established. But actually there were only three sources of information, the Wrights' statements, their photography, and the statements of a couple of witnesses. It turns out that careful examination of these statements and photographs raise substantial questions concerning what happened there in 1903.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLULDc-mz8keDUzd09Xskc83gacLY4qJYCKDDo6wwly702tT7FSQjGr8OtfW7Qmui7j2Wu77Myi_tIEBBI2HYcRDVXtX0l5NvOrXlz_6dST94FDWf6Vw83RJRqBZoSudS4tiusm6kJ-Q/s1600/Wright+signed+first+flight+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLULDc-mz8keDUzd09Xskc83gacLY4qJYCKDDo6wwly702tT7FSQjGr8OtfW7Qmui7j2Wu77Myi_tIEBBI2HYcRDVXtX0l5NvOrXlz_6dST94FDWf6Vw83RJRqBZoSudS4tiusm6kJ-Q/s400/Wright+signed+first+flight+picture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A photograph claimed to be of the first manned, motorized flight in history. Promoted and signed by Orville Wright. -Ed.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The
Narratives</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">When
the Wright brothers brought their first powered aircraft to Kitty
Hawk in the fall of 1903 they had a few specific goals in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These goals were revealed in the first public
statement made by the Wrights which was released to <a href="https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045366/1904-01-06/ed-1/seq-1/?date1=1900&index=0&date2=1905&searchType=advanced&sequence=1&proxdistance=5&rows=20&ortext=wilbur+orville+flight+flying+airship&proxtext=&phrasetext=&andtext=wright+brothers&dateFilterType=yearRange#words=fly%2Bflight%2BBrothers%2BWRIGHT%2Bflying%2BOrville%2BWright%2Bflights%2BAIRSHIP%2BWilbur" target="_blank">the Associated Press on January 5th, 1904</a>, less than three weeks after the 1903 tests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2C24gadAz4CeI2eqct0r8zYnpp5mffJiJU1FxeI9jbwXafY8Nck7c9RwASoxKzov5jRorQYA19FcmF6bgvojnbHQVuFtw0ELT31lw-gW_7JUycC0djfEGOQPnR3gW61eXl5Zpiboj-E/s1600/wright+AP+Jan+1+904+article.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="945" height="608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2C24gadAz4CeI2eqct0r8zYnpp5mffJiJU1FxeI9jbwXafY8Nck7c9RwASoxKzov5jRorQYA19FcmF6bgvojnbHQVuFtw0ELT31lw-gW_7JUycC0djfEGOQPnR3gW61eXl5Zpiboj-E/s640/wright+AP+Jan+1+904+article.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One
of the papers that printed the Wrights' press release version of the 1903
Kitty Hawk events </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The statement read in part:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The flights were made directly against the
wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each time the machine started from
the level ground by its own power alone with no assistance from gravity, or any
other motive source whatever....Consequently the first flight was short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The succeeding flights rapidly increased in
length and at the fourth trial a flight of fifty-nine seconds was made, in
which time the machine flew a little more than a half mile through the air, and
a distance of 852 ft. over the ground.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Obviously
at this point the significant flight was considered to be Wilbur’s last
attempt, the fourth of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One goal was for the machine to achieve
flight “by its own power alone with no assistance from gravity, or any other
motive source whatever.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mentioning
gravity ruled out Wilbur’s attempt on the 14<sup>th</sup>, which used a steeply downhill-sloping launch rail to compensate for light winds in an attempt to gain
takeoff speed.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to <a href="https://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/1568874.htm" target="_blank">Orville’s 1913 article in <i>Flying</i> magazine</a>, the
United States Weather Bureau at Kitty Hawk
quoted the sustained winds at the time of the first attempt on the 17<sup>th</sup>
to be 27 miles per hour, diminishing slightly to 24 miles per hour during the last
attempt, with gusts even higher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These headwinds
represented over 80% to 90% of the necessary flying speed of the airplane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, on the 17<sup>th</sup>, even though wind
is not apparent in photography as is a sloping hill, these winds more than replaced
gravity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although not a “motive source”
in the propulsive sense, had the sustained wind speed been just a few miles per hour
greater or gusting, it would have “motivated” the aircraft to lift off of the ground straight
up - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">without even using the engine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>In fact, later in the day the wind did
just that, lifting the unoccupied aircraft off the ground, rolling it over, and destroying it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Aircraft typically take off into any
wind, so some might point out that the effect of the headwind could be
interpreted to have merely shortened the takeoff run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So without that wind, but with sufficient
track and time, the aircraft might have reached flying speed on its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But although seemingly feasible, the
acceleration rate demonstrated by the aircraft indicates that without any wind, the
Wrights’ 1903 takeoff runs would have taken at least 12 seconds and been more
than 450 feet long with the majority of that distance being done at more than
the running speed of a human but under the minimum control speed of the
aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus the vehicle as configured
could not have maintained lateral balance during such a run and consequently
could not have reached takeoff speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
any case, this discussion is concerned with what actually happened, not hypothetical
alternatives using different equipment.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another interesting twist in the press
release is that, while the effect of the strong headwind is totally discounted
as regards its<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ability to lift the
vehicle off of the ground, it is included to make the statement that the
vehicle flew “a half mile through the air.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So already the Wrights were excluding the effects of headwinds when convenient,
but including them when convenient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wilbur’s last flight on December 17<sup>th</sup>
was the only one they claimed to have actually measured and was the one said
to have flown 852 feet from the takeoff point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The other three attempts, only referred to as “short” in the press
release, were not measured and were discounted as insignificant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wrights estimated these first three
attempts to have been between 120 and 200 feet in length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a<a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.06010/?sp=62" target="_blank"> November 2nd, 1906 letter to Octave Chanute</a> written three years after the powered Kitty
Hawk tests, discussing <a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxAo6SV6UR8" target="_blank">Santos-Dumont’s trials</a> in France, Wilbur
expressed the belief that any flight of less than a tenth of a kilometer, 328
feet, was only a “jump” and “nothing” of significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Both Chanute and Wilbur were clearly
referring to distance over the ground since that was all that had been reported
about the Santos-Dumont flights.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wilbur’s point here was that, with a sufficiently strong takeoff run, a
vehicle could “jump” up into the air and continue forward for up to a few
hundred feet using the momentum gained on the ground, all the while slowing
down and proving “nothing” regarding its ability to develop enough thrust to
overcome its aerodynamic drag and sustain itself in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moreover, unless it was airborne long enough
to have flown fairly level for a while during this flight, it would have shown,
using Wilbur’s word, “nothing” regarding its ability to generate enough lift to
sustain its weight in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is interesting to follow the evolution
of subsequent statements describing the 1903 Kitty Hawk
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first major article by the
Wrights concerning their work appeared in <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.05001574/" target="_blank">The Century magazine’s September 1908 </a>issue almost five years later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although billed as authored by both Orville
and Wilbur, Wilbur was in Europe at the time
it was written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His contribution appears
to be limited to a letter encouraging Orville to hurry to publish an article
stating their accomplishments and another mentioning some erroneous articles
about them written by others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this
article, Orville’s description of his first attempt of 1903 was:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“The first flight lasted only 12 seconds…[but] was,
nevertheless, the first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying
a man had raised itself by its own power into the air in free flight, had
sailed forward on a level course without reduction of speed, and had finally
landed without being wrecked.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again we see the reference to having
“raised itself by its own power” without any mention of the headwind that
supplied 90% of the airspeed and 80% of the required lift on that attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* </span>But this sentence also includes an absolute
falsehood: that the aircraft “sailed forward on a level course”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In another article written five years later,
Orville himself described his first attempt as “exceedingly erratic”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also described it as oscillating
severely between up and down paths with the pitch control flapping back and
fourth between its limits, the second oscillation forcing a dive into the sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, the aircraft was totally out
of control for the entire event.</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">¹</span> </span>(In
engineering terms, it was more of a constant exchange of kinetic and potential
energy rather than a situation of lift balancing out weight.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sentence ends with a reference to the
vehicle not having been wrecked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
could have the effect of negating Wilbur’s last flight, since on that one the whole
front structure was busted up upon landing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Actually, on Orville’s first attempt, a landing skid and engine control
were damaged upon impact with the sand and had to be repaired before the second
trial could be attempted.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here already is an evolution of the
story toward the significant flight being Orville’s first attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elsewhere in the article, the other three
attempts of the 17<sup>th</sup> were mentioned almost in passing, although the
852-foot distance claimed for the fourth trial was noted.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is apparently no existing record of
Wilbur’s reaction upon seeing this account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, after his death in 1912, the campaign to consider Orville’s first
attempt, along with its appealing photograph, to actually have been the first
successful flight became persistent and permanent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an article in the <a href="https://www.daytonhistorybooks.com/page/page/1568874.htm" target="_blank">December 1913 issue of<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Flying</i> magazine</a>, Orville wrote of his
first attempt:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“This
flight lasted only 12 seconds, but it was nevertheless the first time in the
history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised itself by its
own power into the air in full flight, had sailed forward without reduction of
speed, and had finally landed at a point as high as that from which it
started.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was elsewhere in this article that Orville
described this attempt as “exceedingly erratic” and basically out of control
throughout, hardly what could be considered “full flight”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He described their second attempt as “much
like the first,” and the third as being “turned up sidewise in an alarming manner”
prompting Orville to overcontrol, sticking the high wing back down and into the
sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And again, the high wind enabling
takeoffs was not mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0RTy6UisacqeqWv2Sck8UiJWeJwpu-jr2QYNRblvIlK4tLgBtk9VMZ5rrbOgNNXGuehWWq3ay0gsgqkjMOMj0saNygiUztkOEtDOyAIdQjlt78oGhyFO8piWlyEVvhlnnPJCKkkakIA/s1600/Wright+1903_Third_Flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="1024" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0RTy6UisacqeqWv2Sck8UiJWeJwpu-jr2QYNRblvIlK4tLgBtk9VMZ5rrbOgNNXGuehWWq3ay0gsgqkjMOMj0saNygiUztkOEtDOyAIdQjlt78oGhyFO8piWlyEVvhlnnPJCKkkakIA/s400/Wright+1903_Third_Flight.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This photograph is described as the third flight of the Wrights on December 17, 1903.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the aircraft used most of the
available launch ramp on each of these trials even with headwinds supplying at least 80%
to 90% of the necessary airspeed for takeoffs,** it is obvious that without those
headwinds there couldn’t have been any flights at all by the Wright brothers in
1903. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their aircraft did not “take off
by its own power alone.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, according
to the Wrights’ own criteria, the first three attempts on 17 December, 1903,
were not in control and were not of sufficient length (328 feet) to qualify as
flights. In the words Wilbur used three years later to discuss Santos-Dumont’s
very similar trials, they were just “jumps” amounting to “nothing”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also elsewhere in this article that
Orville added an estimated 12 seconds of wind speed (420 feet) to the estimated
distance of his first attempt to come up with a new distance of 540 feet “through
the air.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This contradicts
their original criterion for success - distance over the ground - and of
course ignores the fact that without that wind, the flight distance would have
been zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case, Orville outlived
Wilbur by 36 years, and by ignoring their original criterion, and with the aid
of biographers and historians eager to include the “first flight” photo in
their stories, Orville was able to make his case stick for having accomplished
their first successful flight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The
Pictures</span></u></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></u></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> For over a century now, the clear, well-framed
photo of Orville’s first attempt on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903, (second photo above) with the
aircraft a couple feet above the end of the launch rail and Wilbur running
alongside, has been hailed as the photo showing the very beginning of flight, the
moment of takeoff on the first successful manned, controlled, powered flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The concept of having such a photograph is very
appealing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To some, it provides proof of
the Wrights’ claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also gives us a
little sense of having been present for the first successful powered flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as we just saw, at that time even
the Wrights did not consider it as such.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So then what exactly is the photographic
proof of the Wrights’ accomplishment in 1903?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are three photographs considered to have been of the 1903 aircraft
in flight: one of the first attempt, one
of the third, and one of the fourth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
we have seen, the pictures of the first and third trials do not in fact portray
an aircraft in “full flight,” under control and going an acceptable minimum
distance, and thus do not provide evidence of what the Wrights considered a
successful flight.</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">²</span> </span>Recognizing this,
some have latched on to the photo said by Orville to portray the fourth attempt
as being the only one that actually provides solid evidence of a successful
flight in 1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, careful
examination of this photograph leads to a different conclusion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTebmPMVuvL4wlWH4f5o7jFwmwq94mfr9n_8whyphenhyphenz8tZvx-G9eDUdhbo0WYyzb8q6vipd2gxT8KQUv2o2LOPfMB9rlDDk4n0DKLQ38E6iNmU062D8Q0TcyoDRHebUPQMnTLttYCi0Exiws/s1600/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="486" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTebmPMVuvL4wlWH4f5o7jFwmwq94mfr9n_8whyphenhyphenz8tZvx-G9eDUdhbo0WYyzb8q6vipd2gxT8KQUv2o2LOPfMB9rlDDk4n0DKLQ38E6iNmU062D8Q0TcyoDRHebUPQMnTLttYCi0Exiws/s640/Wright+flyer+last+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Photo described by Orville Wright as the end of the fourth flight, December 17, 1903.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The picture is a slightly blurry
photograph taken from well to the left of, and behind, the launch rail, showing
the rail on the right side of the plate and on the left, off at some distance,
the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The Library of Congress
file number is LC-W86-38.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This author,
an intelligence analyst and aircraft design and performance engineer for 31
years, has made an interpretation and mensuration analysis of the photo using a
print made directly from the photographic plate, a proportional enlargement of
that photo, and also an excellent large, although cropped, two-page print of it
appearing in<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Invention-Aerial-Age/dp/0792269853" target="_blank"> Crouch and Jakab’s book </a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-Invention-Aerial-Age/dp/0792269853" target="_blank">The Wright Brothers</a>. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The results are as
follows:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biplane aircraft exhibits mild anhedral
(drooping of the tips) on both wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is a dark strip on the ground below the lower wing that may be a
shadow from the wing or simply a dark strip on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is unclear from this whether the aircraft
is on the ground or a foot or two above it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The aircraft appears to be headed away from the track and camera since
the clearly visible upper blades of the pusher propellers obscure portions of
the trailing edges of the upper wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their camera’s shutter speed was such that moving propellers are not
visible in any Wright photos. Consequently, the sharply visible propeller blades
must have been stopped and the engine not running when the photo was taken.</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">³</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomr-EzBXOmLF3pDncGsKEwV779VdrIzSscX5O26jT2SviE7d33flDERjIGU2X2WmbT3aJ15RHW6CMQY9gWKkAmqBhXaHhzAysuLBH2qbv8TuWL3GxHpTsnrFFKrof8c08dJX8YGiP9Sc/s1600/Wright+last+flight+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="363" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomr-EzBXOmLF3pDncGsKEwV779VdrIzSscX5O26jT2SviE7d33flDERjIGU2X2WmbT3aJ15RHW6CMQY9gWKkAmqBhXaHhzAysuLBH2qbv8TuWL3GxHpTsnrFFKrof8c08dJX8YGiP9Sc/s640/Wright+last+flight+close+up.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A blowup of the plane and the "three blobs" on the wing of the plane from the photo described as the fourth flight.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are three dark “blobs” appearing
between the biplane wings at the center of the vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blobs appear as three distinct objects
whose heights are about 60% of the distance between the lower and upper
wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, the objects average a little
over three feet in height. Together, they total seven feet in width from the
left edge of the leftmost to the right edge of the rightmost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They obscure the farthest portion of the
bottom wing but not the nearest portion, the nearest or trailing edge of the
lower wing being visible throughout the span.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, there are no continuations of the dark objects below the lower
wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, all three objects appear to
be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">on</i></b>
the lower wing, not in front of or behind it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1903 aircraft had dual vertical
rudders mounted behind the wings, so consideration was made as to whether the
objects could have been one large three- and one-half-foot-high by seven-foot-wide dark object appearing to be sectioned into three segments by the two white
rudders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the spaces between the
objects are not of uniform width.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also,
the spaces do not appear white like the fabric on the wings, but rather are the
tone of the background beyond the aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thus, the spaces between the dark objects appear to be open gaps and not
rudders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The less-than-two-inch-thick rudders
would not be visible in this photo if trimmed toward the camera anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The distance to the aircraft from the
track can be calculated from blowups of the fourth flight photo using basic
trigonometric and geometric photogrammetric mensuration techniques.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The details of this analysis appear in another
paper by this author titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mensuration
of the</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fourth Flight.</i></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The result is a distance from the launch
end of the rail to the aircraft of 277 feet with a confidence of plus or minus
17 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is less than one-third of
the 852-foot distance claimed by the Wrights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Combining all possible judgments and errors in the direction of
increasing the resulting distance, it was not possible to obtain a number
approaching one-half of the claimed distance.***</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> The
magazine <i><a href="http://ww1aeroinc.org/blog1/journal-index/ww1-aero-index/" target="_blank">World War I Aero – The Journal of the Early Aeroplane</a></i> published an
article in 2002 claiming that their analysis of the photo determined the
aircraft to be approximately 250 feet from the end of the launch rail, but that
it was still flying and must have gone another 600 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Library of Congress caption for the photo
states that the aircraft has landed, but also claims that the plane did indeed fly
for the 852 feet claimed by the Wrights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither mentioned the stopped propellers or the three tall objects on
the lower wing.****</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkQrnZK2NpRYEBdPfzU3C1L1i2q6NQSKLHqne4sIUxQ-pdC3Bx2HSa-_mbgWJIG7YPs0c3x4qTdxM1VKMuERsvMM_3wJ-Jgtdx4Kc9UHtownvdPe-T5udWcHRDEWlDsvRC-9ksJh51KI/s1600/1903+or+1908+claimed+image+of+4th+flight+w.+prop+highlighted+from+film%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1147" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkQrnZK2NpRYEBdPfzU3C1L1i2q6NQSKLHqne4sIUxQ-pdC3Bx2HSa-_mbgWJIG7YPs0c3x4qTdxM1VKMuERsvMM_3wJ-Jgtdx4Kc9UHtownvdPe-T5udWcHRDEWlDsvRC-9ksJh51KI/s640/1903+or+1908+claimed+image+of+4th+flight+w.+prop+highlighted+from+film%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo claimed by Orville Wright to be the "fourth flight," Dec. 17, 1903, blown up and emphasizing the stopped propeller.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> Another
set of measurements is equally perplexing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The heights of the three dark objects on the lower wing appear to be
about 60% of the height separation of the biplane wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Measurement of the height of the prone pilot
and horizontally disposed engine in the other photos of the 1903 aircraft show
the height of those two objects to be only about 20% of the wing
separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, the
heights of two seated occupants and the vertical engine in photographs of the
1908/1909 version of the Wright Flyer average nearly 65% of the wing separation
distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A passenger was taken aloft on numerous
flights of the two-seat aircraft during trials at Kitty
Hawk in 1908.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since two
occupants plus the nearby engine and tall radiator of that vehicle could appear
as three dark “blobs” from a distance, it is tempting to consider that the
“fourth flight” photo is actually of the two seat version of the aircraft taken
at some point during its testing at Kitty Hawk in 1908.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The collection of plates provided to the
Library of Congress by the Wright family includes only one [LC-W86-78(P&P)]
identified as being of the aircraft at Kitty Hawk
in 1908 (<i>below)</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It shows the unoccupied vehicle
sitting on the starting end of a downward-sloping launch ramp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tqAiQrd7UmQ0eNLsImBK4D5qw7_AzTOcOTJY5JJVG1vug5KGiOQ6O7yjrj_VMyXBX5PKAP9hqJ6l5cru_-VZPPrdE58FiPxHMptB9aX0QNjKYctW9wMAZdyFupNnQmsr-vYf5WqKMgk/s1600/Wright+Flyer+1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="735" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tqAiQrd7UmQ0eNLsImBK4D5qw7_AzTOcOTJY5JJVG1vug5KGiOQ6O7yjrj_VMyXBX5PKAP9hqJ6l5cru_-VZPPrdE58FiPxHMptB9aX0QNjKYctW9wMAZdyFupNnQmsr-vYf5WqKMgk/s400/Wright+Flyer+1908.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The only photograph taken by the Wrights identified as the Wright aircraft at Kitty Hawk, 1908.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A photographer for <i>Collier’s</i> magazine,
James H. Hare, took unauthorized photos (examples below) of the 1908 flights at Kitty Hawk from a discrete distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it seems that the 1903 “fourth flight”
photo would not be one of Hare’s since the photo is a plate in the Library of
Congress’s Wright collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The James
Hare collection, including his 1908 photos from Kitty Hawk, is housed at the University of Texas
at Austin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It includes no such photo.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqER-z6Eejcxhwv0fM1bMfEabGqzWDDLkne7yZkMAC1nHWJUrTxh87TE5p1rJZqVTyQHIhtV7GnuUGgt5Yucpt-rk7lZ_mJnly-9kPDvO0bIY6SzHSMqICvRKDUNvkLSu3SaoEEJkHKpA/s1600/Wright+Flyer+Hare+photo+1908+Paint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="902" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqER-z6Eejcxhwv0fM1bMfEabGqzWDDLkne7yZkMAC1nHWJUrTxh87TE5p1rJZqVTyQHIhtV7GnuUGgt5Yucpt-rk7lZ_mJnly-9kPDvO0bIY6SzHSMqICvRKDUNvkLSu3SaoEEJkHKpA/s640/Wright+Flyer+Hare+photo+1908+Paint.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">Photograph
of the Wright Flyer in the air by Jimmy Hare, a journalist, in 1908. Kitty Hawk</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWxjds2Emx2NQCjp9FGMeKZsqY12mny_69ze0fiIVx83bKjdkBKGjnpmChgBum535Ek9y2tdpDYWQE_hHPVZLzsqWyjyQ9AIDKUUoBHH8_jztxdgMPnzGPYnl2pn9Mp2ddaNmpYG0DcU/s1600/Wright+Flyer+1908+Hare+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="91" data-original-width="135" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsWxjds2Emx2NQCjp9FGMeKZsqY12mny_69ze0fiIVx83bKjdkBKGjnpmChgBum535Ek9y2tdpDYWQE_hHPVZLzsqWyjyQ9AIDKUUoBHH8_jztxdgMPnzGPYnl2pn9Mp2ddaNmpYG0DcU/s400/Wright+Flyer+1908+Hare+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A
fuzzy blow up of the Flyer in one of the photographs taken by Jimmie Hare in 1908<i>.</i> Note that the wings appear neither anhedral nor dihedral,
according to the author.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple other things about the 1908
photography are puzzling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would the
Wrights’ only photo identified as the 1908 aircraft at Kitty Hawk show slight dihedral
when the Wrights claimed anhedral was the appropriate configuration for Kitty Hawk flying?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Neither dihedral nor anhedral are detectable in Hare’s distant photos.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, the span-wise curvature of Wright
Flyer wings could be changed either by adjusting the lengths of truss wires, replacing
them, or merely switching them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
while at Kitty Hawk the 1900 glider’s wings
were changed from dihedral to straight and the 1901 machine’s wings were
changed from straight to anhedral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even
more intriguing, why would the Wrights, avid photographers, have gone through
the trouble of bringing their photographic equipment to Kitty
Hawk in 1908, setting it up, and then have taken only one picture of
their airplane sitting on the ground and none from the numerous flight tests
over the entire month and a half they were there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, they took over a dozen photos of
their aircraft in 1903, including eight taken during just a few hours of
testing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the “fourth flight” photo poses an
enigma for a number of reasons:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The wing anhedral, although adjustable, is
compatible with the 1903 aircraft, yet the three tall dark objects on the lower
wing are consistent with the 1908 version of the Flyers rather than two much smaller
objects that would be expected on the 1903 aircraft.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Careful mensurations of the photo all show
the aircraft to be less than a third as far from the launch rail as the
distance claimed for the fourth flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(This is consistent with a visual impression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airplane certainly does not appear to be nearly
three football fields, a sixth of a mile, beyond the launch rail.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The propellers are clearly stopped and the aircraft
is on or within just a couple feet off the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this is a photo of a flight attempt, it was
taken very near, or more likely after, the end of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The photo claimed to be of the 1903 fourth
attempt was not released until after the 1908 Kitty Hawk
testing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">The fourth flight plate resides in the
Wright collection at the Library of Congress, not in the Hare collection in Texas.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Why does only one aircraft photo taken by
the Wrights exist from the month-and-a-half long 1908 test session involving numerous flights?</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are left with the perplexing conclusion
that, in view of the above, we don’t really have incontrovertible photographic
proof of a flight by the Wright brothers in 1903 that meets the criteria they
themselves established for a successful flight.<sup>3</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The two photos of the first and third attempts, while striking, don’t
depict controlled flights of sufficient distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only other photo, claimed to be of the fourth
trial, presents a troubling dilemma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is definitely a picture of an airplane less than 300 feet from the launch rail
with its propellers and engine stopped, and either on the ground or very near
it; in other words, at the end of any flight attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So our only choices appear to be that either it is a picture of the
fourth flight trial and the aircraft went less than a few hundred feet, or the
aircraft may have gone substantially farther, as claimed, for the fourth attempt - but that’s not a picture of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
downward curved wings could be interpreted to support the first conclusion; the
three large objects on the lower wing support the second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The distance analysis and stopped propellers
could support either.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if the photo is not of the end of an
852-foot flight, what is it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did they
carry the 750-pound machine out 270 feet and take a picture of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or could they have stopped while carrying it
back from a longer flight and three people sat on the wing while someone, for
some reason, took a picture of that from back behind the launch rail?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In either case, why?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, it’s worth reiterating that anyone
that considers Orville’s first attempt to be the first successful controlled,
manned, powered flight has to overlook at least four facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, that at least 90 percent of the necessary
takeoff speed of the vehicle was supplied by the invisible wind, not the
engine. Second, this attempt came nowhere
near meeting the Wrights’ expressed minimum distance requirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, they must overlook Orville’s statements about
the attempt being “exceedingly erratic” and his inability to keep the forward
elevator from slamming back and forth between its limits during this attempt,
resulting in the uncontrolled porpoising of the aircraft into the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, of course, they have to overlook the fact
that available records indicate that for at least five years the Wrights themselves did not claim this attempt
to be their first successful flight.<sup>4</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">So
What Happened ?</span></u></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></u></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In spite of all this, the Wrights may have briefly
achieved some degree of control over part of a manned powered flight in
1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this conclusion would have to
be based on the following: the photo claimed to be of the fourth flight of 852 feet but
showing a distance from the launch rail of less than 300 feet; the Wrights’
claim that the aircraft flew under control and fairly smoothly for a portion of
that flight; and some of the testimonies of witnesses which, while one or two
could be considered to be somewhat corroborating, also contain obvious errors
and contradictions, both among themselves and with the Wright brothers’
statements. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Daniels and Adam Etheridge, Life Savers and witnesses, gave the
most extensive statements many years later, both saying that they assisted the Wrights in carrying the 1903 airplane
up a hill to its launch point. The Wrights claimed, however, and the photos seem
to show, that the launch rail was on fairly level ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daniels mentions only two flights and claimed
the last flight went at least a half mile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He didn’t even remember taking the famous photo of the “first flight.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orville apparently told him he did.*****<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the confusion no doubt stems from
nearly all of the “witness’s” statements having been taken decades after the
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> In fact, some of Daniels' recollections seem to have been heavily influenced or even created by Orville Wright in the intervening years. </span>In any case, their statements,
in total, contradict the Wrights' accounts more often than they corroborate them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the strongest indicator of some
success in 1903 is the initial limited flying ability the Wrights claimed for their
next machine at Huffman Prairie in 1904.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It seems unlikely that the 1903 tests could have all been complete failures
and the next extremely similar vehicle a limited success, at least at straight-line flight when launched with a strong headwind or from a powerful catapult.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWWsmA4WIRpXD0KOUJuNVStLJVHaG_mOCfxGB31hIW_1EqmgDyQV4-4pRysPvNbOXWt9oRVhqTzdtZh6jWWl12Gm31tyZOxWyys_snAEWu24oF6sq4EEB-xky9Untv_49K3wi4tbc5FQ/s1600/Wright+1909_Flyer_and_Derrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="640" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWWsmA4WIRpXD0KOUJuNVStLJVHaG_mOCfxGB31hIW_1EqmgDyQV4-4pRysPvNbOXWt9oRVhqTzdtZh6jWWl12Gm31tyZOxWyys_snAEWu24oF6sq4EEB-xky9Untv_49K3wi4tbc5FQ/s400/Wright+1909_Flyer_and_Derrick.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Wrights' catapult was needed to assist their engine in taking off. This photo appears to be in France.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Epilogue </span></u></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></u></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wrights’ catapult brings up an
interesting point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The brothers were
sticklers for semantics, particularly as pertained to flying vehicles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was indeed the crux of their patent
litigation arguments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, applying
their penchant for linguistic accuracy to their own statements leads to a
surprising conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we have seen, in their press release of
January 1904 they stated</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“Each
time the machine started from the level ground by its own power alone with no
assistance from gravity, or any other motive source whatever.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Both
of Orville’s articles from 1908 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Century</i> and 1913 in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flying </i>include
the statement that his first attempt was</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“…the
first in the history of the world in which a machine carrying a man had raised
itself by its own power into the air…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Obviously,
the Wrights considered this to be an important criterion for successful powered
flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As previously discussed, at Kitty Hawk, over 80% to 90% of their impetus for flight came
from the ambient winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without these
winds they couldn’t have flown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1904
at Huffman Prairie, even with over 200 feet of launch rail, they found that
reliably getting their aircraft into the air was highly problematic due to
insufficient winds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So while there, and
at subsequent locations for the next seven years, their aircraft enlisted the
assistance for takeoff from either a very strong headwind or the catapult
described to them in a letter from Octave Chanute.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The catapult used the pull of gravity on a falling
weight of half of a ton or more in order to push their aircraft into the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of their early aircraft - the 1903,
1904, 1905, and 1908 Flyers, as well as the subsequent Model A Flyer of 1909
and early 1910 - could initiate flight “by its own power alone”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Model B of late 1910 was the first Wright
airplane that had wheels, sufficient structure, and enough power to enable it to
take off from rough unimproved fields in reasonably calm air without the use of
a catapult and launch rail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
1910, there were many other aircraft around the world that for a few years had
been regularly accomplishing unassisted takeoffs, even from bumpy unimproved
fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although Wright Flyers could
certainly fly once in the air, so could these other aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taken together, these considerations lead to
the surprising realization that there were many other aircraft that consistently
accomplished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all</i> of the Wrights’
stated attributes of a successful airplane, including taking off “by its own
power alone,” years before the Wrights’ own airplanes did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If nothing more, this is at least a lesson in
being cautious and consistent when applying words to one's self and to others.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is only fair to subject the Wrights’
claims and data to the same level of scrutiny to which other competing claims
have been subjected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They employed a catapult to reliably achieve
takeoffs at Huffman Prairie, and also for their flights at Ft. Myers,
and in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And without headwinds of at least 24 to 27 miles per hour providing over
80% of the necessary initial lifting force for their aircraft, there wouldn’t
have been any flying by the Wrights in 1903 either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, until the later part of 1910 their
aircraft were not capable of initiating flight by their own power alone, a capability
the Wrights had repeatedly claimed to be an important attribute of a successful
airplane.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<h3>
<span style="color: red;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Author's Notes</span></u></b></span></h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">¹</span> </span>Orville’s first attempt at flight in 1903 is
often heralded as the first manned, powered, controlled flight by an
airplane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vehicle certainly had a
motor and he certainly was on board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
the achievement of control is another matter entirely. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vehicle had aerodynamic controls
designed into it and they were brought into play constantly in every trial of
1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And apparently, they did cause the
airplane to react.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the iconic “first
flight” photo, the elevator had inadvertently been put in the full up position
and the plane was said to have immediately zoomed up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They said that the elevator was then quickly,
and again inadvertently, put in the full down position and the airplane dove
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One more cycle of this caused the
vehicle to hit the ground, causing minor damage and ending the flight in 12
seconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those extreme control
positions, and the resulting reactions of the aircraft, are certainly not what
Orville intended.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was not a controlled flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Controlled flight is only achieved when the
pilot can control the aircraft to go <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in
the manner</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and direction that he
wishes it to go.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
Wrights’ descriptions, that was only achieved during the mid portion of the
last trial of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At all other
times, and throughout all of the other attempts, the vehicle was clearly not
doing what the pilot intended and was thus out of control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “first flight” photo with the elevator in
the full up position just after takeoff shows the pilot struggling to achieve
control, which he never did.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">²</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> A number of measurements have shown the
airplane in the “fourth flight” photo to be less than 300 feet from the launch
ramp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently, the issue of whether
the propellers were stopped when this photo was taken is crucial in determining
if the aircraft in this photo could have continued on to the 852 foot point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only remaining question is, would it have
been possible for the Wrights’ camera to have taken a clear sharp picture of
spinning blades?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wrights’ 5”x7” glass plate camera was
a <a href="https://ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll36/id/11957/" target="_blank">Gundlach model Korona-V with a Series F pneumatic shutter</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with slower speeds, the shutter was
capable of speeds of 1/25<sup>th</sup>, 1/50<sup>th</sup>, and 1/100<sup>th</sup>
of a second, the fastest available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although the engine was capable of 1,200 rpm, the Wrights claimed it
recorded only about 1,000 revolutions during the last trial that they said
lasted 59 seconds, i.e., an average of 1,000 rpm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gear reduction from crankshaft to
propellers was close to 4 to 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
meticulous photo logs indicate that the Wrights usually used a shutter speed of
1/25<sup>th</sup> of a second, a couple sources, including the Ohio Memory
Collection, claim that the Wrights said they had the camera set at 1/50<sup>th</sup>
of a second for the iconic “first flight” photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the lighting appears to have been no
better during the “fourth flight,” it seems likely that the exposure setting
wasn’t changed for that event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so,
the propeller</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">blades would have swept at least 30 degrees of arc
during the exposure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is consistent
with the barely</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">visible blurs of the spinning props in the photos of
the first and third attempts of the 17<sup>th</sup> of December.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s1Lwum6z8NpD9LsbeBSZOtJksubLhfUlb3a4UzHil1CAT_VljlaRVR8oe3jZPJwlj8t8v-vlLqgwiBlIzxF9_-M13a5xpIXmkdYaD96pVBJchNds0kstpuTNa3wE1Vr1t_uCUCzTf_w/s1600/Wright+Flyer+front+view+propeller+Smitsonian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="640" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2s1Lwum6z8NpD9LsbeBSZOtJksubLhfUlb3a4UzHil1CAT_VljlaRVR8oe3jZPJwlj8t8v-vlLqgwiBlIzxF9_-M13a5xpIXmkdYaD96pVBJchNds0kstpuTNa3wE1Vr1t_uCUCzTf_w/s400/Wright+Flyer+front+view+propeller+Smitsonian.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From view of the Wright Flyer showing the two propellers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> Measurements of the blades taken from an
original 1903 Wright propeller shown on page 81 of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wright Flyer, an Engineering</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i>, and an excellent frontal view of the 1903 aircraft
(Library of Congress number LC-W86-24[P&P]) show the apparent subtended
angle of each twisted blade to be 7½ degrees. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three blades visible in the “fourth flight”
photo, although difficult to measure, under six power magnification measure no
more than about eight degrees in subtended angle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the engine was turning at flying speed and
the shutter was set to the value used for all other photos of the airplane in
flight, the blades would have shown blurs at least four times as wide as is
shown in the photo, if they would have shown at all.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering worst cases, if the engine was
turning 1,100 rpm the blades would still have looked over four times as
wide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, if for some reason the shutter
speed had been reset to 1/100<sup>th</sup> of a second, the blades would still
have appeared at least 2½ times as wide as they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even under the most extreme circumstances
imaginable, with the engine turning only 1,000 rpm and the camera set at 1/100<sup>th</sup>
of a second (its minimum exposure time), the blades, if visible, would still
have looked more than twice as wide as they appear in the photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The actual case appears to be 1,000 engine
rpm and 1/50<sup>th</sup> of a second exposure, which would result in a blur
approximately four times the width of a blade, about 30 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inescapable conclusion is that the
aircraft’s propellers (and engine) were stopped less than 300 feet from the
launch rail in the photo claimed to be of the fourth flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17<sup>th</sup>, 1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, this has not been noted before now.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">³</span></span></span> </span>An article by Carroll F. Gray published in
the August 2002 issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">World War I</i>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aeronautics – The Journal of the Early
Airplane </i>addresses some of these issues<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i>Titled <a href="http://www.thewrightbrothers.org/fivefirstflights.html" target="_blank">"The First Five Flights,"</a></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">
the article discusses the Wrights’ narratives, their distance criterion, the wind, their
lack of control, and the distance shown in the “fourth flight” photo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all of these aspects it agrees with this
analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it does not address
the three objects in the lower wing, the stopped propellers,</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">and the fact that the</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">aircraft in the photo must have
been at or very near the end of its flight when the photo was taken.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup><span style="font-size: small;">4</span> </sup></span></span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Smithsonian
authors and others have referred to the events of 1903 at Kitty Hawk as
the first "sustained" flights of a manned, powered, controlled
airplane. Since mensuration of the longest flight attempt has shown that
the vehicle did not meet the Wrights' own criterion for a minimum,
sustained flight and the Wrights did not use that term, it is not used
in this article.</span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><u>Editor's Notes:</u></span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"></span>* <i>The lifting force on an airplane is proportional to the square of the airspeed. Also, the minimum takeoff speed of the 1903 airplane is very close to 30 mph. Therefore, the 27 mph steady headwind speed on the first trial of December 17th represented 90% of the takeoff speed, and - since 0.9 x 0.9 = 0.81 - about 80% of the lifting force at takeoff. Similarly, since the headwind for the fourth trial hours later was 24 mph, or about 80% of the minimum takeoff speed, the lifting force provided by it was 0.8 x 0.8 = 0.64, or about 65% of the required lift.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>** See note * above. </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>*** An article detailing the calculation of the "Fourth Flight" distance will follow soon.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>**** Handwriting analysis has shown that the description on the reverse of the "fourth flight" photo at the Wright Library was written, as were captions of other photos sent to the Library of Congress, by Orville Wright. Orville wrongly states, as we have demonstrated, that the "fourth attempt" picture shows the end of the 852-foot flight.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><i>***** Daniels made no mention of taking a photograph until much later. However, in his first interview, he stated he was supporting the wing of the plane during the first takeoff. He couldn't have done both. It is only logical that he could not have known about the photograph unless Orville had told him.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Updated information of note:</b>: In the next blog post, <a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-wrights-fourth-flight-mensuration.html" target="_blank">"Mensuration of the Fourth Flight,"</a> Joe Bullmer provides a detailed study of how the "fourth flight photo" was analyzed.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Copyright
2016<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Joe Bullmer</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a class="hoverZoomLink" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMj3FQRSIRLFqg7Bbv7kHEUTkrFTz_a_wTB_J8JSrkm3bgavYyqt8Xti7Sfwxz9kV3LCtQ7s62Q_BHTvOV7oiAQRSOM_GO9avwrjyz-sU_ow5SksviOG70G5a4boyk3fsqkP-tfpA2zA/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="hoverZoomLink" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMj3FQRSIRLFqg7Bbv7kHEUTkrFTz_a_wTB_J8JSrkm3bgavYyqt8Xti7Sfwxz9kV3LCtQ7s62Q_BHTvOV7oiAQRSOM_GO9avwrjyz-sU_ow5SksviOG70G5a4boyk3fsqkP-tfpA2zA/s400/IMG_0547.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><br />
Editor's Note: Joe Bullmer has been contributing valuable articles to "Truth in Aviation History" for <br />
several years. There are more to come! Order the book by Bullmer, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208" target="_blank">The WRight Story,</a> </i>on Amazon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdLwk3k_2gv8To-wDeBg7ApR8mgHELZKRsNu3bjB9PLluJuJ-w1G6NvF3nCMYiRTArt9QE5VllSuYJ4wtEf8hTFuW2nIlU84RaHAxFr2P7EqFeyD_2haotN7GJ0YbYQyRTgY3vomwqxk/s1600/Marcia+image+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdLwk3k_2gv8To-wDeBg7ApR8mgHELZKRsNu3bjB9PLluJuJ-w1G6NvF3nCMYiRTArt9QE5VllSuYJ4wtEf8hTFuW2nIlU84RaHAxFr2P7EqFeyD_2haotN7GJ0YbYQyRTgY3vomwqxk/s320/Marcia+image+cropped.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Editor and Founder of <i>Truth in Aviation History,</i> Marcia Cummings Hubbard<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><u>All links and photographs for this article have been added by the Editor. </u> </i></span></span></td></tr>
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<img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" /><img id="hzDownscaled" style="position: absolute; top: -10000px;" />Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-46644183155522390902019-03-30T14:49:00.002-07:002021-04-29T17:35:49.276-07:00 SCRUB IT <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 107%;">Scrub
It</span></b></span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 107%;"> </span></b></span></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 107%;">by Paul Jackson </span></b></span></u></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; line-height: 107%;">Kill Devil Hills: December 17, 1903</span></b></span></u></span></div>
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<![endif]--> It's a real bind when, having carefully cultivated a personal image of super cool on your Facebook page, a well-meaning friend trashes it all in a second by posting a picture of
you acting the fool after an incautious night on the town. That sudden letdown
is not a new, "social media" phenomenon: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">A century ago, the Wright Brothers were
caught out in exactly the same manner.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA6X_A3kQQr0RIOVoUpayTSmNnQWaEgprt7gvhPs7Lzq52yW_INh00YII0A7Y5vzmr9Y9Sj9VCc4nPrMaSwtLXxpD9Ia42L-gyK8eAl7F4DrABeC7QcLd4ddf9MTr0CAO-cYWf_zNBTI/s1600/Image+A%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="864" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA6X_A3kQQr0RIOVoUpayTSmNnQWaEgprt7gvhPs7Lzq52yW_INh00YII0A7Y5vzmr9Y9Sj9VCc4nPrMaSwtLXxpD9Ia42L-gyK8eAl7F4DrABeC7QcLd4ddf9MTr0CAO-cYWf_zNBTI/s640/Image+A%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The picture above was
taken in October 1902 by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Chanute" target="_blank">Octave Chanute</a>, the father of US aeronautics, and
mentor to the Wrights. Chanute was visiting Kitty Hawk to ‘talk shop’ with his protégés
and test-fly his triplane glider, but in this instance he has snapped the
Wright 1902 glider during one of its take-offs. The image was later donated to
Wright State University, and may be downloaded <a href="https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/do/search/?q=ms1_16_1_43&start=0&context=2351694&facet=" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">At the risk of boring
the reader with a statement of the patently obvious, it should be noted that the
glider — being a glider — is taking off <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">down-hill</i>.
The photographer is standing on the same sand dune, a few feet lower down from
the take-off point, and looking down to where the glider is intending to fly.
Taking into account the Kill Devil Hills geography, the absence of another major
sand dune in the middle distance indicates that glider and camera are pointing slightly
east of north, where the terrain is uninterrupted until the settlement of Kitty
Hawk, three miles distant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Before the dunes were
stabilized during construction of the Wright memorial park, the prevailing
northerly wind removed sand from the northern faces of the Kill Devil Hills and
deposited it in the lee of the south faces at the rate of some 20 feet per
year. This process meant there was no chance for vegetation to grow on the
north faces. Sand previously inside the dune was exposed to the wind for only a
few days before it was on the move to the rear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Lower down, beyond the
base of the dune, the flattish land provided just enough shelter for scrubby
growth. Examination of the land in Chanute’s picture shows the raw, sand face
of the dune in light color, close to the camera and slightly discolored by
disturbed or damp sand; and, in the middle distance, a change to a darker area,
marking the start of scrub, where the land has levelled out. Around the base of
the dune is a small apron of flat sand where only the first few grasses have
had time to colonize since the dune rolled southwards. No tufts of grass are
visible on the sloping ground near the camera.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVBIJ9PEit0AKEN4DOoTnpeGIaIY127xjAn2txru6AIr_SwV7wvxY1r5stHymx4nCDM-lIbpIZJoKOOOyUl89Zt1_LYEBADJiAaurk2ZNzulhKN177RPfnI1-c5PH4nEPIiBNk1W44s4/s1600/Image+B%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1147" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmVBIJ9PEit0AKEN4DOoTnpeGIaIY127xjAn2txru6AIr_SwV7wvxY1r5stHymx4nCDM-lIbpIZJoKOOOyUl89Zt1_LYEBADJiAaurk2ZNzulhKN177RPfnI1-c5PH4nEPIiBNk1W44s4/s640/Image+B%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">A few other pictures
taken at Kitty Hawk, and reproduced in reference books, have been over-exposed
and show darker shades throughout. The principle holds, though: vegetation shows
darker than pure sand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Does the arrangement
of the above picture look familiar?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wckwVupfentS6c2cftRaK6Nq_smCT1v0CzGSJPrtBMt28enxkZM8cg4I3CaY4Evmx2z4Xw6gOnLFn5SeGkhWhtU7b6jh3vZSZmnj-tRaJq7J1T3c6PU1OCrnmcpQ9l4iSJD6JMzr4IU/s1600/Image+C%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="861" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wckwVupfentS6c2cftRaK6Nq_smCT1v0CzGSJPrtBMt28enxkZM8cg4I3CaY4Evmx2z4Xw6gOnLFn5SeGkhWhtU7b6jh3vZSZmnj-tRaJq7J1T3c6PU1OCrnmcpQ9l4iSJD6JMzr4IU/s640/Image+C%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXfGyxc1f5otffC-HBu7c8LnvJyHniZhTEdsNDeE4eYZBbA_z3iv9KIB4ndYVOseOrEkkP7cNMhKAL0PVtWS5Wa9fJBX1sF1WcWMgQpCKizaAr7iIkXmAazAzVpCxXcNLut3ms0SzS94/s1600/Image+D%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="857" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXfGyxc1f5otffC-HBu7c8LnvJyHniZhTEdsNDeE4eYZBbA_z3iv9KIB4ndYVOseOrEkkP7cNMhKAL0PVtWS5Wa9fJBX1sF1WcWMgQpCKizaAr7iIkXmAazAzVpCxXcNLut3ms0SzS94/s640/Image+D%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">We have already drawn
attention to serious anomalies in the</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">well-known “First
Flight” photograph which cast considerable doubt on the claim that this was a
take-off from the flat — thereby voiding the first-flight claim entirely. The
findings are described in great detail in previous posts but, in summary, they
are: (1) perspective within the photograph shows the start end of the launch
rail to be higher than the take-off end; (2) ground is visible well below
camera height, on which is a scrub-lined ridge leading to even lower (base
level) ground; (3) two helpers both agree they carried the Flyer up a hill for
launching; and (4) a written statement by the Brothers’ father, less than a
week after the event, states that the launch rail began with a downhill slope
to assist the aircraft in gathering speed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Our previous analysis
mentioned ground shades in passing, but the availability of a photograph by
Chanute, undeniably showing the surface coloring change when viewed from
part-way up a dune, makes the conclusion positively unavoidable: The famous
“First Flight” picture shows (5) the airplane taking-off downhill from bare
sand on the side of a dune and making a power-assisted glide towards scrub land
at a lower level.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Had the Wrights
“started from level” as they claimed, the ground under, or in the immediate
vicinity of, the launch track would probably have looked like this, as shown
in their photograph catalogued as 00674 by the Library of Congress. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCCSUv9zi0QpixgkypTylrOfXe2J-NjvFNRvJU3p4aIP7SZLs2Af_s06YHQIPSIvPZy_1XGS_kvxrbUL3rfM7kF-fL2Ad-TXyT_NditOYFnaTWfiEUkMqqjrjx1nHqwjBsnun26rxH0g/s1600/Image+E%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="839" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxCCSUv9zi0QpixgkypTylrOfXe2J-NjvFNRvJU3p4aIP7SZLs2Af_s06YHQIPSIvPZy_1XGS_kvxrbUL3rfM7kF-fL2Ad-TXyT_NditOYFnaTWfiEUkMqqjrjx1nHqwjBsnun26rxH0g/s640/Image+E%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Small clearings of
flat sand are visible, but the operative word is “small”. Patently, however, the
land all around the launch track in the “First Flight” picture is completely devoid
of scrub, and so strongly suggestive of sand starkly exposed to the prevailing wind
— downward sloping sand, in other words, like in Chanute’s picture.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">There is not a blade
of grass to be discerned anywhere in the “First Flight” photograph, yet the
end-of-fourth-flight photograph (Library of Congress 00514, reproduced below) is
much like the above (tufts of scrub marked red).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: red; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-no-proof: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfM4ac-hnEkA0CXs5y6M9hz6cNTznHMd0yQ4Bvab2bQVo1aCnAHpOdKVcwYKRS5GzSBx1DY2fSsUbW6zoeDBOzWn_hsj_wtslcR0zwRuF30fPcBLSTA8j2FXdDhrYZcJmQIGgIzkG7Tg/s1600/Image+F%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="877" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfM4ac-hnEkA0CXs5y6M9hz6cNTznHMd0yQ4Bvab2bQVo1aCnAHpOdKVcwYKRS5GzSBx1DY2fSsUbW6zoeDBOzWn_hsj_wtslcR0zwRuF30fPcBLSTA8j2FXdDhrYZcJmQIGgIzkG7Tg/s640/Image+F%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The Flyer took-off
from an area devoid of vegetation and landed in an area liberally strewn with
clumps of grasses. Yet the Wright Brothers tell us that the surface they
lifted-off from was the same surface — at the same height above sea level —on
which they alighted. Their own photographs prove that the two spots were very
different.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> _________________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><i>Note from your founding editor</i></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><i>This post is another essay from Paul Jackson, one of our highly respected and much appreciated contributors to our blog: "Truth in Aviation History."</i></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><i>For more from this author, please go to these links:</i></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-wrights-1903-launch-its-all.html" target="_blank">The Wrights' 1903 Launch: It's All Downhill from Here</a></i></span><span style="font-size: small;"> as well as</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/kitty-hawk-new-perspective-wrights_14.html" target="_blank"> Kitty Hawk: A New Perspective: The Wrights' Famous Photo</a></i></span><br />
<br /></div>
Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-50020930843342020652018-08-31T13:37:00.000-07:002018-10-24T11:08:20.725-07:00WRight Perspective - Article Four of Four<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i>This is the final article in the series discussing the </i></span><i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">1984 Smithsonian publication </span>The Wright Flyer: An Engineering Perspective.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> This article addresses the fourth and fifth sections of the "Perspective" compilation concerning propulsion and structural design *</span></i></h4>
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<i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></i></h4>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">(The full text of the Smithsonian"Perspective" compilation pictured below can be found <span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk/page/n3" target="_blank">here</a></span>.)</span></i></span></h4>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s1600/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s640/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" width="488" /> </a></h2>
</td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Publication by the Smithsonian critiqued in this and in three previous articles by Joe Bullmer</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.*</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The W<span style="color: red;">Right </span>Perspective--Article Four</b></span></span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">by Joe Bullmer</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> As stated previously, the purpose of these articles is to address differences between information presented in the "<i>Perspective</i>" compilation and that in this author's book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208/" target="_blank">The WRight Story</a></i>. </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span>Chapters III and IV of that book contain detailed discussions of the development and testing of the Wrights’ early aircraft based exclusively on an experienced aeronautical design engineer’s interpretation of the Wright brothers' own words and records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The discussion points in these articles have been derived mostly from information in those chapters of <i>The WRight Story</i>.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fXVeYN_80TAVpHb1MzLvq0k6tSz1_PE-iVVQ8qYhyytrwSlC7opy6DwvH7y3SLAmwPuFNH-l-sfmoCyOVHT6EC2VPZgG4LGTGKwHKhUYbik1A4Awiav8HbCQPTohAOuUUxFu0kOBQ4Y/s1600/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fXVeYN_80TAVpHb1MzLvq0k6tSz1_PE-iVVQ8qYhyytrwSlC7opy6DwvH7y3SLAmwPuFNH-l-sfmoCyOVHT6EC2VPZgG4LGTGKwHKhUYbik1A4Awiav8HbCQPTohAOuUUxFu0kOBQ4Y/s640/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The WRight Story</i> by Joe Bullmer</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span></div>
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<a href="https://archive.org/stream/wrightflyerengin00wolk#page/78" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Propulsion Systems of the Wright Brothers</span></i></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> The first element of the Wrights’ propulsion system addressed in this section of the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> "Perspective"</i> is the propellers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 80 the Wrights’ design procedure is referred to as a theory with formulas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were elements of theory and a number of formulas to relate some of the parameters involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as explained <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-wright-perspective-by-joe-bullmer.html" target="_blank">in the first article of this series</a>,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">since there are many more unknowns than knowns in propeller design, it is not a closed procedure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather it is what could mathematically be termed an under constrained iteration problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To briefly recap, typically one starts with a known number of engines, their rpm and torque output, clearance restrictions, and perhaps a speed requirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Factors to be determined include number of blades, blade rpm, blade cross sections, angles of attack and twist, blade width or chord, taper, and resultant thrust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One also has to account for the acceleration of incoming air ahead of the propeller which of course varies with the speed of the aircraft resulting from the thrust previously calculated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Typically one must pick certain parameters, calculate the others, and iterate chosen parameters to a satisfactory solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course modern computer design programs with their wealth of stored data are a big help in this process.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On pages 79 and 80, Orville’s statement in the<a href="https://www.libraries.wright.edu/special/wrightbrothers/packet/centurymagazine.pdf" target="_blank"> September, 1908, issue of the Century magazine</a> is presented, to wit “so far as we could learn the marine engineers possessed only empirical formulas, and the exact action of the screw propeller, after a century of use, was still very obscure.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farther along on page 80, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Perspective"</i> article observes that <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=11" target="_blank">McFarland's presentation</a> of the Wrights' procedure </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">is “as good a review as possible of their theory.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is quite possible that the reason McFarland’s compilation is incomplete is because the Wrights were not completely satisfied with the empirical and iterative nature of their own procedure and therefore did not present it in detail</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 81 it is claimed that early Wright propellers had problems with twisting and so “in 1905…a pie-shaped portion of the leading edge was removed resulting in a relatively constant blade width for 30 percent of the distance from the tip to the center” of the propeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were known as the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/13066338374" target="_blank">"clipped or "bent end" props</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twisting may have been a factor, but reducing the chord near the tips of the props no doubt unloaded the tips and improved efficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Npf1Ticdr01D4naq3yR4sdnADTA779njaIy59952oP0WjPKpKQu59otuSNR3N3caY-dDx6g6wu_HYb1-8P_JjyGp4krlFLEnbA1wN3VzJEHd3NG9t6TAzL1PgjuQjyNHYh-1O2XwA2k/s1600/Screenshot_2018-09-09+Wright+Flyer+Test+Flights+at+Fort+Myer%252C+VA%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="414" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Npf1Ticdr01D4naq3yR4sdnADTA779njaIy59952oP0WjPKpKQu59otuSNR3N3caY-dDx6g6wu_HYb1-8P_JjyGp4krlFLEnbA1wN3VzJEHd3NG9t6TAzL1PgjuQjyNHYh-1O2XwA2k/s640/Screenshot_2018-09-09+Wright+Flyer+Test+Flights+at+Fort+Myer%252C+VA%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fort Meyer, VA,, September, 1908, The Wright Flyer with "bent end propellers."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> In fact, the biggest failing of the Wrights’ original props was that their chord kept increasing all the way to the tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has a similar effect to that of reversing taper on a wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tip losses, and thus the induced drag, are excessive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why, since fairly early aviation, propellers have had their maximum chord somewhere before 50 percent of the blade length and taper thereafter. It is also why some historians' claims of fantastic efficiencies of Wright propellers (well in excess of the 66% claimed by the Wrights) are erroneous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> The article does not address the torque transmission system adequately since this was the major source of problems in 1903.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chains used were lengths of engine timing chain and thus were much more robust than the bicycle chains assumed by many historians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The engine ran very roughly, particularly when cold, delivering jerky torque.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So whipping and interference would still have been problems if the chains had not been enclosed in pipes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the chains were sufficiently robust, the original sprockets, tubular propeller shafts, and bonding materials were not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This created problems until solid steel shafts were made and proper bonding material was used to fasten the sprockets to them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 82 repeats the universal claim that “In view of the state of the art at the time, no suitable engines were available.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not really true either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Engines of twice this power-to-weight capability were in existence at that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More likely, something in their requirements was interpreted by the manufacturers approached as demanding a specialized engine and the Wrights were not willing to cover such a cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cost was certainly a factor as they stated that they feared it was possible that crashes would destroy at least one of their engines. <span style="color: red;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">The Wright brothers" 1903 engine (credit:<a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/engine.cfm" target="_blank"> The Smithsonan Institution</a>.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> Pages 82 to 86 contain a very comprehensive description of the design and construction of the 1903 four cylinder engine, the first built by the Wrights. The reader can’t help but be impressed with the amount of detail that had to be addressed and the number of problems that had to be solved to create this first Wright engine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the crankshaft had no balance weighting, low rpm helped limit engine roughness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Pages 86 to 91 subsequent four and six cylinder engines are examined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately their V-8 engine was destroyed in a crash and almost no information on its design remains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on page 91 the author mentions that lubrication and cooling problems arose with the Wright engines but quite correctly opines that it was in solving these problems that the Wrights showed ingenuity, not having any education or training in engine design.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally on pages 92 to 94 balance and volumetric efficiency of the 1903 engine are addressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Not having an original or replica of the engine, efficiencies were calculated with corrections applied to data from a modern Pratt & Whitney engine. This indicated that the thermal efficiency of the Wrights' original engine appeared to have been around 25% and the volumetric efficiency about 40%. That volumetric efficiency is over half that of typical internal combustion engines at the time this <i>"Perspective"</i> article was written nearly a century later.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> However, the thermal efficiency is directly comparable to engines developed at the time the "<i>Perspective</i>" article was written. In fact in 2014, Toyota claimed to have developed an engine with a thermal efficiency of 38% which, they claim, was the highest of any mass produced internal combustion engine, most having thermal efficiencies of around 20%. So 25% efficiency for their Wright engine over a century earlier seems quite high, particularly considering that with no carburetor, no choke, and a rich fuel to air mixture, some of the fuel must have passed through the engine unburned. Considering all this, the quoted efficiencies seem quite high for an engine designed and built in 1903 by beginners. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://archive.org/stream/wrightflyerengin00wolk#page/96" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Structural Design of the 1903 Wright Flyer</span></i></a><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">On page 98 the author mentions how the universal joints connecting the vertical wooden struts to the wing spars enable wing warping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is true and may well be the original reason the Wrights designed the joints that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However these joints turned out to be the critical structural design feature enabling the Wrights success as will be explained at the end of this discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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force generated by the elevator and the resulting motion of the aircraft." height="480" src="https://wright.nasa.gov/airplane/Images/elv.gif" width="640" /> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further along on page 98 a quote from <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=108" target="_blank">Orville Wright’s 1924 letter to Alexander Klemin </a></span>(footnote in MacFarland's, p. 44)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">is presented that states “We originally put the elevators in front at a negative angle to produce a system of inherent stability….We found it produced inherent instability.” This unassailable quote directly contradicts information presented on page 22 in the second section of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Perspective"</i> and also that on page 52 in the third section.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the next page the Wrights’ original design specifications for their 1903 plane are quoted as calling for eight horsepower to drive a 625 pound gross weight vehicle at a cruise speed of 23 miles per hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a good thing these specifications were underestimated, otherwise, considering the ambient winds at Kitty Hawk, the vehicle would likely have been destroyed before its first takeoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turned out it was destroyed, anyway, by the winds later that day, while sitting unattended.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on page 99 appears the statement that “when wind tunnel tests showed the Lilienthal coefficients to be essentially free from error…..the Wrights…..calculated the more nearly correct [Smeaton’s] coefficient of 0.0033”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this statement also contradicts those appearing in previous sections of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Perspective",</i> it is true that the Wright’s wind tunnel verified the accuracy of Lilienthal’s lift coefficients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But before they had built their wind tunnel, Wilbur stated in an<a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/Oct6-1901.html" target="_blank"> </a><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/Oct6-1901.html" target="_blank">October 6, 1901 letter to Octave Chanute</a> <span style="color: black;">that they had adopted Langley’s value of 0.0033 for Smeaton’s coefficient</span> </span>because it produced better correlation with their 1901 glider data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their wind tunnel tests commenced almost two months later in late November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pages 98 through 105 of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Perspective"</i> present analyses of the designs and loads of the wing ribs, spars, struts, and wires for the 1903 Flyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this discussion is comprehensive, it is freely admitted that there are many gaps in what remains of the Wrights’ structural calculations and designs, and much of the analysis shown in the Loads section of his report is not necessarily what the Wrights may have used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This discussion concludes that although the design was marginal in some respects, it was adequate and actually impressive considering the Wright’s background.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately this section of the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> "Perspective"</i> on structures does not mention the most important advantage resulting from the structural design of Wright gliders and early Flyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The method of attaching the wooden struts to the wing spars is mentioned early on and the resulting compression loads in the struts are discussed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also mentioned is that the wires connecting the centers of the struts can be considered to cut bending moments in half thereby reducing the chance of column buckling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the major advantage of the strut and wire arrangement is not mentioned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The attachments of the struts to the spars are effectively flexible universal joints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only compression and tension could be transferred through the joints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bending could not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crossed guy wires were in tension and thus pre-loaded the struts in mild compression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photos of crashed or hard landings indicate that the easily replaced wires were the first things to fail, usually leaving the wooden struts intact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was aided by the wires connecting the centers of the struts causing adjacent struts to share any column bending loads resulting from excessive compression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently the vehicles could survive hard landings and moderate crash loads with only minor repairs to the biplane structure, often just replacing some wires or “sistering” a split skid with a spruce stick and some twine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, but the universal joints were achieved with simple metal hooks and loops which were impervious to sand or dirt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The net result was vehicles that could survive extended usage and numerous mishaps with only minor repairs if any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the all important feature allowing the Wrights, over relatively short testing periods, to make well over 1,000 glider flights and over 150 powered flights to determine design improvements and perfect their flying skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not an exaggeration to say that without this flexible and quickly repairable structural design<span style="color: red;"> <u><span style="color: black;">the Wrights </span></u></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><u>would probably not have been able to make manned, powered, controlled flights by the end of 1905</u>.**</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This concludes the fourth and final article in the four part series discussing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wright Flyer, An Engineering Perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>It is hoped these articles will be treated in the spirit intended, merely to make the historical record of the Wrights’ work as accurate as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further detail on the points made in these articles, as well as references to sources, can be found in the author’s book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Joe Bullmer, above, has a Master's degree plus advanced studies in Aeronautical Engineering. His first contribution to the</b></i><i><b>"Truth in Aviation History" series of articles is</b></i><i><b> <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/joe-bullmer-rebuttal-to-tom-crouch-in.html">"Joe Bullmer Rebuttal to Tom Crouch in the"Huffington Post."</a></b></i></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> about the claimed fourth flight picture of the Wrights in 1903. </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
of the pictures and most of the links in this essay were selected and
added by the founding editor of "Truth in Aviation History."</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">* </span></i><span style="font-size: large;">Links are provided below to </span><span style="font-size: large;">the first three articles of Joe Bullmer's critique of the Smithsonian publication: "The Wright Flyer: An Engineering Perspective":</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-wright-perspective-by-joe-bullmer.html" target="_blank">1. Article One,</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/wright-perspective-article-two-of-four.html" target="_blank">2. Article Two</a>, and </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/07/wright-perspective-article-3-of-four.html" target="_blank">3. Article Three</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">**Editor's note: There are no legitimate records of witnessed, unassisted take offs by the Wrights until years after the 1905 date. </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <b> </b></span><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>W<span style="color: #cc0000;">Right</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span> </span>Perspective</span></b> – Article<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u>By Joe Bullmer </u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKFxMYPHIahbmaI6hqBoYOt2Y5PmtceNKcWaPIdeu7nEq15DUP1UxElVm9IoCmRzdvXKd-om4N2nruWfs4fiu8JN_6B8AYwlLvpsft6LehrxZ5PT-2R9g5hgiN2piYjCQx9xh0H4FHYQ/s1600/1907+flyer+-+pg+50.10.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKFxMYPHIahbmaI6hqBoYOt2Y5PmtceNKcWaPIdeu7nEq15DUP1UxElVm9IoCmRzdvXKd-om4N2nruWfs4fiu8JN_6B8AYwlLvpsft6LehrxZ5PT-2R9g5hgiN2piYjCQx9xh0H4FHYQ/s1600/1907+flyer+-+pg+50.10.png" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbkeOw3Df5aBwzEMMBRhVVDnQs4vOtN3pvSI-xbGjOlBIb2EUuDLqvVDQJ9KhGAC6VbV3gu9YKh0VKj4fNFCgsqjnL9J71pSiCXXdRmZLJWr1KC229LCmFyLpB_qjpG0u9xPnwmqvv7s/s1600/1907+flyer+drawing+-+pg+50.11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="559" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbkeOw3Df5aBwzEMMBRhVVDnQs4vOtN3pvSI-xbGjOlBIb2EUuDLqvVDQJ9KhGAC6VbV3gu9YKh0VKj4fNFCgsqjnL9J71pSiCXXdRmZLJWr1KC229LCmFyLpB_qjpG0u9xPnwmqvv7s/s640/1907+flyer+drawing+-+pg+50.11.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The two illustrations including captions ( above) are from the publication <i>The Wright Flyer, an Engineering Perspective</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> This is the third article in a series discussing the Smithsonian compilation document <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wright Flyer, An</i> </a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank">Engineering Perspectiv</a></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank">e</a></i></span></span><span style="color: black;">, cover pictured below.</span></i></span>* </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s1600/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s640/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" width="488" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> [The two p</span></span>revious] articles have addressed the section discussing the Wrights as aeronautical engineers and the section on aerodynamics, stability, and control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> This article discusses the third section, titled</span> <a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longitudinal Dynamics of the Wright Brothers’ Early</i> </a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank">Flyers</a></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose of these articles is to address differences that have been pointed out concerning information presented in this author's book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208/" target="_blank"><i>The WRight Story</i></a> and that presented in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>The purpose of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Story </i>is to record an accurate description of the Wright brothers’ work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Original documents supporting the following comments are referenced in that book.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fXVeYN_80TAVpHb1MzLvq0k6tSz1_PE-iVVQ8qYhyytrwSlC7opy6DwvH7y3SLAmwPuFNH-l-sfmoCyOVHT6EC2VPZgG4LGTGKwHKhUYbik1A4Awiav8HbCQPTohAOuUUxFu0kOBQ4Y/s1600/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fXVeYN_80TAVpHb1MzLvq0k6tSz1_PE-iVVQ8qYhyytrwSlC7opy6DwvH7y3SLAmwPuFNH-l-sfmoCyOVHT6EC2VPZgG4LGTGKwHKhUYbik1A4Awiav8HbCQPTohAOuUUxFu0kOBQ4Y/s640/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0kK9sEmrkfVCPevKHiSTEFi2OqLSn4R8KbO-6jTuhDM2RkkDw00uCveb9T3ySiejRdQwHMfJmrVGU2o88XdYaVF2o8j88WDjsRx7W3b90wt0VbUkYHXrgi9DAQhO42dDMW4FOhSAuc/s1600/Section+3+of+Perspectives.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="577" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0kK9sEmrkfVCPevKHiSTEFi2OqLSn4R8KbO-6jTuhDM2RkkDw00uCveb9T3ySiejRdQwHMfJmrVGU2o88XdYaVF2o8j88WDjsRx7W3b90wt0VbUkYHXrgi9DAQhO42dDMW4FOhSAuc/s400/Section+3+of+Perspectives.png" width="286" /></a> </span>At the start of this section, page 45 of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective,</i> the author [<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-02-08/news/8501080268_1_mr-hooven-front-wheel-gm-vehicles" target="_blank">Frederick J. Hooven</a>] presents an entertaining description of his close relationship with Orville Wright from 1925 until Orville’s death in 1948.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, throughout these years Orville apparently allowed the author to believe that <a href="https://www.famousinventors.org/otto-lilienthal" target="_blank">Otto Lilienthal's</a> lift data were found to be wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 48 the author states that at “The end of the 1901 season…..having found Lilienthal’s data to be mistaken….. they realized that they would have to develop their own aerodynamic information…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This contradicted a 1902 letter Wilbur wrote to Octave Chanute saying that Lilienthal’s data “were as accurate as is possible."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otto Lilienthal (1848 - 1896) and one of his magnificent gliders</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even more amazing in view of his lengthy and close relationship with Orville, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> author was apparently totally unaware of the instability of early Wright aircraft until he read <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Charles Gibbs-Smiths 1966 book</span> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Invention-Aeroplane-1799-1909-Charles-Gibbs-Smith/dp/B0000CMYBU" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Invention of the Aeroplane</i>.</a></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3D_Hm0T6WU3ONKELH9xkzKETIQ-DuRdoUClQ3k-Bk3TXgy8Rsp_g5_PDP0_OftQYEu4wEkedViDejR1J87lXK0hFKt7e2Gg4fscBEqLbwMlAPxQ3EM7CP2gFjn9lkCLB_EpraEIP27Q/s1600/Gibbs+Smith+Invention+of+the+Airplane+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1061" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3D_Hm0T6WU3ONKELH9xkzKETIQ-DuRdoUClQ3k-Bk3TXgy8Rsp_g5_PDP0_OftQYEu4wEkedViDejR1J87lXK0hFKt7e2Gg4fscBEqLbwMlAPxQ3EM7CP2gFjn9lkCLB_EpraEIP27Q/s640/Gibbs+Smith+Invention+of+the+Airplane+image.jpg" width="424" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 46 of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> the author claims that book “made the first mention I had ever seen of the longitudinal instability of the Wright machines.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So evidently Orville never mentioned it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the author claims to have not believed it until he commenced two-dimensional computer simulations in 1978.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 47, <a href="https://faculty.etsu.edu/gardnerr/wright-brothers/huffaker.htm" target="_blank">Edward Huffaker's</a> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">note from July 29, 1901 concerning the Wrights’ glider is quoted stating that “The equilibrium is not satisfactory and the Wrights think of making radical changes, placing the rudder in the rear, or rebuilding the machine”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, the surviving notes of the Wrights as presented in <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=11" target="_blank">McFarland's compilation**</a> mention nothing about considering an aft elevator after mid-October of 1900. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyGCAym_fybvcmgttDZAffYPt63jf2EugC3O0VX7QKq9CrlYGN9rrn6taQQ1p28sz2HNqlech3S7HMFoohW79_gxwfJ0KMGThQYu86pdW0XhG4Ue47XsQ6tHpZX7kkFCcE63f_v8r7t8/s1600/1901+glider+-+pg+47.3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="470" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyGCAym_fybvcmgttDZAffYPt63jf2EugC3O0VX7QKq9CrlYGN9rrn6taQQ1p28sz2HNqlech3S7HMFoohW79_gxwfJ0KMGThQYu86pdW0XhG4Ue47XsQ6tHpZX7kkFCcE63f_v8r7t8/s400/1901+glider+-+pg+47.3.png" width="400" /></a></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipc068fBCnvr0rfEFyqol8O_JErnHGNn9zriHCH5YW5g5GFrAMXYSZBGUIq3j2pd29Uw0CgKLdqzSlDigyfbLzD_y0Tj1MWdQrfFmGWPe55Bx-4Z5JwUK5V0U-c6w7Y7oF7Bfl_5onANU/s1600/1902+glider+-+pg+48.4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="589" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipc068fBCnvr0rfEFyqol8O_JErnHGNn9zriHCH5YW5g5GFrAMXYSZBGUIq3j2pd29Uw0CgKLdqzSlDigyfbLzD_y0Tj1MWdQrfFmGWPe55Bx-4Z5JwUK5V0U-c6w7Y7oF7Bfl_5onANU/s400/1902+glider+-+pg+48.4.png" width="400" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 49 notes that the Wrights tried to reduce the pitch instabilities of their vehicles by altering <span style="color: red;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_mass#Center_of_gravity" target="_blank">center of gravity</a> <span style="color: black;">(C.G.)</span></span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">locations. </span>They first moved the C.G. of their 1904 machine from the 29% chord point farther aft to the 32% point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding this worsened the pitching problem, they reversed the C.G. location to the 23% point by adding 70 pounds of iron to the canard supports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, although they knew the location of the C.G. was important, the Wrights didn’t yet understand the control implications of the C.G. location relative to the center of lift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, the Wrights did not develop a way of determining the locations of the centers of lift of their vehicles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEAlSyaCRgnXemQwqfk3mxwMdkIlIvJJOE4jHuX-efV4xeXs_dFo-eMkWk6730Gms061x1qsap_3YV0Wr60gtF3ohyFnYAfZgBWnd631G8hyRq3d9VsvD7DIMhxmAFlDShWK5BPDD4Xk/s1600/1905+flyer+-+pg+50.9.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="570" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEAlSyaCRgnXemQwqfk3mxwMdkIlIvJJOE4jHuX-efV4xeXs_dFo-eMkWk6730Gms061x1qsap_3YV0Wr60gtF3ohyFnYAfZgBWnd631G8hyRq3d9VsvD7DIMhxmAFlDShWK5BPDD4Xk/s640/1905+flyer+-+pg+50.9.png" width="584" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 50 begins with the statement that by 1905 the Wrights had eliminated the pitching problem with their aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“From August 24<sup>th</sup> [1905] onward…..there was no longer the tendency to undulate [in pitch] and there were far fewer crashes”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This contradicts <a href="https://archive.org/details/FirstInflightFilmFootageFromWrightFlightInItaly1909">movies taken in 1909</a> from their aircraft in flight clearly showing constant rapid movements of the elevators to cope with pitch instability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_xjKCDedaOs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_xjKCDedaOs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">[<i>A 1909 inflight movie of a Wright plane shown above. It doesn't take a rocket scientist</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i> to note the pitch instability. Ed.]</i></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image result for glenn curtiss" class="irc_mi" height="346" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/95/69195-004-3273FB89.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 34px;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Glenn Hammond Curtiss (1878 - 1930), the pioneer who got it right..</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This statement also conflicts with another on page 51 that implies that, if they’d had more time, the Wrights might have put their elevators in the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The interesting observation is made that the Wrights kept their unstable canard design after 1905 because “They had quite enough to do to build more machines and prepare for public flying without trying to develop a radically different machine for 1908”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously one of their real fears was that they would fall far behind others that were building flying machines, especially <a href="https://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/about-the-man-glenn-h-curtiss.php" target="_blank">Glenn Curtiss</a> <span style="color: red;"> </span>in the U.S. and numerous others in Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another may have been that the canard being an obvious feature, abandoning it would have made their patent much</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the next page appears the popular statement that “the Wrights conceived the airplane from the very first as a craft that, like the bicycle, depended upon its rider to maintain its equilibrium.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As discussed in the previous article in this series, this is not true. In a legal deposition written in 1920, Orville wrote </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">that they originally thought they would have a stable machine because the data they had on hand showed the center of lift to move exactly opposite of the way it actually did with changes in angle of attack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 52 it is also mentioned that the wind at Kitty Hawk when the Wrights flew in 1903 averaged about 20 mph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is curious since other sources, including Orville Wright and the National Weather Service, claimed it to be 25 to 27 mph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On that same page it is pointed out that the Wrights suffered almost two dozen destructive crashes in 1904 and 1905 learning how to turn their aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This clearly contradicts the first section of the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Perspective</i> in which the statement is made that the 1902 glider (and by inference the 1903 Flyer) was capable of making “smooth banked turns.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From page 51 to 58 some of the theory and results of two dimensional computer flight simulations of the 1903, ‘04, and ‘05 Wright Flyers are presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These simulations do not attempt to represent any actual flights by the Wright aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were done to determine if the vehicles actually were longitudinally unstable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the simulated vehicles were indeed longitudinally highly unstable, a simulation of a pilot’s control actions had to be included to avoid immediate crashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pages 53 and 54 reveal that the average pilot reaction times used for pitch control in these simulations were 0.04 seconds for the ’03 and ’04 aircraft and 0.05 to 0.07 for the ’05 and ’07 aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any more and they would crash. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One wonders how realistic a pilot reaction time of 1/25<sup>th</sup> of a second is, particularly since there is no requirement for lateral control in these two dimensional simulations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, allowing slower pilot reactions for the more stable ’05 and subsequent aircraft indicates that reaction times were set by the requirements of the vehicles rather than the improving capabilities of the pilots.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 70 points out that wind tunnel tests of accurate models of the 1903 Flyer showed the drag of the complete vehicle to be higher than the Wrights’ composite estimate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it then says that horsepower of the engine was correspondingly higher than claimed because of ingesting cooler air near the sea and better cooling with the cooler air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is further claimed that, due to proximity to the ground, induced drag would be lower than measured in the tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, with no explanation it is stated that propeller efficiency was better than the Wrights claimed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The validity of the simulation results could be questioned because of the assumptions just described regarding power, drag, and the propeller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps the most damaging assumption affecting the usefulness of the results is the two dimensional nature of the simulation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The title of the article does state that it is limited to longitudinal dynamics, but how useful is that if the pilot doesn’t have to concern himself with roll control of a vehicle that was also laterally unstable because of its anhedral?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In such a vehicle a substantial percentage of the pilot’s attention must be devoted to roll control, certainly at least 20 percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This could well distract the pilot from pitch control for a second or more, allowing the aircraft to crash from pitch instability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">In fact, in a</span> <a href="https://www.loc.gov/resource/mwright.01005/?sp=11" target="_blank">September 20, 1902, <span style="color: black;">entry in his diary</span></a><span style="color: black;">, Orville admitted that he had crashed for exactly that reason</span><span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> The final five pages of the section is a line listing of the simulation program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next and final article in this series will discuss the sections of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> concerning propulsion and structures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> *</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The document is available online in various formats <a href="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL8085415M/WRIGHT_FLYER_PB" target="_blank">here</a>. Because we frequently refer to specific sections and page numbers, we recommend downloading the PDF version, available <a href="https://ia801608.us.archive.org/21/items/wrightflyerengin00wolk/wrightflyerengin00wolk.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"> **</span><a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=11">Marvin McFarland's</a> <span style="color: black;">complete compilation is online. We have linked you to Volume I of the two volumes.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Joe Bullmer, above, has a Master's degree plus advanced studies in Aeronautical Engineering. His first contribution to the</b></i><i><b>"Truth in Aviation History" series of articles is</b></i><i><b> <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/joe-bullmer-rebuttal-to-tom-crouch-in.html">"Joe Bullmer Rebuttal to Tom Crouch in the"Huffington Post."</a></b></i></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> about the claimed fourth flight picture of the Wrights in 1903. </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
of the pictures and most of the links in this essay were selected and
added by the founding editor of "Truth in Aviation History."</span></i></span><br />
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-85133828207975416952018-05-31T10:16:00.001-07:002018-09-09T14:50:58.412-07:00WRight Perspective - Article Two of Four<br />
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>W<span style="color: red;">Right</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perspective</span></b> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">– Article<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two</span></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u>by Joe Bullmer </u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeVBTFiw0u89F4iIkYa3QQS649iYp1wxdV7Jr4nOs77xtUBHz0t0t3cqbbf4Unad02hAWBvbFR_5xnL20sp540TTKl08WjIis31GNrDa6rgP34mXGd6oRqiyYq7y1DoYuRrIAiT3XCoM/s1600/wright_brothers+in+Dayton+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeVBTFiw0u89F4iIkYa3QQS649iYp1wxdV7Jr4nOs77xtUBHz0t0t3cqbbf4Unad02hAWBvbFR_5xnL20sp540TTKl08WjIis31GNrDa6rgP34mXGd6oRqiyYq7y1DoYuRrIAiT3XCoM/s320/wright_brothers+in+Dayton+image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Wright Brothers, left to right, Wilbur and Orville, at their home in Dayton, Ohio.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As pointed out in <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-wright-perspective-by-joe-bullmer.html" target="_blank">the introduction to the first article in this series</a>, the impressively technical Smithsonian publication <i>The Wright Flyer, An Engineering Perspective, </i> (hereafter referred to as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i>), </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><i><span style="color: black;">[full text found</span> <a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk" target="_blank">here]</a></i></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> has influenced the beliefs of many interested in early Wright aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> compilation includes many non-technical and some technical statements and opinions that contradict information in the Wrights’ records and in this author’s book <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208/" target="_blank">The WRight Story. </a></i></span></div>
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<span style="clear: right; float: right; font-size: 18pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> The purpose of this series of articles is to present this author’s positions on these differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> In addition to other material, over twelve hundred pages of the surviving records of the Wrights’ work were studied to create <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently it corrects dozens of common misconceptions concerning their work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These errors have been repeated for many decades and still are by most whose reputations have been built in part on the traditional Wright brothers’ story. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story</i> contains hundreds of references to the Wrights’ own words and records, and detailed proofs of all points made in these discussions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story</i> and this series of articles has a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering along with additional post graduate studies from the University of Michigan, and has worked in the field of aircraft design and performance for decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently this author is knowledgeable of the technical detail presented in the subject Smithsonian publication. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This discussion addresses the second paper in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aerodynamics, Stability, and Control of</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the 1903 Wright Flyer.</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although that section is fairly technical, effort has been made to make this discussion much less so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The length of the subject <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> article, 20 pages of double column print, has dictated the length of this discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subject article was originally an <a href="https://www.aiaa.org/" target="_blank">American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronomics (AIAA)</a> Wright Flyer Project paper numbered WF 84/09-1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first page of the article, page 19 of the Perspective,</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">includes the statement that by the end of 1903 “the Wrights had in hand all of the fundamental understanding and knowledge they needed to show the world how to fly”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a major overstatement since, as clearly shown in their writings and patent, they did not understand how <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camber_(aerodynamics)" target="_blank">cambered wings</a> lifted their vehicle off of the ground, nor did they yet know how to control the vehicle’s direction of flight.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edward Huffaker, important aviation<br />
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pioneer, who, together with Dr. George Spratt,<br />
provided early research and essential advice to the Wright brothers<br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> The next paragraph states that the Wrights “conducted the necessary tests….. to learn just what they required to succeed” giving the impression that they determined what all of these necessary tests would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it should be noted that they were talked into a most critical test and assisted in carrying it out by visitors to their Kitty Hawk camp, namely <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080404015238/http://www.georgespratt.org/" target="_blank">George Spratt</a> and <a href="https://faculty.etsu.edu/gardnerr/wright-brothers/huffaker.htm" target="_blank">Edward Huffaker</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> This test proved that the movements of the center of lift of their wings were opposite to what the Wrights had thought and exactly as Spratt and Huffaker had said, thus explaining their vehicles’ instabilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nonetheless, they still did not change their aircraft’s configuration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Chanute" target="_blank">Octave Chanute</a> and Dr. Spratt </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Octave Chanute, one of the first aviation pioneers. He was the author of "Progress in Flying Machines," an early reference for all of the aviation pioneers, including the Wrights.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">familiarized them with wind tunnels, showing them photos of tunnels and the scheme for the lift-vs-drag balance that the Wrights were to use.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the next page it is stated that their wind tunnel data “served them well for a decade”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This may be true, but unfortunately the data served no one else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Contrary to common practice within the fledgling aviation fraternity, <span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">the Wrights never published their data, according to <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=11" target="_blank">Marvin McFarland and others</a>.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otto Lilienthal, glider pilot and great aviation pioneer.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> Page 20 of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Engineering Perspective</i> also claims that “Otto <a href="https://www.famousinventors.org/otto-lilienthal" target="_blank">Lilienthal</a> had used a whirling arm apparatus to measure the lift and drag for various airfoils” clearly implying that was a likely source of errors. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is irrelevant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The data the Wrights used was developed by Otto in a natural straight steady wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A whirling arm had nothing to do with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is easily proven by comparing the Lilienthal data that the Wrights used to the plates at the end of Lilienthal's book, <i><a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bga-sg-archive/Books/BIRDFLIGHT%20AS%20THE%20BASIS%20OF%20AVIATION.pdf" target="_blank">"Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation."</a></i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next paragraph states that “the difficulty [in generating lift] lay with <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-wrights-discovered-what-was-wrights.html" target="_blank">"Smeaton's coefficient"</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;">This i</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">s also not true since Smeaton’s coefficient primarily affects wing area and the very successful 1902 glider had essentially the same wing area as the poorly performing 1901 machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason the 1901 machine performed so badly was that both the 1901 and 1900 machines had extremely poor <span style="color: orange;"><a href="https://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-wrights-discovered-what-another.html" target="_blank">aspect ratios and camber shapes</a> </span>while the well performing 1902 vehicle did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These were the Wrights’ own mistakes as they discovered with their wind tunnel and as they admitted in a November 24, 1901, letter to Octave Chanute. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then on the next page the authors go on to say that “With a clever combination of their wind tunnel data and a few tests with a wing from their 1901 gliders (sic) they concluded that the correct value [of Smeaton’s coefficient] was 0.0033.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In actuality, on October 6, 1901, over a month <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> they built their wind tunnel, Wilbur told Chanute that <a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Wrights/library/Chanute_Wright_correspond/Oct6-1901.html" target="_blank">"I see no good reason for using a greater [Smeaton's] coefficient than [Langley's value of] 0.0033.</a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">" </span>They had previously tried to calculate the coefficient with bicycle tests but concluded that those tests were not sufficiently accurate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, since it seemed consistent with their glider data, they adopted Langley’s value. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 22 it is claimed that the great German glider pioneer <a href="http://www.lilienthal-museum.de/olma/eotto.htm" target="_blank">Otto Lilienthal</a> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">died because of “a vertical gust, or by…. raising the nose too far.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the Wrights had no information to dispute this, it seems extremely doubtful that, with nearly 2,000 glides under his belt, Lilienthal could have made such a novice mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other more likely explanations made at the time by those familiar with his equipment include that he was of necessity practicing with a poorly maintained glider that broke a tail support, or that he was testing a new pitch control that failed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on this page it is stated that “whether their aircraft were stable or unstable was an accidental matter” and so “the question of the Wrights’ intentions to design an unstable airplane is meaningless” as if they never addressed the problem, didn’t care, or their intentions can not be determined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact they stated quite clearly that they did care and intended to design a stable vehicle, but the movement of the center of lift with changes in angle of attack was in the opposite direction from what they thought it would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During <a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/inventors/i/Wrights/library/Aeronautical.html" target="_blank">his speech to the Western Society of Engineers in 1901</a></span><span style="font-size: large;">, </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Wilbur stated, "Our peculiar plan of control by forward surfaces instead of tails was based on the assumption that the center of pressure would continue to move farther and farther forward as the angle [of attack] became less”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his 1920 legal deposition Orville recalled their perplexity over the situation thus: “Our elevator was placed in front of the [wing] surfaces with the idea of producing inherent stability fore and aft, which it should have done had the travel of the center of pressure been forward [with decreasing angle of attack] as we had been led to believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found, however, that these machines were anything but inherently stable fore and aft.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus their original intentions are quite clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They did address the problem and wanted a stable aircraft, but their basic understanding of aerodynamics was incorrect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perpetuating the result of this mistake turned out to be extremely detrimental to the acceptance of their planes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They finally abandoned canard elevators in 1910.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figure 3 on page 22 is incomplete, and Figure 4 on page 23 is incorrect and confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figure 3 shows aircraft axes and positive rotational moments, but as a setup for Figure 4 the directions of positive angular displacements should also have been indicated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Figure 3:</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqq-N8Kkygkcy2sn2BZSDPvuGjsVR4yMBv2J-eP4IMF0QvCTnaqeRicDKDUuZQkHDZoxmeKRL8HPIkx3z8TVdwq4-bD4zPq0FNKY99SzGXPyDJB3QCHOZMg9YPw4CzqNvtA6eciG3PpII/s1600/wrightengineeringfigure3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqq-N8Kkygkcy2sn2BZSDPvuGjsVR4yMBv2J-eP4IMF0QvCTnaqeRicDKDUuZQkHDZoxmeKRL8HPIkx3z8TVdwq4-bD4zPq0FNKY99SzGXPyDJB3QCHOZMg9YPw4CzqNvtA6eciG3PpII/s640/wrightengineeringfigure3.jpg" width="507" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Figure 4:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG0-3rt4CK1jPzYp-jrizSRsII33SmYPXw99g4icxlhmlw1LwOe8sRr5t9AZgO6YnhRKAel63WVfEY_7JJ1SC4j6YKUq0WMV8s6xOf_WcyM9hGeu07Gicb8moyVfZyFNVD4CgZz-KUps/s1600/wrightengineeringfigure4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivG0-3rt4CK1jPzYp-jrizSRsII33SmYPXw99g4icxlhmlw1LwOe8sRr5t9AZgO6YnhRKAel63WVfEY_7JJ1SC4j6YKUq0WMV8s6xOf_WcyM9hGeu07Gicb8moyVfZyFNVD4CgZz-KUps/s1600/wrightengineeringfigure4.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figure 4 contains three plots intended to show how stabilizing moments should vary for angular displacements along each of the aircraft’s three axes of rotation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To properly envision this problem one need first realize that the axis, angle, and moment directions are all supposed to follow what are called “right hand rules”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means that if you take your right hand palm down and extend the thumb to the side, the first finger straight out, and the second finger straight down, then the axes of the airplane are labeled in that order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thumb is the positive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">x</i> or roll axis through the nose, the index or first finger is the positive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">y</i> or pitch axis out the right wing, and the second finger is the yaw axis <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">z</i> positive straight down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then if you stick your right thumb out again and curl your fingers, as you point your thumb in the positive direction of an axis, your fingers indicate the positive direction of aircraft rotation about that axis, and the positive direction of a moment, and moment coefficient, about that axis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example if your thumb is pointing out the nose of the aircraft your curled fingers show the direction of positive roll (right wing down) and positive rolling moment coefficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are standard academic conventions for the mathematics used to describe aircraft maneuvering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A little thought reveals that, using the conventions just described, a given positive rotation of an aircraft should generate a negative torque or moment in the opposite direction to bring a stable airplane back to its original position, and visa-versa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s really all one needs to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Standard graphic presentations show positive displacement angles to the right versus the moment coefficients generated plotted positive upward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus lines of positive stability about any axis should always have a negative slope, a positive angular displacement generating a moment in the opposite direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more negative the slopes, the stronger the stabilizing influences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective,</i> Figure 4a is unnecessarily complicated, Figure 4b shows the wrong axes and slope, and Figure 4c is mislabeled.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The non-technical reader may not care about this tutorial on aircraft stability diagrams, and I would agree that it is unnecessary to a reasonable understanding of how the Wright Flyer flew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is instructive to see how something so seemingly impressive as Figure 4 can in fact be so confused.</span></div>
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Figure 5A:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-kMb0Hhq13URJqzjIEHvSf5NTHSIl0PjRybRa2vSno0PdM3t68gtkK6EERFzFI0NsqeCu4GNzeJPmH1piGZdWvigqFzPRr_9ay9FJQWKS4eaNIPyWhKChXqVa91WwixDPspv8fQxhBI/s1600/wrightengineeringfigure5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="446" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-kMb0Hhq13URJqzjIEHvSf5NTHSIl0PjRybRa2vSno0PdM3t68gtkK6EERFzFI0NsqeCu4GNzeJPmH1piGZdWvigqFzPRr_9ay9FJQWKS4eaNIPyWhKChXqVa91WwixDPspv8fQxhBI/s1600/wrightengineeringfigure5.jpg" /></a></div>
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Figure 5B Canard Configuration:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yE7UZkAx7eocan_7hJLTfti_dq5Gr7t9eg0PJFDazdM23esmws6A37Kj5QjlFjDNPWhZWeqmf6MDUpfY177_cugmiyL7oQY9o-el4HQM2kwFxvPS_GnncFigU3ntZvRzw4f4SINjWlM/s1600/wrightengineering+figure+5+ruton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3yE7UZkAx7eocan_7hJLTfti_dq5Gr7t9eg0PJFDazdM23esmws6A37Kj5QjlFjDNPWhZWeqmf6MDUpfY177_cugmiyL7oQY9o-el4HQM2kwFxvPS_GnncFigU3ntZvRzw4f4SINjWlM/s1600/wrightengineering+figure+5+ruton.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Figure 5A on page 24 presents four airplane stability sketches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The canard configuration shown at the top right, and shown here as Figure 5B, is claimed to be stable because the heavy positive load on the canard would cause it to stall before the wing does as the airplane pitches up, thus lowering the nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the limit this is indeed a stable reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But stability in flight is more concerned with the effects of small perturbations from nominal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that case, as the nose of this supposedly stable canard configuration is pitched up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">slightly,</i> the canard’s increased positive angle of attack would cause more pitch up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the main wing would develop slightly more lift, it would do so closer to the center of gravity tending to negate its stabilizing effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, unless the canard is very small, these effects would result in a further pitch up of the aircraft. This unstable pitch reaction contradicts the labeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wrights eventually reduced this problem somewhat by moving the center of gravity well forward putting a heavy positive load on the canard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Interestingly this altered their canard configuration toward the tandem wing configuration used by Langley.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pages 25 through 34 display a Vortex Lattice analysis and the results of two wind tunnel investigations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although somewhat impressive, neither contains any surprises or unexpected results, and thus they add little toward explaining the overall flight characteristics of the 1903 Flyer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The authors say as much in their summary at the end of the article.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However these pages do contain some noteworthy comments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 31 it is claimed that “from the beginning of their work, the Wrights chose not to use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihedral_(aeronautics)" target="_blank">dihedral</a>."</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> In support of this a February, 1902, letter to Chanute is cited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, 1902 is a long way from the beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact their first glider in 1900 began tests with dihedral in its wings, but it was later taken out leaving the wings perfectly straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1901 machine also started with straight wings, but by the end of testing they had decided to arch their wings thereby using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihedral_(aeronautics)#Anhedral" target="_blank"> anhedral</a>.</span> <span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">All subsequent vehicles into 1905 used anhedral.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The article also claims that “the Wrights’ gliders had anhedral….to allow more effective use of the warp control”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It certainly made the use of a roll control more necessary, but other than making the vehicle unstable, anhedral added nothing to control effectiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They actually used anhedral to keep winds from blowing their vehicles back into the hillside while traversing the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although dihedral would cause the wind rushing up the hillside to tilt a traversing aircraft into the hill, anhedral caused the vehicle to tilt away from the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 31 the effect of dihedral is explained as wind blowing on the tops or bottoms of wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a common explanation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However a document of the technical stature of the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Perspective</i> should point out that dihedral actually makes wings roll away from cross winds by increasing the effective angle of attack of the upwind wing and decreasing it on the down wind wing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a discussion on page 32 describing the problems the Wrights had in 1904 and 1905 trying to learn how to configure and operate their vehicles to make turns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notably, this directly contradicts the comment in the previous section of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> that claims the 1902 glider was capable of making “smooth banked turns”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 34 states that the “combination of warp and rudder deflection will produce….a more coordinated turn”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is not why the Wrights connected them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They clearly stated more than once that when the aircraft inadvertently banked and they tried to right it, warping would cause it to roll, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_principal_axes#Vertical_axis_(yaw)" target="_blank">yaw</a> and spin into the lower downward warped wing having increased drag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original rudder was fixed straight ahead to keep the vehicle on course but this didn’t work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rudder was then made moveable to counteract the yaw due to warping,</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> but was only given enough deflection to keep the aircraft going straight when warping was used to correct an inadvertent roll, not enough to yaw it into, or out of, a coordinated turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why the two controls had to be disconnected in 1905, to enable performing both simple roll corrections and coordinated turns.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pages 35 to 41 are devoted to an extensive Root Locus analysis of the closed loop response of the aircraft to control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the results of this analysis are dependent upon assumptions concerning the responses of the pilot which are represented as Kp in the diagrams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This analysis adds, little since it concludes that the vehicle can barely be controlled by a skillful and well-practiced pilot, something we already knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However it does lead to an interesting and descriptive quantitative conclusion on page 35 stating that <a href="https://web.kitsapsun.com/archive/2001/07-05/0032_wright_brothers__first_plane_flig.html" target="_blank">"stabilizing the 1903 Flyer is roughly equivalent to balancing a yardstick vertically on one's finger!"</a> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /> </span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 41 the argument is made that “far from abandoning warp/rudder interconnection” both wing warping and rudder movements were controlled by different movements of the same stick on later models.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a specious argument because the original mandatory non-variable interconnection was the special feature of the Wright brothers’ control scheme that was patented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As previously mentioned, this feature had to be abandoned in 1905, a year before the patent for it was issued, in order to make turns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this feature had been abandoned, it was vigorously defended by the Wrights in subsequent patent infringement battles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next article in this series will discuss the longitudinal dynamics of early Wright Flyers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* Marvin MacFarland's <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015003322461;view=1up;seq=11" target="_blank">"The Papers of Orville and Wilbur Wright" </a>are fully digitized at hathiway trust.org. The link is to Volume I of two volumes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Joe Bullmer, above, has a Master's degree plus advanced studies in Aeronautical Engineering. His first contribution to the</b></i><i><b>"Truth in Aviation History"series of articles is</b></i><i><b> <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/joe-bullmer-rebuttal-to-tom-crouch-in.html">"Joe Bullmer Rebuttal to Tom Crouch in the"Huffington Post."</a></b></i></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">All
of the pictures and most of the links in this essay were selected and
added by the founding editor of "Truth in Aviation History."</span>__</i></span></div>
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-41938559301011976532018-04-25T17:52:00.002-07:002018-05-10T17:26:33.121-07:00 The WRight Perspective: by Joe Bullmer. Article One of Four <div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The WRight Perspective </b></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u><span style="font-size: large;">by Joe Bullmer</span></u></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPz8a1nIXKLl0W0zGYiJBxjkwdG-tcMA2tdrNSZ6Er-xkqnGeqghPObsZ54TgqdYyA_3pOCpIAD2CFpaQALO5Or5hvTwo7yrDc86jWO9aw_4fTMAbZLP4JWx_EBVYHgfp_X28egu_Xqs/s1600/Wright+first+flight+full+resolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1037" data-original-width="1600" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEPz8a1nIXKLl0W0zGYiJBxjkwdG-tcMA2tdrNSZ6Er-xkqnGeqghPObsZ54TgqdYyA_3pOCpIAD2CFpaQALO5Or5hvTwo7yrDc86jWO9aw_4fTMAbZLP4JWx_EBVYHgfp_X28egu_Xqs/s640/Wright+first+flight+full+resolution.jpg" width="640" /></a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;"><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s1600/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1230" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMlmDD1eZ1BUBcUeAFJdW4fpJV5KXu85SFN6qDsyfq1YjeVlTg1BAmFuom5S8uvPaLd-Zgr4HUNm-PN8uhrY6TckXGkhRf0HVkTEsABqE562zzBn13rLOT5sjMME02ZO9h5AaGni4pZc/s640/Wright+flyer+Engineering+Perspective.jpg" width="489" /></a></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Since its publication by the Smithsonian in 1987, the 107 page booklet <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Flyer-Engineering-Perspective/dp/0874749794">The Wright Flyer, An Engineering Perspectiv</a>e</i> (above), hereinafter referred to as the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i>, has been considered by many to be the most technically thorough and accurate assessment of the development and characteristics of the earliest Wright aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>has an impressively technical appearance, is a compilation of papers written by impressively credentialed authors, and carries the authority of the <a href="https://www.aiaa.org/aboutAIAA/">American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)</a> and the Smithsonian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be seen online at<a href="https://archive.org/details/wrightflyerengin00wolk"> the wright flyer, an engineering perspective – internet archive </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, close examination of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> reveals numerous judgments and opinions which, while popular with both prominent and amateur aviation historians, contradict Wright statements and records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of statements appearing in different sections of the compilation actually contradict each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, most of the technical material presented gives very limited added insight into the design and performance of these vehicles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The author of this article, a retired aeronautical design engineer, has written a book titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Wright+story+Joe+Bullmer&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AWright+story+Joe+Bullmer"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story.</i></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiamd7teW-XBZ8joySnOnbGUzn_A58mhIYoWHvGrc0Xpvrm0KMnC5ZSz8_WoSs0Xw9IYHc8vHIh1c-emncGHZ8-EmowMTgoSUAfk1wiZL8DqVv4EFrr5Ws6NDf0SHA1ANbm4kfLuSEQg/s1600/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiamd7teW-XBZ8joySnOnbGUzn_A58mhIYoWHvGrc0Xpvrm0KMnC5ZSz8_WoSs0Xw9IYHc8vHIh1c-emncGHZ8-EmowMTgoSUAfk1wiZL8DqVv4EFrr5Ws6NDf0SHA1ANbm4kfLuSEQg/s640/Wright+Story+Bullmer+image.jpg" width="425" /> </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Its purpose is to correct the historical record of the Wrights’ work using their own words and records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that book, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> was referred to as “perhaps the best example of excellent detailed research and reporting” on technical aspects of the design and performance of early Wright aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Research for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story</i> did reveal information differing from statements appearing in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i>, but this was mostly on non-technical points and no worse than in most other previous publications about the Wrights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, since publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story</i> numerous differences between information in it and material appearing in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> have been pointed out by concerned readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the first of four articles by the author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story</i> presenting his positions on these differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These positions are presented in further detail, with many hundreds of references to specific sources, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The WRight Story.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not counting the brief half page Forward, the first section of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> is titled, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wright Brothers, The First True Aeronautical Engineers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>On page 10 appears the statement “wing warping, was another one of the major ingredients of the Wrights’ success”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the Wrights did indeed need some form of roll control, others had used warping previously; and better ways to control aircraft roll, such as ailerons or separate winglets, already existed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unintended effects of warping turned out to be a source of trouble for the Wrights throughout flight testing; and it was eventually rejected by aircraft builders and buyers world wide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Wrights finally abandoned it for ailerons in 1915 after challenges to their patent, largely based on opposable warping, were rendered moot by the federal government.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS17qnoRBqqBZScKdYLu2gAD1zDkH87cr0zQ8-jihNlJpEWYmCSfAVViHvkdsJ42NlvuX2dDF7CptDfAbCYFi7E54lqAAq9nqs26otesTz49Ea962KHs2C5rajedES-6q3YbIIM4gklwA/s1600/Wright+glider+1901+Wilbur+flying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="1600" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS17qnoRBqqBZScKdYLu2gAD1zDkH87cr0zQ8-jihNlJpEWYmCSfAVViHvkdsJ42NlvuX2dDF7CptDfAbCYFi7E54lqAAq9nqs26otesTz49Ea962KHs2C5rajedES-6q3YbIIM4gklwA/s640/Wright+glider+1901+Wilbur+flying.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1901 Wright glider at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 11 contains the statement that the Wrights’ 1901 glider “embodied the best aerodynamic state of the art”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, with a terrible aspect ratio, poor camber, and extreme instability caused by the canard elevator and inappropriate center of gravity location, the 1901 vehicle could barely be made to fly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, a number of aircraft and unmanned models developed by the Wrights’ predecessors did not have these deficiencies and flew quite well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Appearing on the same page is the popular quote of Wilbur’s 1901 statement as “nobody will fly for a thousand years.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Smithsonian historians his actual and more reasonable statement was that man wouldn’t fly for 50 years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> One of the most common beliefs about the Wright aircraft appears on page 13.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There it is stated that control over all three axes of the aircraft allowed the 1902 glider to “make smooth banked turns.” Actually the Wrights added the vertical aft rudders to enable that vehicle to continue to fly straight when correcting an inadvertent roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why their first rudder was a fixed installation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon they found that didn’t work, and that the rudder had to be moveable and connected with wing warping to keep the vehicle on course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The similarly configured 1903 Flyer had the same control scheme for exactly the same purpose.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vc8DbRl35cYdhuO1MZlXHOF_tsbEJQXpEyViSwD0bapLiNnyLZ7fRmEbMq7e0bIGkGSg2ugrxqtE7kS4aTYws2bn17VbzRme4ozzwuBHT0ZMV3rN_WqAhkba57BPC5lSCiuatl4pKHk/s1600/Wright+Glider+1902.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1344" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3vc8DbRl35cYdhuO1MZlXHOF_tsbEJQXpEyViSwD0bapLiNnyLZ7fRmEbMq7e0bIGkGSg2ugrxqtE7kS4aTYws2bn17VbzRme4ozzwuBHT0ZMV3rN_WqAhkba57BPC5lSCiuatl4pKHk/s640/Wright+Glider+1902.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wright 1902 glider in flight. The famous Wright 1906 patent was based on this glider and not for a powered machine.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US821393">The Wrights’ patent</a>, based on the 1902 vehicle, makes it unmistakably clear that the three axis control of that vehicle was to allow it to maintain heading while correcting inadvertent roll, not to facilitate a turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another obvious proof of the lack of turning ability of the 1902 and 1903 vehicles is that the whole purpose of their subsequent extensive flight testing and development throughout the next two years, including numerous serious crashes, was to develop the capability to initiate and complete turns with their aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was only accomplished by totally abandoning the patented interconnected rudder and warping control scheme of the 1902 glider and 1903 aircraft.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 13 also contains the statement that the Wrights decided that the empirical techniques used by designers of maritime propellers “were useless [for an] aeronautical application”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually the main reason maritime designs were and are largely irrelevant is that air is compressible and water is not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently the propellers must function differently in the totally different mediums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Wrights did not understand how cambered wing sections develop lift, so they did not appreciate this basic problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However they did object to the maritime “empirical” design techniques and wanted a positive theoretical approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having actually designed a propeller in 1960, this author can attest to the fact that, at least over a half century after the Wrights, propeller design was still not a unified mathematical theory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not what mathematicians would call a “closed” problem but rather an “under-constrained” problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are over twice as many unknowns as there are known factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually one starts with a known number and type of engines and maximum prop diameters dictated by the proximity of engines to each other or to the fuselage or ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although there may also be speed objectives, unknowns to be determined include number of blades, blade rpm, cross section shapes, angles of attack or twist, blade width and taper, and resultant thrust from the prop(s) which actually determines speed of the props (and the vehicle) through the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One must also account for the acceleration of air as it approaches the propeller at various flight speeds, what the Wrights called “throwdown.”</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiNxxYvxQhX6DFh214k99bTvBvulYBoTcMTkwUxxDcpP851JN-dpChYg5ty2XBmiuJEIUeJWM2ah7wDXvirs_4NHvPADknogHEjqK7hlTO5Nrfe7vlE8Xb9x9QdI-zYOGrkVadvZxw8Y/s1600/Wright-Brothers-propeller-reproductions-between-1911-left-and-1903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="850" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiNxxYvxQhX6DFh214k99bTvBvulYBoTcMTkwUxxDcpP851JN-dpChYg5ty2XBmiuJEIUeJWM2ah7wDXvirs_4NHvPADknogHEjqK7hlTO5Nrfe7vlE8Xb9x9QdI-zYOGrkVadvZxw8Y/s640/Wright-Brothers-propeller-reproductions-between-1911-left-and-1903.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Editor's note: These are attempts at creating close reproductions of the Wright propellers as they evolved, using the fragments of broken propellers, what few original notes that are in existance, and photographs.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although some equations used by the Wrights to get a handle on the problem survive, the complete design procedure they used does not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is no doubt because their procedure also employed some “empirical” techniques such as simply picking some parameters, calculating the other factors, constructing tables of data, and iterating based on data trends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either they were not satisfied with the appearance of that procedure, or they wanted to preserve their design secrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, contrary to usual practice they never published the aerodynamic data derived from their wind tunnel either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While on the subject of propellers it would be well to address another incorrect statement appearing on page 13, namely that Wilbur Wright “was the first to recognize that a propeller is nothing more than a twisted wing”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fairly well known that <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hR1DAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA105&dq=Sidney+Hollands+aviation&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijmKjN4YXaAhWKrVQKHQU9AfEQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=Sidney%20Hollands%20aviation&f=false">Sidney Hollands </a>presented a paper to the <a href="http://www.aerosociety.com/" target="_blank">Aeronautical Society of Great Britain</a> in 1885 on exactly that subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As recounted in <a href="http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Contents.html">Chanute’s Progress in Flying Machines</a>, a document that the Wrights had originally studied, Hollands “stated that he had found it advantageous to make the fan blade concave on the driving or lifting side, and that the angle of maximum efficiency was 15 degrees with the plane of motion at the tip and 30 degrees at the root.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Here it must be remembered that Hollands, like most others including the Wrights, erroneously thought cambered sections developed their push or lift by pressure on the bottom or concave side.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hollands also pointed out that the blades should be tapered toward their tips, something the Wrights didn’t appreciate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, as pointed out in the next section of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i>, three designers of maritime propellers, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_W._Lanchester">Lanchester,</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Qi8yAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA153&dq=Drzewiecki+propeller+design&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKlJjpoNPaAhWKFXwKHZNFDlAQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=Drzewiecki%20propeller%20design&f=false">Drzweicki</a>, and Prandtl, had developed design theories for air propellers that considered them as cambered twisted airfoils well before the Wrights addressed the problem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Page 16 quotes Orville’s claim to have taken off on the first flight of December 17<sup>th</sup> with the airplane having “raised by its own power alone” into the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This statement should not be allowed to stand since the headwind of 25 to 27 mph recorded by the Wrights supplied 90% of the airspeed and 80% of the lift required for takeoff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aircraft was almost flying sitting still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, later that day the vehicle was raised by the wind and rolled over while stationary and unattended.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, on page 16 the author presents his opinion that “Wilbur and Orville Wright were indeed the first true aeronautical engineers” and lists six reasons to support this claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">“They were the first to recognize the importance of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>control around all three axes of the airplane.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually they did not originally “recognize” the importance of three-axis control but rather were eventually driven to it in order to be able to maintain straight and level flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others before the Wrights did “recognize” the importance of three axis control of aircraft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These include <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-wrights-invented-what-lateral.html">John Montgomery, </a>Francis Wenham, Pierre Mouillard, and go all the way back to Jean-Marie LeBris in 1857.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">2. "They were the first to modify and improve their flight controls by means of a systematic servies of successful glider flights in 1902." In fact, Otto Lilienthal and Augustus Herring were testing and improving their flight control through glider tests in the mid 1890s as was John Montgomery in the 1880s. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL22wkiiRTlNe8LCH4SkFc1OgZX4eqBd9oaLF7PTkk3MHijOYpsqhvsIhL-JDXPCkUDYgB4SaRmzT0h8dQKKpmknD4PhBVlh_8pyUJQNcY5mhza3d8Fx_tv4HVbn9wetTDFHQ_1RcLeM/s1600/Lillienthal+Otto+in+flight.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="428" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiL22wkiiRTlNe8LCH4SkFc1OgZX4eqBd9oaLF7PTkk3MHijOYpsqhvsIhL-JDXPCkUDYgB4SaRmzT0h8dQKKpmknD4PhBVlh_8pyUJQNcY5mhza3d8Fx_tv4HVbn9wetTDFHQ_1RcLeM/s640/Lillienthal+Otto+in+flight.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Otto Lillienthat in one of his many successful glider flights</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Here the statement is made that they were “the first to use wind tunnel results to correct some defective data existing in the literature.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually the Wrights admitted to Chanute that their wind tunnel showed that “the [Lilienthal lift coefficient] table is probably as near correct as is possible,” and in a November 24th, 1901 letter to him they admitted that their previous lift inadequacies were their own fault for misusing Lilienthal's data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was flight test data that convinced them to adopt <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-wrights-discovered-what-was-wrights.html">Langley’s value of Smeaton’s coefficient</a> months before they built the tunnels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their tunnel did not “correct” any of Lilienthal’s data.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Although the Wrights did develop the most complete technique yet to design efficient propellers, their “understanding of the true aerodynamic function of a propeller” was preceded by others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As previously discussed, the others include Hollands, Lanchester, Drzweicki, and Prandtl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And technically, since they believed that cambered wings produced lift by pressure on their bottom surfaces, they also did not really understand how propellers produced thrust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The Wrights’ creation of a functioning engine, along with the help of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Taylor_(mechanic)">Charlie Taylor</a>, was indeed an impressive accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie Taylor, the mechanic who built the Wrights' early engines.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> However, with no fuel, oil, or water pumps, and no carburetor, their engine was definitely not “beyond the state-of-the-art” as claimed here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also behind the state-of-the-art in smoothness, reliability, and in weight per horsepower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">6. The final reason given is that "the Wrights were the first to treat a flying machine as an <i>integrated </i>system involving aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and flight dynamics." Although there were machines before December 17th, 1903, that had structure, engines, and aerodynamic features, it is arguable how <i>integrated</i> these features may have been. But the author mentions flight dynamics, which is the study of how a vehicle moves through the air, both linearly and angularly, with or without flight control inputs. In this regard, it appears that by October of 1905, the Wrights were well ahead of any of their predecessors or contemporaries. *</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next article in this series will discuss the second paper in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perspective</i> compilation titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aerodynamics, Stability, and Control of the 1903 Wright Flyer.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">* Editor's note: We respect Joe Bullmer's conclusion in number 6 and can see the validity of his reasoning. However, we are not yet certain that the jury is fully out, as new discoveries are being made in the research of </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> some of the Wrights' contemporaries and predecessors. </span></i></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">The standing of the Wrights in 1905 could possibly change in comparison.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> All of the pictures and most of the links in this essay were selected and added by the founding editor of "Truth in Aviation History." </span></i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNqPbPxwALe2s9XhrHqVPXKY-Dv0SPsKO16Rnla0koLSwAxRTLum2G0bu1pM965h5HOlbH-rGPXUMwkuJDCPQ343EcyCZc1EXGC94eKMmDF7Jxqky216azMMKzWtSxuKA-FFPVRfN6sU/s1600/IMG_0571%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNqPbPxwALe2s9XhrHqVPXKY-Dv0SPsKO16Rnla0koLSwAxRTLum2G0bu1pM965h5HOlbH-rGPXUMwkuJDCPQ343EcyCZc1EXGC94eKMmDF7Jxqky216azMMKzWtSxuKA-FFPVRfN6sU/s400/IMG_0571%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Joe Bullmer, above, has a Master's degree plus advanced studies in Aeronautical Engineering. His first contribution to the</b></i><i><b>"Truth in Aviation History"series of articles is</b></i><i><b> <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/joe-bullmer-rebuttal-to-tom-crouch-in.html">"Joe Bullmer Rebuttal to Tom Crouch in the"Huffington Post."</a></b></i></span></div>
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-87051805897506356792018-03-08T11:19:00.000-08:002018-04-10T10:01:25.131-07:00The Wrights' 1903 Launch: It's All Downhill from Here<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Further
implications of the impossible perspective visible in the famous “First Flight”
photograph.</span></b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Ed.note: In this essay, a "Truth" valued editor knocks the ball out of the park.</i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">“The
machine was launched from a monorail track. . . This track was laid in a slight
depression, which a few days before had been covered by water. We chose this
spot because the action of the water had leveled it so nearly flat that little
preparation of the ground was necessary in order to lay the track. The starting
end of the track lay a few inches below the end from which the machine lifted
into the air." <span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Generations
of Wright historians have read the above description of the experiments of
December 17, 1903 and, unhesitatingly moved on to the next paragraph, which
describes the launch trolley. A more appropriate next action might be to
exclaim, “What — in the name of sanity — did they think they were playing at?”</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-Vk-d6bvlN3sqZnOFn-LNIKpIz5LvI4_AYg53owblzPQFR3FpiBh47tl0X4RhNbYvsrqrSufNbQifP5ycgOOEk2WapepG2o68XwWLbs2qa2o7caWoclFj5q81KZSsIWH8vodA_FEBCk/s1600/Lower+res+AA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="886" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-Vk-d6bvlN3sqZnOFn-LNIKpIz5LvI4_AYg53owblzPQFR3FpiBh47tl0X4RhNbYvsrqrSufNbQifP5ycgOOEk2WapepG2o68XwWLbs2qa2o7caWoclFj5q81KZSsIWH8vodA_FEBCk/s1600/Lower+res+AA.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Most
certainly, as the iconic First Flight photograph (above) undeniably shows, the launch
rail appears to be “in a slight depression,” for the center is lower than both
ends; in other words, it is concave, as the red line indicates.</span></i></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Green and yellow dotted lines
project the line of the rail towards the horizon. Green assumes near and far
ends of the rail are at the same height; yellow corresponds to Orville’s
statement that the far end is slightly raised. In fact, the difference between
the two is negligible.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">However, as an earlier blog has
demonstrated, there is strong evidence that the launch is being made from the
side of a hill, and not on the level, as the Wrights always stated (so that
they could claim the first such airplane flight for themselves). To recap: the
perspective (of Wilbur’s body against the horizon) is wrong; ground features
show the surface falling away beyond the far end of the rail; and two Life
Saver helpers, although named as witnesses by the Wrights, agree that they
carried the Flyer up a hill for its launches that day.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Consider, further, this picture ( below), used
before to illustrate perspective from the Wright Brothers National Memorial, ( US National Park Service). </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtZF8ht_tCk0OyJgE08kXeDG96klKPijPgA7c1iFC00hmeUJI2cRJIJooIraWybPQ5tgcrXPFlOgPspYaEIoQ9yz8Kh9ugxBXdjOhn06DLgkrakggAELRK4y1KyfKHKqejJuOAVKRFIA/s1600/Lower+res+BB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="651" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtZF8ht_tCk0OyJgE08kXeDG96klKPijPgA7c1iFC00hmeUJI2cRJIJooIraWybPQ5tgcrXPFlOgPspYaEIoQ9yz8Kh9ugxBXdjOhn06DLgkrakggAELRK4y1KyfKHKqejJuOAVKRFIA/s1600/Lower+res+BB.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><b><i>This time,
the reader’s attention is drawn to the replica launch rail set in the ground.
Note how a forward projection (red line) hugs the flat ground until it meets
the horizon.</i></b> Now compare that with the First Flight picture, in which
projections of the 1903 rail accentuate the falling away of the ground. As all
the other photographic evidence shows, the launch rail is part-way up a hill —
so a line of theoretical projection travels through the air, and not along the
ground.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">But that
is not all. If it is believed that the rail is on level ground, then its
concave shape serves no useful purpose — quite the contrary. Granted, there is
a little free “assistance” in the form of a downward roll at the start of the
take-off run, but beyond half way the rail angle is up hill, and so it begins
to retard the airplane and take back its initial speed advantage. Then, another
disadvantage makes itself obvious: In favorable conditions (a wind exceeding 20
MPH) the Flyer will leave the rail at the three-quarter mark, at which point
the rail is still rising, thereby reducing the actual altitude of the airplane
at precisely the time it is trying to rid itself of Earth’s surly bonds.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Level, or slightly up hill, the
concave launch rail makes no sense at all.</span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">What,
however, if it is on the side of a hill? It has already been shown in the previous
blog, by reference to the “laws” of perspective, that the rail is pointing
downhill. According the Orville’s diary, the natural slope of Kill Devil Hill
is a fraction short of 9 degrees. A concave launch rail (in a dip) further
increases the gravitational bonus by a degree or so for the first half of the
take-off run, then reduces (but by no means eliminates) the downward benefit
during the second half.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What it does do, during this second
part of the run, is to sling the airplane away from the hill in the same manner
— but by no means on the same scale — as the “ski jump” fitted to some modern
aircraft carriers as a catapult substitute.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VJp7aI6yFBOQcAboLzpic01S845CKGmUVxlPZi0CqwN31EtderqNnTfes_C2URpNmJhwQNxGleEiG6FisAQJM75Le97EF8jCFKsqmcNhmam0dUW5_sQNzZxG0PnsX95adENMfEpboxs/s1600/Blog+Paul+Downhill+III+Capture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VJp7aI6yFBOQcAboLzpic01S845CKGmUVxlPZi0CqwN31EtderqNnTfes_C2URpNmJhwQNxGleEiG6FisAQJM75Le97EF8jCFKsqmcNhmam0dUW5_sQNzZxG0PnsX95adENMfEpboxs/s1600/Blog+Paul+Downhill+III+Capture.PNG" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Concave
runway, Chinese style. A J-15 fighter takes off from CNS Liaoning, employing an
upturned end to its run</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The altered angle of the second half
of the Wrights’ rail does something else beneficial: It suddenly increases the
wings’ angle of attack (relative to the oncoming headwind) boosting the upward
force they generate. Here, a degree or two makes a big difference, but it is
applied only after the airplane has gathered some speed. (Building that
increased angle into the frame of the airplane would slow it down during the
early stages of the take-off run.) And further, the continuation of the down slope beyond the far end of the rail gives an under-powered airplane some
extra grace in which to establish flying speed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghed5Oo0sooUSotPJouuoLJvj6P2HeyfzEF2rkV_hJ4pBapO79dSAbgxaL1qT13KH3xrTE4KrQVzX-kCa1e-ZH25bCqtl9g9omJ4R-tIC2JxVN2mmeQS1gpGElSpHLE4226wUvgWnlckM/s1600/Medium+res+CC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="878" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghed5Oo0sooUSotPJouuoLJvj6P2HeyfzEF2rkV_hJ4pBapO79dSAbgxaL1qT13KH3xrTE4KrQVzX-kCa1e-ZH25bCqtl9g9omJ4R-tIC2JxVN2mmeQS1gpGElSpHLE4226wUvgWnlckM/s1600/Medium+res+CC.jpg" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <i><b> </b></i></span><i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><i><b>On a down slope, a concave launch
rail makes a great deal of sense — albeit at the expense of negating any claim
to an unassisted take-off from the flat. The cross-sectional drawing (above), which can only be to approximate scale, shows an intelligent use of a concave launch rail.</b></i></span></div>
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<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> Library of Congress (LOC) photograph 00613
(below) depicts the concave hillside launch being employed for the December 14, 1903
“false start,” so confirming that the Wrights appreciated its inherent
advantages. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuSzB6pB7kMbYcCxiPzTqRnvdEXsvWdOB8fxGXj6m3PnuZwvZAgQVbzUlEyVU3TZEk0khxCbjze7swH1yM9dOZ_Dbdn0nGXCd-FVyP_-LdfVmSMXZdhQkqdV82kArdO7wZysaMh9VTm8/s1600/Lower+res+EE.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijuSzB6pB7kMbYcCxiPzTqRnvdEXsvWdOB8fxGXj6m3PnuZwvZAgQVbzUlEyVU3TZEk0khxCbjze7swH1yM9dOZ_Dbdn0nGXCd-FVyP_-LdfVmSMXZdhQkqdV82kArdO7wZysaMh9VTm8/s1600/Lower+res+EE.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">A view of the </span> hillside slope of the Wrights' alleged December 14 launch attempt. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Of course,
traditional historians will deny there was any such thing as a downward roll
for the first part of the launch and then a leveling-out of the track to
increase the wings’ lift for take-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If they will not accept the present blogger’s word for it, then might
the testimony of a respected professional man be more convincing? A man of The
Cloth? A bishop, even? Bishop Wright, for example?</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In a
letter to the Brothers’ friend, Carl Dienstbach, written on December 22, 1903
the Bishop
describes the airplane running downhill towards a level section of track and
then launching from that. “To get under headway they laid a single-rail track
straight down the hill, but began flight from the level.”<span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">[A] All available
topographic, photographic evidence; all relevant witness statements; the
testimony of a bishop who happens to be the experimenters’ father; and the
application of logic and the principle of incremental experimentation, declare unequivocally
that the same “downhill run” technique as on the 14th was employed for the
December 17 “flights”.</span></div>
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<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> [B] The Wrights assert they transitioned straight to totally
flat (even slightly uphill) take-offs on the 17th, and immediately achieved
complete success.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">One of the
above two sentences is untrue. Which is it?</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">______________________________________________________________________ </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">1. Orville Wright, <i>How We Invented the Airplane, </i>ed. Fred C. Kelly (1953) 21</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><i>2. </i></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Marvin Wilks MacFarland</span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">, Papers of Wilbur & Orville Wright, </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">page 399 </span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";"> </span> </span></div>
Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-92214473325567023892018-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:002018-04-30T14:52:27.033-07:00Truth in Aviation History: A Work in Progress<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCgDiaeBRYiCeSpL4F9AjQApnZk05EA-R5HjqEnciwnHnsf4-_9gdj9V0_tJcYynO969L34lVsd_oPEk2JIO2a2_KBTeWeqyGlvlHk_oecicoBDPDA5KcBODz540rNXZu8dwBhh4e2vQ/s1600/Image+S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="1120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCgDiaeBRYiCeSpL4F9AjQApnZk05EA-R5HjqEnciwnHnsf4-_9gdj9V0_tJcYynO969L34lVsd_oPEk2JIO2a2_KBTeWeqyGlvlHk_oecicoBDPDA5KcBODz540rNXZu8dwBhh4e2vQ/s400/Image+S.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo from blog post <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/kitty-hawk-new-perspective-wrights_14.html">"Kitty Hawk, A New Perspective" 11/14/17</a></div>
<div>
<br />
Our blog, <b>"Truth in Aviation History," </b>has
been a work in progress. And it continues to be. When we began our
research a number of years ago, we never realized how many errors we would discover. It was like opening a Pandora's Box, chock full of aviation misinformation--provable "mis-history." I first cracked the lid when I began looking for answers to why a person as amazing as
<a href="http://glennhcurtiss.blogspot.com/2014/08/glenn-curtiss-making-first-preannounced.html">Glenn Hammond Curtiss</a>, one of the most important aviation pioneers in
history, would have so little mention in the many books I found. I might never have questioned this if he wasn't a cousin. The printed history
smacked of a kind of mysterious bias or even collusion. There were shelves full of children's stories
focused on the Wright Brothers, making certain that our youth believed the
Wrights were the greatest pioneers, mainly because they were "the first to fly." That was accepted by all: writers, historians, pilots, even most engineers. It seemed like a religious orthodoxy
planted when people are young and malleable. But like everyone else,
I, too, accepted that the Wrights were "the first to fly," or at least, the first able to fly. The adult
books and the internet, as well, have promoted and continue to promote the Wright doctrine. But in the vast amounts of material, I have since found myriad claims, spins, explanations, contradictions, and outright lies. Now, armed with facts, as we discover them, we are exposing them on this blog.<br />
<br />
Moreover, by studying primary documents and many materials published before the 1940's, I found it
was Curtiss who was clearly the greater contributor to the establishment and
development of aviation in the United States.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNCTz56KTkKOqoD78VwRKAwcfEwbHKlZhqD09mQLdIk9ibhYyTa4QziiS_m5k9TsCns5nlb_AQm58m1p14XV0KEhfZf2zH2gc-WWLvbNepP5UASjoOMIL1RtfpGZDMpUa0v5qFe5QLRA/s1600/Curtiss+great+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNCTz56KTkKOqoD78VwRKAwcfEwbHKlZhqD09mQLdIk9ibhYyTa4QziiS_m5k9TsCns5nlb_AQm58m1p14XV0KEhfZf2zH2gc-WWLvbNepP5UASjoOMIL1RtfpGZDMpUa0v5qFe5QLRA/s640/Curtiss+great+image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />He was the first to make a
pre-announced public flight in America in 1908. By 1909, he had won the first ever international
aviation competition. He sold the first plane commercially in the U. S.
He built the first practical hydroplane, the first amphibian, the first
flying boat, and introduced the first dual controls. His was the first plane to land and to take off from a
ship--major first steps in establishing naval aviation. His plants manufactured more planes during WWI than probably any other, and his
beloved "Jennies" trained the world's pilots. After WWI, his NC-4 (Navy Curtiss-4) was the first to fly across the Atlantic. (Lindbergh's was the first solo non-stop) Curtiss's accomplishments simply
go on and on<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5shh-efhc9BTcWPiY59PcEjjHGF4e_pqrBNTu9-i5dY4I4kmxQpl5IN7jzZ3C-avIE4-zEk2ah3Ebv91sCjwiC4sv46VOAWpFC-H-BHCGztxmAZUA2EbODJJ5yRL_3q0-8VS_WEpcRj4/s1600/Curtiss+NC+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="640" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5shh-efhc9BTcWPiY59PcEjjHGF4e_pqrBNTu9-i5dY4I4kmxQpl5IN7jzZ3C-avIE4-zEk2ah3Ebv91sCjwiC4sv46VOAWpFC-H-BHCGztxmAZUA2EbODJJ5yRL_3q0-8VS_WEpcRj4/s640/Curtiss+NC+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The great flight of the NC-4 (Navy Curtiss-4), first across the Atlantic</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What did the Wrights do? They hindered
the development of aviation in their quest to prove that the world and
all its aviators owed them for inventing the first airplane to fly--or the first even able to fly. They
claimed that everyone used their patent to control their planes and
copied their devices. It's simply not true. It is true, as Wright defenders say, that governments of France, Germany, and others provided far more money for the development of aviation in the early 1900's. But the Wright lawsuits put a great chill on aviation in the United States. Curtiss was about the only aviator who was willing to stand up to them. Who would want to take a grant from the government, if any profit plus enormous developmental costs, would be scooped up by the Wrights' claims? What's more, you would be slandered as nothing more than a "patent infringer"</div>
<br />
<div>
In truth, Wrights had the glory because they <b><i>claimed</i></b> they were the first to fly. They<b><i> claimed</i></b>
they invented the airplane. Soon, because of fortuitous events in
their history, including the application of useful political pressures, greed,
an infusion of money, manipulation of the press, and support and proselytizing by their fans,
the public began to believe them. In fact, much of the public even today doesn't
understand the mechanics of flight, (or the "secrets," as the Wrights called them) nor did their supporters, nor did
the law in the form of patent judges. Convincing the public and the courts
wasn't so difficult for the Wrights.</div>
<br />
A scholar of the Curtiss history, the late
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-II-Americas-Aviation-Pioneers/dp/0960073620">Jack Carpenter</a>, stated that Orville Wright was "loose with the truth."
Carpenter devoted much of the latter part of his life wanting to re-establish
Curtiss's proper place in history; and wrote the books "Pendulum I" and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pendulum-II-Americas-Aviation-Pioneers/dp/0960073620">"Pendulum II."</a> But Carpenter himself didn't see many of history's mis-steps. He
believed the Wrights on issues that he shouldn't have accepted. He was
also eventually rejected by the Smithsonian establishment, as are questioners
today. Questioners' books, as a rule, are currently not promoted or accepted in favor of
the Wrights.<br />
<br /></div>
My curiosity was piqued by Carpenter's remark
about Orville's dishonesty. The observation was my take off point of
research. I simply looked for competing statements by the Wrights,
or provable facts that were contradicted. Then I started looking for
unsupported claims that simply had nothing to back them up. Boy, what I
found! Many results of the research are now published in "Truth in Aviation History," and the revelations are coming so fast, I (we) can't keep up with
them. Because it's no longer an "editorial we." I am not alone in this blog. There are other credible
scholars, who found enough questions in the Wright history that they too were
delving into the claims<br />
<br />
The current Smithsonian, as it stands,
presents history as a democratic process where people, with a degree in
history from a biased university linked to their names, can set up a
panel and essentially, vote what they believe happened. Thus, the historical
narrative becomes, this is what we say happened. We are in agreement.
Therefore, this is indeed what happened. Anything else is "conspiracy
theory." Questioners are "outliers." But for fair minded people, interested in the truth (not
"alternative facts"), history is going to have to be re-studied and re-written<br />
.<br />
There is no doubt that Orville was indeed "loose with the truth." And so was Wilbur. And much of their dissembling can be proven.<br />
<br /></div>
Please
read, if you haven't already, the latest post about the perspective of the so called "first flight" photo by one of our most appreciated researchers: <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/11/kitty-hawk-new-perspective-wrights_14.html">"Kitty Hawk, a New Perspective."</a> Following this post will be a study by the
same researcher/historian about the Wrights' track used to launch their plane--with
its mysterious concavity in the middle.<br />
<br />
Soon to come will be more
studies by<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Wright_Story.html?id=rEchQwAACAAJ"> Joe Bullmer, an expert aeronautical engineer.</a><br />
See his first article on this blog<a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/joe-bullmer-rebuttal-to-tom-crouch-in.html"> in his rebuttal to Tom Crouch about the "fourth flight picture."</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig88O3mJ7yZ85702ueXOsM2MkFHjqKsD1JYM6mIk-6J63ccdSu59es5peeNlUAwHKyXhjWsy2lMnIKYr6fHSDOq0w9eUSCicmirjEjQdtf6nYRZjaFIOtEeirGgtpwfe-S8w776wZZ0ms/s1600/Reims+1909+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="289" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig88O3mJ7yZ85702ueXOsM2MkFHjqKsD1JYM6mIk-6J63ccdSu59es5peeNlUAwHKyXhjWsy2lMnIKYr6fHSDOq0w9eUSCicmirjEjQdtf6nYRZjaFIOtEeirGgtpwfe-S8w776wZZ0ms/s640/Reims+1909+poster.jpg" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster of the first international aviation meet, 1909<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Look for an article soon coming about the first international aviation meet at Reims, France, poster depicted above..<br />
<br />
We are also studying who really sent on the telegram claiming the Wrights had flown on December 17, 1903. Who was it really addressed to? We have proven the famous telegram to the Wright's father as portrayed in all the history books, etc., could not possibly have been sent. Read <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-wrights-telegram-to-father-fact-or.html">"The Wrights' Telegram to Father: Fact or Fiction</a>?"<br />
<br />
There will be more about<a href="http://anothertruthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2015/10/introducing-langley-aerodrome-more.html"> Professor Samuel P. Langley,</a> whose lengthy scientific research was trashed by the Wrights
along with the reputation of Glenn Curtiss and nearly every other
aviation pioneer. It appears we are just beginning. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<b><i>Special note: One of my readers informed me that the contact email address to this blog wasn't working. Please try truaviationhistory@yahoo.com. Also read the companion blogs about <a href="http://glennhcurtiss.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-glenn-curitss-legacy.html">Glenn H. Curtiss</a> plus the tragic true story of the Langley Aerodrome. Every blog is a work in progress. We have a ton of information to post.</i></b> <br />
<br />
___________________________________________________________________________________ Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-24750952735693378952017-11-14T13:57:00.000-08:002017-12-30T10:38:45.067-08:00Kitty Hawk : A New Perspective. The Wrights' Famous Photo<br />
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Were you the photographer in this picture — precariously perched on an
assistant’s shoulders, standing on sand, in a blustery wind, varying 24
to 27 MPH?</span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b> Had it been you, simultaneously snapping one of the most significant
events of the 20th Century while performing this balancing act, could
you then have forgotten the event?</b></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-081d7ddc-8f0f-6baf-199f-24e5336b26aa" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUiVlC0yy5Hnl2PyrvkkzQrD_sHLb_EoBNRU6Aoflmxtj_mbgfZKFHjN4zhPJAODTHjnns0rmZ-sLD_tP7-PLAeF8VCFeR_QlA-og4YF1Wj7emkzrkUS6kSjkExrj2APume6QYQ3-rK8/s1600/Image+S.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1486" data-original-width="1120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUiVlC0yy5Hnl2PyrvkkzQrD_sHLb_EoBNRU6Aoflmxtj_mbgfZKFHjN4zhPJAODTHjnns0rmZ-sLD_tP7-PLAeF8VCFeR_QlA-og4YF1Wj7emkzrkUS6kSjkExrj2APume6QYQ3-rK8/s640/Image+S.jpg" width="482" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b> Bizarrely, that’s one of the </b></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">less</span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial narrow"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b> curious aspects surrounding the iconic “First Flight” picture of the Wright Brothers which is examined below.</b>
Despite an astounding conclusion, we are unable to offer much in the
way of new facts while getting there: It’s all in the picture, and has
been so since the image entered the public domain on September 1, 1908.
It just needs looking at with a clear, critical, open mind, plus a basic
knowledge of perspective.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kitty Hawk — A New Perspective</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
The Earth is flat and light travels in straight lines. On the
Global and Cosmic scales, both these statements are incorrect, but for
the purposes of everyday life they are not only good enough, but they
also help us make sense of the world. Especially the painter; and
particularly, the landscape artist.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here,
we shed new light on the “perspective” of the Wright Brothers’ reported
flights at Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, in December 1903. The validity
of the assertion that those short flights constituted the first by an
airplane rests on the claim that they took-off from level ground;
traversed level ground; and landed on ground which was at the same level
as that from which the take-off had been made. Level ground; the
Brothers and their supporters have been keen to stress that there was no
downhill gliding to assist, and thereby invalidate, the powered flights
of December 17.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For example: Orville Wright in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How We Invented the Airplane</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">:
“These flights started from a point about 100 feet to the west of our
camp. The ground was perfectly level for a mile or two in every
direction, excepting those towards the big and the smaller Kill Devil
Hills. The ground was level in the directions towards those hills for a
distance of a quarter of a mile.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And
again, in the supposed telegram to their father: “Started from Level
with engine power alone.” This reiterated by Orville in a <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/04/more-errors-inaccuracies-and-whoppers.html">letter to Max Herzberg</a>, as late as July 11, 1942: “All these [on December 17] were made from level ground….”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Or
American National Biography Online, “four powered flights made from a
strip of level sand.” Or, indeed, just about any other biography of the
Wright Brothers.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Had
those flights taken off downhill, Wilbur and Orville Wright would be
branded frauds and liars. “Level ground” is, literally, the foundation
of the Wright Brothers’ claim to have invented the airplane.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Generations
of aviation historians have looked at the iconic “First Flight”
photograph and found nothing amiss. After all, the image is instantly
recognized around the world, and even appears on US pilot’s licenses –
surely, the hallmark of its authenticity. The Wrights’ reputation lives
on, untarnished. But has anyone asked the opinion of an artist?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Art for a bit more than art’s sake</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxASrE92SCJOBckv2QMRXITeLzX7VZX_N1lnCnd35YijMVi1AjfKivQGTb0ccJAaxDiNGyg8vFsF66qZnOGZBlpDe698TGohSIn7JE-srtQf0hkV7iRzztV5Vhu7YHPxDfQhVetPjnccE/s1600/Image+A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxASrE92SCJOBckv2QMRXITeLzX7VZX_N1lnCnd35YijMVi1AjfKivQGTb0ccJAaxDiNGyg8vFsF66qZnOGZBlpDe698TGohSIn7JE-srtQf0hkV7iRzztV5Vhu7YHPxDfQhVetPjnccE/s640/Image+A.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
It is hoped that the reader will not mind sitting through a
short lesson in artistic perspective. Study material is no more complex
than an illustration from a children’s encyclopaedia of the 1950s.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
The “laws” of perspective are governed by Nature and apply wherever the
eye of the observer might happen to be. Imagine the viewpoint of the
trolley wire maintenance man on his raised inspection platform. If his
head is between the two wires (don’t try this at home!) those wires will
seem to be short and horizontal, originating beside each ear and
terminating in front of the nose. The roof of the trolley-car will be
visible in this elevated view, and, in compensation, the road will seem
to rise more steeply to meet its pre-ordained vanishing point. The
maintenance man will see more road than his ground-level assistant,
because he is looking down from higher level.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">North
Carolina being part of the Universe, the same rules apply at Kitty
Hawk. This is demonstrated by Wright-related pictures kindly made
available by the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/wbr/index.htm">US National Park Service (NPS)</a>. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Wright Brothers National Memorial includes a full-scale,
three-dimensional diorama of the First Flight; and a paved pathway to
show the claimed 852-foot flight of December 17, 1903, marked with
placarded monoliths to show the shorter sorties of earlier that day. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nor
are forgotten in the diorama the Life Savers who assisted with
maneuvering the Wright Flyer on the ground, and who were named by the
Wrights as witnesses able to verify their claim that great events took
place that day. Specially depicted is John Daniels:</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH3TlYmL-yQuDGcMPRFtACgGA39l71bDB0npy6bFZFPDKFZnfQeUDsIvgGTMveHLCPtgPpowua4hIHy1UcfTcW9JcN-51EHP2IBfjSlvA4m6Pl7Mqw7OwycCz2sT5H1lRzl720YPmUJE/s1600/IMAGE+B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsH3TlYmL-yQuDGcMPRFtACgGA39l71bDB0npy6bFZFPDKFZnfQeUDsIvgGTMveHLCPtgPpowua4hIHy1UcfTcW9JcN-51EHP2IBfjSlvA4m6Pl7Mqw7OwycCz2sT5H1lRzl720YPmUJE/s640/IMAGE+B.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Daniels, Life Saver, depicted as taking the "first flight picture."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Orville
Wright later (unaccountably, only some two decades later) made it known
that it was Daniels who took the world-famous First Flight picture.
When interviewed for a magazine article, following his naming, Daniels
“could not remember” having operated shutter on the Wrights’ Korona V
plate-camera, but also recalled that his job had been to hold the
wingtip, on, presumably, the opposite side to the camera. That curious
episode has been debated previously on this blog and, anyway, for
present purposes, it matters not who squeezed the bulb to take the
picture. Suffice it to say that Daniels is immortalized standing beside a
standard 4-foot camera tripod, which means that the lens of the
apparatus that took the renowned photograph was about 4 feet 3 inches
above ground level.</span></div>
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<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-jVGhrga7YX6RCYyTP8ZyML8dPTbVRovAhDmDBCCq1M3Lzkm-hJVtNqtNwpWrzlorA_wxCTBZ7Fijckveo2Tqpt7RSGAjlp9AL6dn6TvnvsYzvKYCIsWJzJH1nns0nzs32JwcM_-JIc/s1600/IMAGE+C.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-jVGhrga7YX6RCYyTP8ZyML8dPTbVRovAhDmDBCCq1M3Lzkm-hJVtNqtNwpWrzlorA_wxCTBZ7Fijckveo2Tqpt7RSGAjlp9AL6dn6TvnvsYzvKYCIsWJzJH1nns0nzs32JwcM_-JIc/s640/IMAGE+C.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recent photo of visitors in perspective at Kill Devil Hills event.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">An
appealing picture taken at a recent commemorative event by the NPS
photographer shows a child standing about half-way along the replica of
the 60-foot launch rail used by the Flyer. For compositional reasons,
the picture is taken at slightly below the height at which Daniels’
tripod picture would have been taken. Even so, this (about 3½ feet,
maximum) is slightly greater in height than the child (3 feet, or
under), so her head appears to be below the horizon.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;">
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">More of interest, is an enlargement of the figures in the middle distance.</span></b></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5pL3HvbnHfRcIvlITDaQGf27Dowm94i_awaAG2CR4R98VngUHt4VFfV917sweTsffHonrIb1CpiLDJtj9X3cNx4YnqsUoLWuf_7xwsMTf2HrQW0JNmXpIAVkmH2kg3BrWdBfsJl3ZD8/s1600/Image+D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="754" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5pL3HvbnHfRcIvlITDaQGf27Dowm94i_awaAG2CR4R98VngUHt4VFfV917sweTsffHonrIb1CpiLDJtj9X3cNx4YnqsUoLWuf_7xwsMTf2HrQW0JNmXpIAVkmH2kg3BrWdBfsJl3ZD8/s640/Image+D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enlargement from picture above, illustrating horizon (or eye level).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
horizon — that is the edge of the flat plain of land, ignoring any
trees or hills in the distance — is level with the navel of the nearest
man (in a black jacket) on the path. In other words: lens height (3½
feet). The man to the right, is only 40% of the apparent height of the
first man because he is farther away, but the horizon is level with his
navel, too.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Back
on the path, a third man, farther away still, is only 20% the height of
the first gentleman and, yes, the horizon and his navel are level. A
couple of figures can be discerned even more distant; again the horizon
is in the same place on their, yet smaller, bodies.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
seems to be a rule of perspective that anything the same height as the
camera appears to be level with the horizon when all is on a flat
surface. To double-check that, the NPS offers another picture of the
Wright Brothers’ “Runway” from an interesting perspective.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVfvWED-dRE3dVtPm2PD8Ch7f2sgeGQ2ulzdMWtF74xU1VqrHWAeWyckT1vpRfQviwlriL97jJP_iM6s6SAz1pfHW1A65xTzlNY7FUvu5jaNs1jNr76lp0HeLlj15UfhjLqfaNzE9X0A/s1600/Image+E.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="816" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVfvWED-dRE3dVtPm2PD8Ch7f2sgeGQ2ulzdMWtF74xU1VqrHWAeWyckT1vpRfQviwlriL97jJP_iM6s6SAz1pfHW1A65xTzlNY7FUvu5jaNs1jNr76lp0HeLlj15UfhjLqfaNzE9X0A/s640/Image+E.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To
record the scene, the photographer is standing behind the crowd, with
the camera held high above their head (about 7 feet above ground level).
From this elevated vantage point (recall the trolley wire maintenance
man), everybody’s head is below the distant horizon.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIABZy5wsUhd3qe58-09AjWvb4UigjbbeuhaqIsCtth8JQMdDhwb0B7PUqGr6SSyIO55j9HKBHcKbIeJAA8Wx2gH-l6Cy8YGa0g67K_IfEcsqbt2zQWNTL-mHn56oIApP7zULKPAJsEY/s1600/Image+F.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIABZy5wsUhd3qe58-09AjWvb4UigjbbeuhaqIsCtth8JQMdDhwb0B7PUqGr6SSyIO55j9HKBHcKbIeJAA8Wx2gH-l6Cy8YGa0g67K_IfEcsqbt2zQWNTL-mHn56oIApP7zULKPAJsEY/s400/Image+F.jpg" width="332" /></a></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That
goes for the same, tall man in that black jacket. He needs to stand on a
foot-high box if his cap is to touch the horizon — making his new
“height” 7 feet: the same as the held-aloft camera. To reiterate:
Anything at camera lens height looks level with the horizon.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Inventing an airplane: simple! Bending light is the clever bit.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
Let’s now check this new-found knowledge against the original
photograph of the Wright Brothers’ “runway." The shifting sands have
moved the Kill Devil Hills some 450 feet since 1903, so they are not at
precisely the same co-ordinates, but around them is still flat ground,
and that’s all that matters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The <a href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/00652085/">best-quality version of the iconic First Flight picture</a>
can be downloaded from the Library of Congress website. For
authenticity, image 00626 is preferred because, even though it has a
corner of the glass plate missing, it shows the near-end of the launch
rail, and the sand-anchor for restraining the "Flier" before launch. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other
versions of this picture one normally sees have been photo-shopped by
way of repair but, although this has not been undertaken with any
ulterior motive, the original, yet damaged, copy serves its purpose
adequately. However, that high quality version is necessary reference
for some of the analysis which follows. The reader is enjoined to
download it, because it includes some very interesting things on the far
left which are trimmed off most printed reproductions of this picture.</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxU9WAXOlOSCtaiVIAoW2lw6Auf3lkt8PpKFB6QfCV4MsGTgR7dXeLFNtLyckwSQKlXce7OGPIrCeRx7zulqiBgpc4stp5kPoefS97OqddGFX4oxvNMFnBGBk1wkZPFlczoUCIEDKNPc/s1600/Image+G.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1230" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxU9WAXOlOSCtaiVIAoW2lw6Auf3lkt8PpKFB6QfCV4MsGTgR7dXeLFNtLyckwSQKlXce7OGPIrCeRx7zulqiBgpc4stp5kPoefS97OqddGFX4oxvNMFnBGBk1wkZPFlczoUCIEDKNPc/s640/Image+G.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b>Iconic picture claimed to be of the first fight in history.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One
of the world’s best-known images (above) needs no further introduction.
Therefore, attention can be directed immediately to Wilbur</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Wright (below),</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> as this enlargement shows.</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFagOXA8CBkEoyR2r8vsTLY8h3x-y3I3yRxBUB4Lbw37v6CTUL8ts-P0mMP_jEr3rBywkm07MeBMLw3oEgFO_ExWPszVaB4PxTxkRUMZ6fZJzJtpLiTTLUAfFkIVmKS-QbfYNg5VCiAE8/s1600/Image+H.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1245" data-original-width="1120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFagOXA8CBkEoyR2r8vsTLY8h3x-y3I3yRxBUB4Lbw37v6CTUL8ts-P0mMP_jEr3rBywkm07MeBMLw3oEgFO_ExWPszVaB4PxTxkRUMZ6fZJzJtpLiTTLUAfFkIVmKS-QbfYNg5VCiAE8/s640/Image+H.jpg" width="574" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enlargement of figure of Wilbur in the "first flight" picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wilbur Wright was 5 feet 10 inches tall (for example, the US Federal Aviation Agency teachers’ guide</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://www.faa.gov/education/educators/curriculum/k12/media/K12_Wright_Brothers_Curriculum_Guide.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.faa.gov/education/educators/curriculum/k12/media/K12_Wright_Brothers_Curriculum_Guide.pdf</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> page 21:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Wilbur
Wright was 5 feet and 10 inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. Orville
Wright was shorter by an inch and a half and was 5 pounds heavier”).
John Daniels’ camera lens was 4 feet 3 inches above ground level.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discounting
the distant hills, the horizon of the “Level in all directions” plain
reportedly surrounding the launch site intersects Wilbur’s body at his
upper lip, which is 5 feet 5 inches above the ground, and not at his
solar plexus (the 4 feet 3 inches camera lens height) where the law of
perspective says it should. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The alignment depicted is impossible if all is on level ground.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Setting aside any notion of darkroom manipulation, two possible explanations present themselves. Pick one.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1.
Wilbur’s impressively large and hyper-active brain is distorting the
space-time continuum around his body, making it appear to be where it is
not.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2.
Wilbur is standing on ground that is at least 1 foot 2 inches below the
ground on which the camera tripod is resting. That is to say: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The launch rail is pointing downhill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and the hill continues downwards some way beyond the far end of the rail.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Readers
choosing "2" may consider the drop of little significance, but this is a
minimum figure. The movement of the apparent horizon is difficult to
calculate without knowing accurately how far up the slope the rail is
positioned, so 1¼ feet is the smallest figure that is absolutely
provable. Thus, the actual rate of drop is likely to be 2 to 2½ degrees.
That’s not steep in driving or walking terms, but it should be
commented that, in aviation, 3 degrees is the standard descent path for
landing.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp6TW1_G-MJvuZ-773VjTxjOFZaOJvqVlzGSQVIDdEpoTBTKPtn6uacn0dlii6ZE-RwhQgwuGEZf7qoOIcBm-PnRjHSx9MG0teQpjLE3XO9aNphUnJRiiz0PEbS8Nf760QhL1FMb0yqc/s1600/IMAGE+I.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="1042" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp6TW1_G-MJvuZ-773VjTxjOFZaOJvqVlzGSQVIDdEpoTBTKPtn6uacn0dlii6ZE-RwhQgwuGEZf7qoOIcBm-PnRjHSx9MG0teQpjLE3XO9aNphUnJRiiz0PEbS8Nf760QhL1FMb0yqc/s640/IMAGE+I.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interestingly,
the National Park Service life-size diorama at Kitty Hawk attempts to
overcome the tricky problem of perspective by depicting Wilbur in a
semi-crouching position and raising the whole scene slightly above the
general level of the memorial park, so the horizon is “wrong.” That is
of no account, because reference to the old picture of Wilbur and the
Flyer demonstrates that the apparent size of his body exactly fits
between the upper and lower wings, which gap is 6 feet 2 inches. So, he
is a few feet behind the aircraft and standing at his full height.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t believe in physics. Please provide more proof.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
Despite the clear and compelling evidence for a downward launch angle,
it must be conceded that there are many who prefer to believe the
unsupported statements of the Wrights, even when they are in conflict
with the laws of physics, with witness statements, and what they see
with their own eyes. In that case, corroborating evidence might be
helpful to dispel lingering doubts. And it is not difficult to find.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A.
John Daniels (the “photographer” and airplane ground-handler), letter
to a friend June 30, 1933 [spelling errors as per the original]: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“it was on Dec the 17, — 1903 about 10 o’clock. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They carried the machine up on the Hill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
and Put her on the track, and started the engine, and they through a
coin to see who should take the first go, so it fell on Mr. Orval, and
he went about 100 feet or more, and then Mr. Wilbur taken the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">machine up on the Hill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and Put her on the track and he went off across the Beach about a half a mile or more before he came Down.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">B. John Daniels, 1927 interview with W.O. Saunders for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Collier’s Weekly</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, quoted in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Published Writings of Wilbur and Orville Wright</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: [regarding second flight]</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“We got it back </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">up on the hill again </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and this time Wilbur got in.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C. Adam Etheridge, Daniels’ colleague, interviewed simultaneously, added, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I saw the same </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">as Daniels”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">D. The left side of the First Flight photograph shows a land feature indicative of downward-sloping ground.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is on that section of the photograph which is cut off most printed versions of the picture.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4M9ythdpQi8uMtFFOOW2sY_w1N-I8sKxdRDFuni85LZ3oxE46bYQLdiLRtzIZEmC435OLR_32f5TtyhgtV-m1vpBkTGUzqj9Ppc-SC1kfr6JT4v76ZetvFc3rFhFSRf00mVQXoco_6M/s1600/Image+J.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1288" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4M9ythdpQi8uMtFFOOW2sY_w1N-I8sKxdRDFuni85LZ3oxE46bYQLdiLRtzIZEmC435OLR_32f5TtyhgtV-m1vpBkTGUzqj9Ppc-SC1kfr6JT4v76ZetvFc3rFhFSRf00mVQXoco_6M/s400/Image+J.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
launch rail is in the foreground and a descending ridge is marked with
three arrows. The camera lens is higher than the ridge (because the
ridge is below the horizon line); the ridge is some 100 feet away and,
therefore a substantial feature, rather than a quirky scrape in the
ground at the photographer’s feet; and that ridge leads down to even
lower, flatter ground.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">E. The right side of the photograph shows an abrupt change of surface shade/value, (indicated by an arrow).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3WqiVSiY9uIt9AlKp0y_04dsfjS7TpU80vtIEOk06SccdJxjaaxLiNlP-4x8FpUryl4L6nhyphenhyphenaJD90NuBcLyATfqRu236-BYvYTDZS9io1vbpHFU42jvBK2-J1dravRHewMvTzEBSCnw/s1600/Image+K.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="769" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3WqiVSiY9uIt9AlKp0y_04dsfjS7TpU80vtIEOk06SccdJxjaaxLiNlP-4x8FpUryl4L6nhyphenhyphenaJD90NuBcLyATfqRu236-BYvYTDZS9io1vbpHFU42jvBK2-J1dravRHewMvTzEBSCnw/s640/Image+K.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Kitty Hawk Park land has been stabilized with planted vegetation since
1928, but its original condition is reflected a couple of miles south,
at Nags Head. There, it can be seen that vegetation (darker shade) can
gain a foothold on the level ground, but the constantly shifting sand of
the dunes is a lighter shade. In other words, a lighter color often
indicates higher ground — and it is on that lighter ground that Wilbur
is standing. That said, there are slight variations in sand color
according to light/shade and the moisture it contains, so only the more
distant color variations should be considered indicative of vegetation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxSJL_SSp275KOPaAWBVRi_G-RaSy67JglEscqjmBcbnwYsQAQVLD-LehNVhaLs79-g_c-tRN7hjQylrEtYvDHYWNf-UCKLHuKsXJBh4iNfU40cxTevvXLvbFTPcUkWTp1z_K0tNTzxQ/s1600/Image+L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="798" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxSJL_SSp275KOPaAWBVRi_G-RaSy67JglEscqjmBcbnwYsQAQVLD-LehNVhaLs79-g_c-tRN7hjQylrEtYvDHYWNf-UCKLHuKsXJBh4iNfU40cxTevvXLvbFTPcUkWTp1z_K0tNTzxQ/s400/Image+L.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sand Dune at Nag’s Head</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The higher you are, the more you see.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro_Xx4q36UOmgdjoEUxUNCOCbVPGWLQOp1APsYYNtONGRXz8vOEhnpZX204onLBfbPG98TgxdONKX5lFd8Ox0HiQiylVU12WGQIH0DkLFD1zCJY2cX6uZGub1a7Idh_f5mXHHc4RAKjA/s1600/Image+M.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="760" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgro_Xx4q36UOmgdjoEUxUNCOCbVPGWLQOp1APsYYNtONGRXz8vOEhnpZX204onLBfbPG98TgxdONKX5lFd8Ox0HiQiylVU12WGQIH0DkLFD1zCJY2cX6uZGub1a7Idh_f5mXHHc4RAKjA/s400/Image+M.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
combination picture of ancient and modern shows, on the left, Wilbur at
the end of the launch rail, pictured from a camera just past the rail’s
back end. A distance between the two of some 65-70 feet. On the right
is a modern visitor to the memorial park, standing some 20 feet farther
from the rail’s far end, but with the camera about the same distance
along that rail. So, again, about 60-65 feet between the two.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
images have been adjusted to make both figures the same height. As
noted already, the background landscape extends from Wilbur’s feet to
the level of his upper lip. However, the horizon comes only to the waist
of the modern, black-jacketed gentleman.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why is there half-as-much-again landscape behind Wilbur? Simple: In that photograph, we are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">looking</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">down</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> on the landscape from a greater height than the “sub-tripod” vantage point of the color picture. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And
in this comparison, the changes in camera lens technology over a
century are of no consequence. Wide angle or telephoto, it is the
elevation above ground level which is the determiner of how much is
seen, not the quality or magnification of the lens.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On
the African plain, the man may view more of the land than the
slithering snake; but the giraffe sees more than the man. It is all down
to (up to?) elevation.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Where on Earth...?</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
next, logical question concerns the location of this raised ground. One
site offers itself with all the effusion of a young “teacher’s pet”
with heart thumping and arm raised high. Three days earlier (December
14), the Flyer had been taken to the greater Kill Devil Hill, where
Wilbur made an attempt at flight which ended in slight damage after 105
feet because of (as the telegram home reported) a “Miss judgement.”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Orville’s
diary records, “We took machine 150 ft uphill and laid track on 8º 50´
slope.” In other words, as deduced from simple geometry, the launch was
made from an elevation of 25 feet above the level ground which
surrounded the hill. That’s a generous helping of free height to assist
an airplane take-off and flight, but it seemed not to concern the
Wrights at that point in their experiments.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
assisting Life Savers, their children and a dog posed for a couple of
group photographs just before the flight attempt was made on the 14th.
It is scarcely necessary to draw attention to the slope of the hill, or
to ask whether, from their 25-foot vantage point, the assembled party
was enjoying the same, enhanced view of the land as was allegedly
captured by the camera, standing where they were, three days later.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Why
was not the downward view of December 17 as obvious as the uphill one
of December 14th? In part, the answer lies in the fact that one stretch
of black-and-white ground looks pretty much the same as another, unless
looked at critically and most discerningly. Told it is flat, most people
will take that as fact, without checking. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And
cameras can be persuaded to play other tricks, too. Take this photo of
the 1905 Flyer at Kitty Hawk in May 1908, after it had been modified to
carry a passenger.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> And, especially, take pity on this poor man, suffering severe curvature of the spine.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
However, a miracle cure is effected when Orville’s diary entry is
recollected. Give the horizon a 8º 50´ slope and not only is all in
better proportion and posture, it can also be seen that even in 1908, a
hill start (or a falling weight) was needed to get a Wright airplane off
the ground under normal circumstances. By accident, or design, the
photograph, as originally composed, does not make this clear.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: large; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you can’t persuade the camera to lie....</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
This blog has previously published its findings on three other
pictures also taken by the Wrights in December 1903. All were found to
be tainted by anomalies which strongly imply that they do not show what
they claim: Wilbur’s “misjudgement” photo of December 14 is a
crudely-faked re-enactment that fails to convince; the “sidle” incident
on the third flight of December 17, contradicts the same-day entry in
Orville’s diary; and the puzzling “852-foot” fourth-flight picture shows
less than 300 feet from the launch rail, as well as what appears to be
an entirely different airplane. Now, we add a fourth Wright picture to
this catalog of dubiousness.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The First Flight picture has been questioned before, but over details which can be argued back and forth </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ad infinitum</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
Photography experts have pointed out that certain shadows are not as
dark or light as they ought to be; the focus in certain areas is not as
sharp or fuzzy as expected; or that the picture could be a
superimposition of two photographs (which was perfectly possible with
the technology of the day).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
Some have reasoned that it would have been impossible to take a sharp
photograph of a moving object with a bulky plate-camera (even on a
tripod) in a wind of between 24 and 27 MPH. Yes; but can those
allegations be easily, yet convincingly, proved to the satisfaction of a
layman of average intelligence? Perhaps not.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Therefore,
the above analysis has been conducted, simply and directly, by
reading-off numbers from a ruler laid on photographic prints. The basis
of the proof is understandable to any child who can crayon a believable
picture of trolley-car wires disappearing into the distance. There is no
latitude for quibble that the sun “might have been shining over there,
but not over here,” to produce the effects which cause the experts
doubt; or that the wind might have suddenly dropped sufficiently to stop
the tripod — standing on sand, remember — from shaking.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bottom line: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
is impossible for the iconic First Flight picture to have been taken
from a 4-foot tripod on level ground, as has been claimed over the last
century. The rules of perspective (a.k.a. the laws of physics) prove it
could not be so. Period.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Perspective
shows the flight taking off from a hill; named witnesses who, puffing
and panting, carried the airplane up there, also say it flew from a
hill; features in the land show the launch rail and adjacent camera
standing on a hill that is higher than the ground in the middle
distance. Which part of the word “hill” didn’t the Wrights understand?
Below is a simple contour map, showing how all these three
self-reinforcing sources infer the scene should be interpreted. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cqg0zADo8yfQkx1XStrlfmIDWcac3K5NHCDHDi1I9A0hPMf_N7MOTvzyFHX3hZNHQeU1aDwDS0TCH3e9N8sTOBH_OuJlc33U0sc7fc4ust6sltXuTnXoZo8uXAmhcojcwyIo-rFg0p4/s1600/Image+R.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1600" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-cqg0zADo8yfQkx1XStrlfmIDWcac3K5NHCDHDi1I9A0hPMf_N7MOTvzyFHX3hZNHQeU1aDwDS0TCH3e9N8sTOBH_OuJlc33U0sc7fc4ust6sltXuTnXoZo8uXAmhcojcwyIo-rFg0p4/s640/Image+R.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To
encompass the extra land area visible behind Wilbur in the 1903 picture
would require a vantage point significantly higher than 4 feet 3 inches
above mean ground level. But there is no way that John Daniels
manufactured a giant tripod to create a false position for the horizon,
because the perspective in any image is either all correct, or it is all
wrong. As is now obvious, other things in the First Flight picture are
inconsistent with each other.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Forgive
the tripod-related triple leg-pull, good reader, for it is made with a
serious purpose. The “super-size tripod” is a joke — and so is the claim
that the Flyer “Started from Level”.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: red; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGxksCTjUzvsLPzP42_nl3N9OTxOf8JnXzyHJBiu5NMbMIMR_zNlqU049PuboMJy9L0RZvgck5Eq54u8y-W3NjecbYY1B6Cb1ny-eAWzGNZOhh5d3Jm3I4WnAuKD39ujZsDZLhDVrwa0/s1600/Image+T+LoRes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1175" data-original-width="1600" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGxksCTjUzvsLPzP42_nl3N9OTxOf8JnXzyHJBiu5NMbMIMR_zNlqU049PuboMJy9L0RZvgck5Eq54u8y-W3NjecbYY1B6Cb1ny-eAWzGNZOhh5d3Jm3I4WnAuKD39ujZsDZLhDVrwa0/s640/Image+T+LoRes.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> How the picture would have looked if taken on level ground with a
tripod camera. Note that the horizon (discounting the
dunes protruding above it) is lower on Wilbur’s body, and level with the
Flyer’s bottom wing.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eShIxzob9gNfWFuGg-koBmA9GxMcrcYJ1c5HZ44CwLRe5h0vVXe_JXKiOw9FmshuRfJv5Qn4UsM6GBdvKzMql1IXX0kedCKbxGFr9oPHtnelyAfEHuRYdBRymnS9Fw5O6K-dLvk5Lo0/s1600/Image+T+squared-up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eShIxzob9gNfWFuGg-koBmA9GxMcrcYJ1c5HZ44CwLRe5h0vVXe_JXKiOw9FmshuRfJv5Qn4UsM6GBdvKzMql1IXX0kedCKbxGFr9oPHtnelyAfEHuRYdBRymnS9Fw5O6K-dLvk5Lo0/s640/Image+T+squared-up.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In this picture, the horizon is shown level in relation to the picture plane, demonstrating that in the published original (below) the camera was tilted to the left</span>. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxU9WAXOlOSCtaiVIAoW2lw6Auf3lkt8PpKFB6QfCV4MsGTgR7dXeLFNtLyckwSQKlXce7OGPIrCeRx7zulqiBgpc4stp5kPoefS97OqddGFX4oxvNMFnBGBk1wkZPFlczoUCIEDKNPc/s1600/Image+G.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1230" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxU9WAXOlOSCtaiVIAoW2lw6Auf3lkt8PpKFB6QfCV4MsGTgR7dXeLFNtLyckwSQKlXce7OGPIrCeRx7zulqiBgpc4stp5kPoefS97OqddGFX4oxvNMFnBGBk1wkZPFlczoUCIEDKNPc/s640/Image+G.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The original picture again for quick comparisons to the adjustments shown above.Note again where the horizon is in relation to Wilbur's head</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">---------------------------------------------------------------------- </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Note: "Kitty Hawk: A New Perspective" is a contribution to our blog by one of our most valued editors. He is an expert on aviation history. Comments are always welcome.</i></span></b></span><br />
<br />Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-86549783733864052662017-09-02T18:06:00.001-07:002018-07-08T18:45:32.948-07:00Glenn H. Curtiss: The Genesis of Greatness<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllpXP9BigHMmAt-ida8lAXAeVAAeIauWDBiFhwYWnZ8qGPds355KSeuhD0MkDY2rt57Puy-qvNIRTa1f0Km3BKU1-IgyqJwqOGDTvrIMJTz9XxNJ-xZ9FKW41E9Vh5X4L8agfeDvfhwYw/s1600/Curtiss+Glenn+portrait.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="514" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgllpXP9BigHMmAt-ida8lAXAeVAAeIauWDBiFhwYWnZ8qGPds355KSeuhD0MkDY2rt57Puy-qvNIRTa1f0Km3BKU1-IgyqJwqOGDTvrIMJTz9XxNJ-xZ9FKW41E9Vh5X4L8agfeDvfhwYw/s640/Curtiss+Glenn+portrait.png" width="547" /> </a></div>
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When <a href="https://sites.newpaltz.edu/nyrediscovered/2013/10/10/78/">Glenn Hammond Curtiss</a>
died in 1930 at the age of 52, his old friend, C. G. Gray, second
editor of "Jane's All the World's Aircraft," stated as part of his
eulogy:</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"Nobody
has done more for
the progress of flying than G. H. Curtis</i></b><br />
<b><i> and few have done as much. He
was a good man and a kindly man, </i></b><br />
<b><i>and the world is very much poorer for
his loss."</i></b><br />
<br />
And Gray included the following: <br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"<b>...he had...withal," Gray said, "that simplicity that only great men have.</b></i><b>"</b><br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><a href="http://wskg.org/history/glenn-curtiss-the-forgotten-eagle/">Our Forgotten American Eagle </a></i></b></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vXFVGSHbWpc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vXFVGSHbWpc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Click Glenn Curtiss link below for the available DVD about Curtiss.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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Given his history, it's strange that <a href="http://wskg.org/history/glenn-curtiss-the-forgotten-eagle/">Glenn Curtiss</a> has been nearly forgotten. How could our young people not know.of this "great,"
gutsy American giant? In fact, in the first half of the twentieth
century, Curtiss was revered as one of our most important aviation
pioneers. Some say he was second only to the Wright brothers. It might
be legitimately argued that he outshone them in nearly every respect.</div>
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Glenn Curtiss's contributions to our world didn't end when his
life ended on July 23, 1930, Many of his discoveries, inventions,
and gifts, not just in aviation, continued to be developed and
used long after his death, and many are still in use today. Moreover, the people who knew him well cherished their memories:</div>
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James
Bright, who worked with Curtiss in Florida, developing the Miami
Springs area, said, <i><b>"No man could have asked for a better partner or a
better friend."</b></i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">1</span> </div>
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Frank
FitzGerald Bush stated, "<i><b>My father said of [Curtiss] 'I never knew a more
honorable man than Glenn, or a more moral man. If he had any religious
convictions, he never spoke of them to me...despite his reticence on the
matter--I think it must have been just a firm faith in honesty, decency
and goodness</b></i>.'"<span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span> </div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Nature or Nurture?</b></i></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Who
knows for sure why any person is--or becomes what we call great? I am
suggesting a greatness that includes character, as well as important
social advances, such as inventions and discoveries, literature,
art, or education. Character is likely a combination of any number of
qualities, such as a genuine concern for one's fellow man, a free
flowing generosity, and a certain kind of humility..<br />
<br />
Does
greatness develop from <i>nature</i>, the gift of DNA, or is it <i>nurture</i>, that
accumulation of life experiences? Without a doubt, it must be a
combination of both. And Glenn had an abundance of both.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Family of </b></i><i><b>Lua</b></i><i><b> Andrews Curtiss,</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b> Glenn Curtiss's mother </b></i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpRqxDkn6bMVEdgTpg0AdwxUu1n1404HTjCG_XY0iaZZ4iS_vXdHK4yy4CofY77msgTBJlgWNubOl-XVCNbTVwLpmmGh9vTncE_8llslRB5YXlyMmeab8P9BNNrXcQUrzfgbvT1mU2d8O/s1600/Family+Andrews%252C+gathering+at+Henry+Andrew%2527s+house.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpRqxDkn6bMVEdgTpg0AdwxUu1n1404HTjCG_XY0iaZZ4iS_vXdHK4yy4CofY77msgTBJlgWNubOl-XVCNbTVwLpmmGh9vTncE_8llslRB5YXlyMmeab8P9BNNrXcQUrzfgbvT1mU2d8O/s640/Family+Andrews%252C+gathering+at+Henry+Andrew%2527s+house.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Above,
at the home of Glenn Curtiss's
grandfather, Henry Bradley Andrews, third from right. Glenn possibly
took this picture,
as he was a photographer. Fourth from left must be Fidelia, Glenn's
proud grandmother, and fifth in the spectacles is probably grandfather
Henry Andrews' nephew Charles
Smith, Glenn's mother's first cousin. He was one of this family of
inventors, going way back. Smith is credited as the inventor of the
Aladdin mantle lamp, Smith's son, Hazor Judson Smith, as the inventor of
the first ice-less refrigerator. Photo copyright:
family of Smith/Andrews</b></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<b>The priceless photo, above, is a look at an elegantly simple Andrews family dinner in Jasper, upper state New York.
Curtiss's grandfather had acreage there and owned a general store.
Histories of Glenn Curtiss intimate that he came from a somewhat
impoverished family. As a matter of fact, Curtiss's great great grandfather on his mother's side,
Judge Jabez Bradley, owned thousands of acres in Cayuga County, New York, and was a benefactor of the area.</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2UqwDilpHyLirXqUzXu_T7r42AEUeHjTDVRdPISns0FfsOjsu-_Or8hox5zAA7Tbu7ugSJoEvb9q3kRS0MUpQq4C9I_V5O2aTqQTcpZAj-s8LvrbQus7oJnsUiYeG_ggDGJMR1zs57rQ/s1600/Jasper+New+York.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="400" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2UqwDilpHyLirXqUzXu_T7r42AEUeHjTDVRdPISns0FfsOjsu-_Or8hox5zAA7Tbu7ugSJoEvb9q3kRS0MUpQq4C9I_V5O2aTqQTcpZAj-s8LvrbQus7oJnsUiYeG_ggDGJMR1zs57rQ/s400/Jasper+New+York.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jasper, New York, the lovely birthplace of Lua Andrews, Glenn Curtiss's mother.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Henry
Bradley Andrews' great grandfather, Ephraim Andrews, left his youngest
son, Ichabod, a legacy that eventually was translated into land in
Jasper, New York, at right.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The
ancestors of the Andrews and the Bradleys trace back to the first
planters of New Haven, Connecticut, who are sometimes touted as blue
bloods of America. </b><br />
<br />
<b><b>Before my research, which I am now just beginning to share, </b></b><b><b>
historians
have known little about Glenn's mother's family, the Andrews. His
supposed "rags to riches" story probably originates
from Glenn's working from the time he was young. Both his father, Frank
Curtiss, and
pastor grandfather, Claudius Curtiss, weren't wealthy and died before
Glenn reached
five years of age. So it can be legitimately argued that Glenn was,
eventually, a
self made man and a self made multi-millionaire. But the Andrews were
far from poor, and they kept in contact with Lua's family. Later, according to a Jasper resident, when
Glenn could fly, he made the trek from Hammondsport to Jasper by air to
see his Andrews grandparents. There can be no doubt they had an
influence on his life.</b></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDwRuKK_88-vmTEkfJxxxWCj12gpMc5ZV-5nzeX8xBXyAfnsWW4kh4XIJzvZJ98W51yDuOJVRBukrRoRwWtiC4mEa_Q-RXqEVjVOvyPwav3HOeQ9jbUWEvjLqejNYoPzEzRNhQ5onDglU/s1600/Hammondsport+New+York+5231405636_a711d714c4_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1024" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDwRuKK_88-vmTEkfJxxxWCj12gpMc5ZV-5nzeX8xBXyAfnsWW4kh4XIJzvZJ98W51yDuOJVRBukrRoRwWtiC4mEa_Q-RXqEVjVOvyPwav3HOeQ9jbUWEvjLqejNYoPzEzRNhQ5onDglU/s640/Hammondsport+New+York+5231405636_a711d714c4_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hammondsport,
New York, the birthplace of Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the "Cradle of
Aviation." On these waters of Keuka Lake and in San Diego, California,
Glenn developed a practical hydroplane and invented the flying boat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
Curtiss's
first fame in aviation burst forth like the sudden emergence of the
sun, late in the afternoon of July 4, 1908, after the rain delayed his
proposed flight of the "June Bug" that day. It happened in Hammondsport.<br />
<br />
In
1907 the Scientific American had offered a trophy and prize for whoever
could demonstrate a straight line powered flight of a kilometer in this
country. Where were the Wrights, who had supposedly made controlled
flights as early as 1903? They had also claimed that, by 1905, they had
remained in the air for 24 miles straight (well, even better, in circles
round Huffman Prairie in Dayton, Ohio).<br />
<br />
The aviation groups, such as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_Club_of_America">Aero Club</a>
thought the Wrights would enter the competition..They had been told the
Wrights had successfully flown, but strangely, only one among the
contemporary aviation <b><i>experts</i></b>, Octave Chanute, had said he
had seen them fly. The rest of the alleged witnesses Wrights named were
some family, friends, and Ohio locals. There was a friend, Amos Root,
whose published testimony has often been put forth as proof of the Wright's accomplishments in 1904. That testimony is flatly contradicted by Root's own <i><b>private </b></i>correspondence, published since and available to the public. See <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2017/06/bombshellthe-facts-about-wrights.html">"Bombshell: The Wrights:Key Witness</a> in this blog "Truth in Aviation History."<br />
<br />
.Some
of their fellows that the Wrights listed as witnesses wrote the
Scientific American when queried that they had witnessed flights, but
their claims were otherwise not verified by independent sources, nor
were the Wrights' claims of distance and time of the flights, notably,
the 24 mile claimed achievement. Significant it is that the Wrights
never submitted as witnesses to the Scientific American the five who
observed their attempts at flight December 17, 1903 at Kill Devil Hills
in North Carolina.<br />
<br />
Three of these 1903 witnesses were
Life Savers. Might it be that they wouldn't
corroborate the Wrights' claims? As a matter of fact, we have repeated
many times in this blog that two of these men said the Wrights took off
from the incline of the hill, not level ground, as the Wrights said. A third witness, Johnnie Moore, eighteen years old in 1903, according to the U. S. census, said much later that the first flight was only "about fifty feet..." The last two witnesses never testified, and one resident of the area said they weren't
flights at all, they were glides.<br />
<a href="http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/chanute-octave/"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/chanute-octave/">Octave Chanute</a>,
their long time mentor, who was promoting the brothers, said he saw
them fly in 1904, but he didn't emphasize that he had only seen them
catapulted into the air, stay up for less than 25 seconds, then crash
out of control (Remember that the Wrights had claimed a 59 second flight
at Kill Devil Hills in 1903.) Chanute never saw the Wrights make a significant flight until 1908.<br />
<br />
<b>Referring to this one
event in 1904 plus his trust in the word of the Wrights, Chanute apparently told
Alexander Graham Bell he had seen the Wrights fly--and Chanute's word
was respected by Bell. Bell was respected by the aviation community,
who, therefore, believed Bell. What the aviation community believed was,
therefore, mostly hearsay.</b><br />
<br />
The Wrights didn't come
forward to enter the Scientific American competition in 1907 or 1908.
They said they were too busy. Note: We do believe that the Wrights'
machine had stayed in the air, manned and with a motor, before 1908, but
we also believe that the Wright plane was unreliable in power and control; and reports
indicate that it couldn't take off without the assistance of the wind,
an incline, or a catapult. (The Wrights claimed in their diary a few
take offs from level in Dayton in 1904 and, of course, in 1903. There is
absolutely no proof, whatsoever, beyond the Wrights' statements and the
diary.) Calculations of the weight of their plane and their engine power
indicate that it could not take off without assistance. It also
couldn't fly very far for a time because of the overheating of the
engine. The Wrights' own calculations were only claims and unproven.<br />
<br />
The
proposed Scientific American competition required that the plane take
off under its own power with wheels. This requirement eliminated the
Wrights as competitors, anyway. The Wrights claimed they could put wheels on
their plane in place of their skids but their system with a catapult was
better. We surmise the Wrights weren't ready for public flights or take
offs from level with wheels. Can you imagine what would have happened
if the Wrights had publicly demonstrated the unreliability of their
plane? The much publicized Langley failure to successfully take off
five years earlier weighed heavily at the time, because Langley was
ridiculed by the press. The Wrights also wanted secrecy, they said.
Their own explanation for their secrecy was that they wanted to protect
their secrets.This is nonsense. The Wright's patent with drawings was
made accessible when it was granted in 1906. Despite what Wright
historians say, most of the Wrights' techniques and "discoveries" had
been developed prior to their entry into aviation. See <a href="http://truthinaviationhistory.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-wrights-discovered-what-another.html">"The Wrights Discovered What? Another Chapter" </a>for example,<br />
<br />
There
were many pioneer aviators who were flying by 1908 in Europe, already
breaking records. The Wrights claimed these aviators all copied them.
How could this be then, if they were keeping their "secrets" secret? The
original structure of the Wright's biplane was basically Chanute's, or
claimed by Herring. I will have to be informed what their other earth
shaking secrets were. The Wrights later tried to say it was their
technique of wing warping hooked up to their rudder. That indeed was
their technique and the basis of their 1906 patent; but actually, the
Wrights had to unhook the linkage of their wing warping to their rudder
even before they sued all the other pilots for infringement.. It was
dangerous and untenable. Moreover, according to Chanute, the use of the
wing warping together with a rudder had been patented prior to the
Wrights.<span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span><br />
<br />
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<br />
After tests of their plane, the "June Bug,"proved to them it could meet the requirements of the Scientific American Trophy in 1908, <a href="http://www.aerofiles.com/aea.html">the Aeronautical Experiment Association (AEA)</a> decided to enter the competition<br />
<br />
The members of the AEA, coordinated by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/alexander-graham-bell">Alexander Graham Bell </a>and
assisted financially by Bell's wife, Mabel Hubbard
Bell, had decided to tackle the flying problem in 1907. Within months,
they were in the air. This isn't so surprising. The AEA was made up of
five super intelligent men working on the problem with some genius
sprinkled in. According to <a href="http://laetare.nd.edu/recipients/#info1925">Alfred Francis Zahm</a> (note in<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=hRdDAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA234&lpg=PA234&dq=Henson+pioneer+aviator&source=bl&ots=HO4OszxXK3&sig=MUZV6rFR1X13Ay6uFkDrprHpl8c&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjm29_9h8zVAhWpg1QKHfg4CScQ6AEIVTAI#v=onepage&q=Henson%20pioneer%20aviator&f=false"> "Aerial Navigation," page 234), the information needed was out there</a> before
the Wrights even began their experiments or came on the scene. Pioneers, such as Maxim, Stringfield,
Henson, Mouillard, Langley, Chanute.and Lillienthal had done the
research, although, later, the Wrights tried to claim much of it as their
own.In fact, by 1948, the Smithsonian bowed to the Wright family demands and placed a plaque next to their claimed Wright Flyer on display there that the Wrights indeed discovered it all. See other posts in this blog. However, the AEA's Selfridge was excellent at digging up
information, and Curtiss had developed an engine by then easily up to
the task, America was ready for this moment.<br />
<br />
The pilot
chosen for the flight was the tall, taciturn "G. H." (Glenn) because
the AEA's third "drome" or plane, the "June Bug," was mostly his design,
Even though the planes were basically joint endeavors, they were
designated to individuals of the group. Most of the work had been done
in Hammondsport, Glenn's home town.<br />
<br />
And so, on July 4,
1908, the village of Hammondsport on Keuka Lake in New York waited,
thrilling with excitement. It is said that the whole town turned out to
watch their native son Glenn Hammond Curtiss fly. But people turned
out from neighboring villages as well. The town folk mingled with
important people, who had traveled there some three hundred miles, all
the way from places like New York City to observe and officially
witness. In fact, I understand that the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) was there to make it all
official. <br />
<br />
The flight was advertised as the first pre-announced public flight in America.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
It
was a wait for the crowd. Glenn insisted on perfect conditions. There
was a false start. After some adjustments, they brought the plane back
to the starting line. Imagine then what it was like in the little town
of Hammondsport on July 4, 1908, when their own Glenn rose into the air,
the little motor loudly thrumming, and flew over the fences and fields
for more than the required kilometer. Indeed, these people were among
the first to see the dream of flight finally officially realized. Though
others had claimed powered flight, this was in front of their own eyes
by their town hero--and they were the participants. For a long time
afterward, there were people who believed it was Glenn who was first to
fly--ever.<br />
<br /></div>
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<br />
This moment in 1908 marked the beginning of Glenn's
career as a pioneer aviator. And his aviation fame. After his public success in
Hammondsport, he was to become
the prime force in building the nascent aviation industry in America<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/33rS9Vf_5DQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/33rS9Vf_5DQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
The clip above is a short biography of Glenn Curtiss. Watch for one error. Curtiss's first public flight was not with a seaplane from Lake Keuka. He hadn't developed one yet. Nevertheless, the film of his later plane taking off from the lake is marvelous.<br />
.<br />
The summer of 1908, the Wright faction began their attacks on Curtiss that have
continued for over a hundred years. Note that from the beginning, they singled out Curtiss from the AEA for their law suits. An example of history's injustices: Wright "historians" say
the Wrights' <i>claimed </i> "first flights" in 1903 were controlled because they
were able to turn (they believe), and Curtiss's 1908 flight was only a
straight line flight. In reality, the Wrights' in 1903 didn't actually
even attempt any turns. And in truth, the June Bug was equipped with
ailerons, and Glenn turned the June bug to avoid some trees at the end
of his flight.<br />
<br />
On July 10, 1908, less than a week after
the June Bug's public flight, an elated Glenn telegraphed Alexander
Graham Bell that he had flown a complete circle using the ailerons.<span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span> The Wrights threatened Curtiss in a letter dated July 20, 1908,
claiming ailerons were the same as their wing warping and that he was
infringing on their 1906 patent for control. Only trouble is, the
Wrights successful wing warping had to be used in conjunction with their
rudder. Curtiss didn't need to link to his rudder or even need to use his
rudder to achieve a complete turn. Moreover, ailerons were a vast
improvement over the Wrights' wing warping. The many injustices of the Wright
law suits are a story in themselves.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b>Below, a page from Boys' Life, Aug 1961</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l62nHolEmByJE9qKYGby5-yxkVcdAOu-LtU_K2CSnQEAtIPH7wo7PDufAXVjjFVAN1Mn6mRB5PyfztXMVdaL03At42XICv4DmUo5hy355P2140j3aVh3-a1NKafqaUGy-FmeNw4byxwm/s1600/Curtiss++quotes+greatness.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5l62nHolEmByJE9qKYGby5-yxkVcdAOu-LtU_K2CSnQEAtIPH7wo7PDufAXVjjFVAN1Mn6mRB5PyfztXMVdaL03At42XICv4DmUo5hy355P2140j3aVh3-a1NKafqaUGy-FmeNw4byxwm/s640/Curtiss++quotes+greatness.PNG" width="507" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Boys; Life," "The Boy Who Fixed Things."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">Today, few young people have even heard of Glenn Curtiss. Aviators and historians,
who feel they are knowledgeable after reading Wright biased books, know the history only
superficially and actually believe much of what we have proven in our
research to be false propaganda, stemming from the self promotion and
even self aggrandizement of the Wrights and their allies.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://newyorkhistoryblog.org/2016/07/04/making-aviation-history-on-independence-day-1908/">Click here for more on Glenn Curtiss</a> and the first pre-announced public flight in America, Hammondsport. July 4, 1908.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #e06666;"><br /></span>
*****************************<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> * <b><b>Curtiss's grandmother on the Andrews side, was Fidelia Morse Andrews. Her family, the Morses, averred that
they were closely related to Samuel F. B. Morse, famous painter and
inventor of the telegraph. </b></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 1</span>. Jack Carpenter, Pendulum II (San Juan Capistrano, Arsdalen, Bosch & Co., 2003, 408</b></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><b> 2. Carpenter, Pendulum II, 436 </b></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><b> 3. Carpenter, Pendulum II, 237 </b></b></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b> 4. Carpenter, Pendulum II, 171 </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-57361315516394153302017-06-15T23:24:00.000-07:002020-02-12T12:29:32.473-08:00Bombshell:The Facts About the Wrights Brothers' Key Witness, Amos I. Root<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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</xml><![endif]--><b> </b><u><b><span style="font-size: large;">Unmasking Root</span></b></u><br />
<br />
In
1942, the Smithsonian Institution endorsed the
Wrights as first to fly--and the first even capable of flying. Thirty
four years later, Freedom of Information Laws revealed that a
secret contract in 1948 had become part of the deal. In it, the Wright family dictated the
wording of pertinent museum labels and forbade the Smithsonian from ever investigating
the issue, however compelling the evidence might be to the contrary..<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bombshells kept coming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1978, highly respected <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">Caltech (California Institute of Technology)</a> in Pasadena analyzed the Wrights’ 1903
airplane, casting scientific doubts on many of the brothers’ claims. And in 2003, a
meticulously researched "replica" of their 1903 plane failed to fly on all four attempts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Historical doubts arose, too, when the family members of a star
witness, <a href="http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=following">Amos I. Root</a>, released his correspondence with the Wrights to the Library of Congress. Key
elements of the Wrights’ story started falling apart.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=following"><b>Who was Amos I. Root?</b></a></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8sIQ6WwmYPEz21bE8wQD3YzAi4uqib4aw-Ly7W8o693OB4XtV9rXCLtvN3iNU1Ubsr2oLgMeuvzsYlI_WwPrbkIz8JH18tBuToBzgDGOrLkJ4r-HC81qB1jk-wqGDj6Bkp-nqHRDE6E/s1600/Amos_Root_photo_portrait%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="163" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8sIQ6WwmYPEz21bE8wQD3YzAi4uqib4aw-Ly7W8o693OB4XtV9rXCLtvN3iNU1Ubsr2oLgMeuvzsYlI_WwPrbkIz8JH18tBuToBzgDGOrLkJ4r-HC81qB1jk-wqGDj6Bkp-nqHRDE6E/s400/Amos_Root_photo_portrait%25281%2529.jpg" width="337" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A. I. Root, publisher of "Gleanings in Bee Culture."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Amos Ives Root is often cited as the first neutral
news-journalist to witness the</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wrights fly in a full circle and to publish an eyewitness
report.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The documents released by family members John A. Root and
Brad I. Root to the Library of Congress show: Nothing could be farther from the truth!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Root was</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- neither neutral,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- nor a news-journalist,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- nor a witness of the Wrights flying in a full circle,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- nor a publisher of an eyewitness report.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Root was</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- a close friend of the Wrights,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- a beekeeper and Sunday school teacher,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- the witness of an uncontrolled landing in a cornfield,
which the Wrights never admitted to,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
- and the willing publisher under his own name of an article, every word of which the Wrights<br />
themselves wrote or insisted on vetting.<br />
.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently, Root has been accused by some of not even having
seen the brothers fly at all in 1904. The analysis to follow in "Truth in Aviation History" gives him the
benefit of as much doubt as possible, but still reaches the inescapable
conclusion that his published account was blatantly untrue. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are the facts, penned by one of "Truth's" superb historians:</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tc3tYmNXoqME9k614xC1eizF2M-PGZ7Ok3CBX68jMKvQDQMQnv6D9X-5KrkxvoQY0Rzf7JPs0gNQVmsurKhy2xamTliMYVnaz2YmOnhGKpRvHeS9GSv0x33cCuXrjFM3JSwB54yj6sI/s1600/Root+image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1000" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tc3tYmNXoqME9k614xC1eizF2M-PGZ7Ok3CBX68jMKvQDQMQnv6D9X-5KrkxvoQY0Rzf7JPs0gNQVmsurKhy2xamTliMYVnaz2YmOnhGKpRvHeS9GSv0x33cCuXrjFM3JSwB54yj6sI/s640/Root+image+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amos Ives Root (1839-1923)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h2>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Amos I Root and the Wright Brothers</b></span> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Most accounts of the Wright’s claimed first flight which
returned to its starting point in a single sortie are vague when addressing the
sequence of events which brought the only “witness,” Amos Root, to exactly the
right place at precisely the correct time (September 20, 1904). For example,
from the National Air & Space Museum <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/artifactgallery/?id=5747">(Smithsonian)</a>:</span></span></h2>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Amos I. Root, a beekeeping enthusiast from Medina, Ohio,
traveled 175 miles to see the Wright brothers fly and witnessed their first
circular flight. He published an account of that historic event in his journal,
Gleanings in Bee Culture. <b>It was the first eyewitness account of a Wright
brothers airplane flight to appear in print.</b></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But compare <a href="http://exhibits.mannlib.cornell.edu/beekeeping/atlantic/page4.html">Cornell University’s account</a>, which remarks
correctly on the friendship with the Wrights but confuses the issue with an
erroneous reference to another magazine:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This issue [January 1905] of the Medina, Ohio based
beekeeping magazine has the distinction of publishing the first eyewitness
account of the Wright Brothers' historic manned flight in Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. A. I. Root, the publisher of Gleanings in Bee Culture and a longtime
friend of the flight pioneers, was permitted to write this first account and
sent it off to "Scientific American." After nearly a year of silence
on the part of the magazine, Root wrote its editor, who responded that it was
difficult to believe that the event had actually occurred and that even if it
had, the airplane would never have any practical application. <b>When Root showed
this response to the Wright Brothers, they suggested that he go ahead and
publish it in his beekeeping magazine.</b></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And from the <a href="http://wrightstories.com/">Wrightstories.com</a> website:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Root, age 64, didn’t waste any time traveling the 200 miles
from his home in Medina, Ohio near Cleveland to Dayton. He boarded with the
Dave Beard family whose farm house was the closest to Huffman Prairie. On the
morning of September 20, he walked over to the flying field and introduced
himself to the Wright brothers and asked for permission to observe their
experiments. Surprisingly, the Wrights readily agreed and invited him to be
their guest. A long time friendship began soon after.</i></div>
</blockquote>
Yet again, a purely chance encounter. But in fact, Root had provably been corresponding for seven months and had met a month before the alleged circular flight. There began a
long association with the Wright family, almost certainly born of a
shared religious outlook and involvement in associated “good works” in the
Sunday School Movement and anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco campaigns. Witness<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Gleanings in Bee Culture</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Vol XXXII, No 5.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
March 1, 1904</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Feature:<i> </i><b><i>Our Homes</i>, by A.I. Root</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Extract from Page 241 </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>During the past few months, these boys have made a machine
that actually flew through the air for more than half a mile, carrying one of
the boys with it. This young man is not only a credit to our State, but to the
whole country and to the world.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Their experiments were made just before winter set in on the
Atlantic coast, at Kitty Hawk, N.C., at a place where there are several miles
of soft sand blown up by the wind. They chose that sandy waste to the, in case
of an accident, they would not be apt to be severely hurt by falling. For the
same reason they managed it so as to keep the machine within five or ten feet
of the ground. As soon as we have warm weather they are going on with their
experiments. The machine was made something after the fashion of a box kite. A
gasoline engine moved propeller wheels that pulled it against the wind. <b>When
they make their next trial I am going to try to be on hand and see the
experiment.</b></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoF3tKIkaPG1TyYw2vr-U1X8lNMWEoF7UtGx4NYpeqG7C1ruDJdT0C72z4b7acU6ig3KoyLNjFpZvG7Bl5c_jBKd1O0644vg3KgtOIpOsjzZ84BeUYWSO9G59mCSTxhWHHvMjkHHYTjs/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1024" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFoF3tKIkaPG1TyYw2vr-U1X8lNMWEoF7UtGx4NYpeqG7C1ruDJdT0C72z4b7acU6ig3KoyLNjFpZvG7Bl5c_jBKd1O0644vg3KgtOIpOsjzZ84BeUYWSO9G59mCSTxhWHHvMjkHHYTjs/s640/Image+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="color: #073763;">Above, alleged to be the second Flyer outside its hangar at Huffman Prairie in
May, 1904. The picture is curious because it is taken on a 4×5 glass plate,
whereas all other Wright pictures from the 1902 season onward were taken with
their new, 5×7 camera.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thus, two months after the return from Kitty Hawk and before
the replacement aircraft is completed, Root plans to be on hand at the next
trial. This is inconsistent with the description of his turning up out of the
blue six months after writing of his plans. Evidence of prior arrangement is
clear, thanks to the Library of Congress which holds over 60 letters from <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/wright002536/">Root to the Wrights during two years, 1904-05</a> (in files freely available for
download from the Library of Congress by anyone)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The letters were
donated by the Root Family and, thus, have not been subject to “weeding” by
Smithsonian historians bound by the 1948 legal contract with the Wright Family
preventing them from publishing anything contradicting the Wright Brothers’
claims. The letters’ content directs
light into areas where traditional Wright histories fear to go, as will be
related later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Further, Root’s item of January, 1905, is patently, not “the
first eyewitness account of a Wright brothers airplane flight to appear in
print,” as claimed by the <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/artifactgallery/?id=5747">Smithsonian. </a>The original, garbled, newspaper reports of December 18, 1903, were based on an
eyewitness account (from the Life Savers assisting the Wrights) which reached
the Virginia Pilot reporter, Harry Moore. Granted, the report was exaggerated
and partly made up by the Virginia Pilot journalists, but as confirmed by later testimony from
those concerned, it was based on what was related on the day by someone who was
there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That said, it is proper that this is not regarded as an
eyewitness account, for it is repeated at second hand without the informant
being quoted verbatim, or even named. It is pure hearsay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indisputable, however, are the eyewitness, first-hand
accounts that appeared in newspapers throughout the land in May 1904, when the
second Flyer was given a “press day” in front of a pack of invited journalists
who had, first, been relieved of their cameras, but not their notebooks. The
reporters’ published dispatches described the aircraft rearing about 15 feet
into the air and then plunging into the ground after some 25 feet, sustaining
damage which curtailed further exhibitions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among the newspapers carrying an eyewitness report (some
syndicated, of course) were: Chicago Daily Tribune, Daily Saratogan, Deseret
Evening News, Evening Star (Washington), Fort Wayne Daily, Fort Wayne News,
Huntington Daily News-Democrat, Indianapolis News, Indianapolis Sun, Kansas
City Star, Newark Advocate, NY Times, Spokane Evening Chronicle, Syracuse
Journal, Utica Herald Dispatch, Utica Observer all May 27th; Alton Evening
Telegraph, Charlotte News, Connersville Evening News, Daily Kennebec Journal,
Galveston Daily News, Lowell Sun, Albany Evening Tribune, Ogdensburg News,
Raleigh Morning Post, Rochester Democrat, Titusville Herald, Waterloo Daily
Reporter, Wichita Daily Eagle, Wilmington Messenger, Wilmington Morning Star
all 28th May; Jeffersonville Evening News 30th; Greensboro Patriot, Swayzee
Press 2nd June; and Idaville Observer, Jeffersonville National Democrat,
Mooresville Guide, Russiaville Observer, Waveland Independent all 3rd.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="452" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb248bk7kg66qq0O08oiIbA5IY6VcfxjMpi125j89z_hv5YLv152ihuFs2Ez4ewzbZCh-w5miTVmIza6lSIfMWp2rLHoTGwK6901sGhXOe6AYFvZPj1s-6G2SybphYnpZ_h_yVs_rBaGc/s400/Image+3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="332" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Indiana newspaper account of the Wrights' attempt to fly in May, 1904.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the very least, 40 newspapers carried eyewitness reports
of a flight (of sorts) by a Wright Flyer in May, 1904. Above is the Fort Wayne
Daily News (Indiana).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the papers are
available for perusal and download to anyone with an Internet connection, but
they have entirely eluded the USA’s premier aviation museum.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With all the wonders of the Internet and associated
search-engines at its disposal, plus generous funding by the US taxpayer, the
nation’s premier aviation museum gives the appearance of being entirely
oblivious to every single one of the above-mentioned newspaper reports. Root’s
article seven months later is still described as “the first eyewitness account
of a Wright brothers airplane flight to appear in print.”<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the papers even quoted the Wrights’ tongue-in-cheek
assertion that crashing after 25 feet was “successful” — but the Smithsonian
chooses to ignore even the Wrights’ own claim that this was a real “flight” and
pass over anything that happened above Huffman’s Prairie in late May, 1904.
Diligent aviation historians might query just what is going on here; but US
taxpayers have double the right to ask questions about the quality of research
they get for their $820 million annual Smithsonian subsidy.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Returning to 1905: To portray Root as a casual or
disinterested reporter, who just happened to turn up at the right time, is deliberately
to misrepresent his role in the story of aviation. His published account
implies at least three separate visits (all which can be verified by “thank you
for having me” letters dated August 23, September 22 and November 28) and is
written in at least two parts, the second mostly of hearsay.<span style="color: red;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">Interjections have been added in red by the present blogger. </span></div>
<br />
.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmSvQXIN6OgNDGZkBwl5W_m2_0O18ZNACNYXm3NiWmn3aEwpPsttFHHw-H27dWkqQcxrjBSR1emdiSu-U-WTIdlM4FC0MuYVGWxVh7uEx6VmfwDoYFUzEAr_TdMrmyB2XriGIm2xsdXw/s1600/Image+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmSvQXIN6OgNDGZkBwl5W_m2_0O18ZNACNYXm3NiWmn3aEwpPsttFHHw-H27dWkqQcxrjBSR1emdiSu-U-WTIdlM4FC0MuYVGWxVh7uEx6VmfwDoYFUzEAr_TdMrmyB2XriGIm2xsdXw/s640/Image+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Root’s Gleanings were by no means strictly confined to the
hive. Topics as diverse as religion and science were discussed in homely fashion.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">Gleanings in Bee Culture, January 1, 1905</span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>"Dear friends, I have a wonderful story to tell you—a story
that, in some respects, outrivals the Arabian Nights fables—a story, too, with
a moral that I think many of the younger ones need, and perhaps some of the
older ones too if they will heed it. God in his great mercy has permitted me to
be, at least somewhat, instrumental in ushering in and introducing to the great
wide world an invention that may outrank the electric cars, the automobiles,
and all other methods of travel, and one which may fairly take a place beside
the telephone and wireless telegraphy. Am I claiming a good deal? Well, I will
tell my story, and you shall be the judge. . . .</h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
... I am now going to tell you something of two . . .
boys, a minister's boys, who love machinery, and who are interested in the
modern developments of science and art. Their names are Orville and Wilbur
Wright, of Dayton, Ohio. I made mention of them and their work on page 241 of
our issue for March 1 last. You may remember it. These two, perhaps by
accident, or maybe as a matter of taste, began studying the flights of birds
and insects. From this they turned their attention to what has been done in the
way of enabling men to fly. They not only studied nature, but they procured the
best books, and I think I may say all the papers, the world contains on this
subject. When I first became acquainted with them, and expressed a wish to read
up all there was on the subject, they showed me a library that astonished me;
and I soon found they were thoroughly versed, not only in regard to our present
knowledge, but everything that had been done in the past.<span style="color: red;"> Thus, a long-term
association, including a house visit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These boys (they are men now), instead of spending their
summer vacation with crowds, and with such crowds as are often questionable, as
so many do, went away by themselves to a desert place by the seacoast. You and
I have in years past found enjoyment and health in sliding down hill on the
snow; but these boys went off to that sandy waste on the Atlantic coast to
slide down hill too; but instead of sliding on snow and ice they slid on air.
With a gliding machine made of sticks and cloth they learned to glide and soar
from the top of a hill to the bottom; and by making not only hundreds but more
than a thousand experiments, they became so proficient in guiding these gliding
machines that they could sail like a bird, and control its movements up and
down as well as sidewise.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, this was not altogether for fun or boys' play.*
[Footnote: *When I suggested that, even though sliding down hill on the air was
very nice, it must have been quite a task to carry the machine back to the top
of the hill every time, the reply was something like this: "Oh! no, Mr.
Root—no task at all. Just remember that we always sail against the wind; and by
a little shifting of the position, the wind does the greater part of the work
in carrying it back." It just blows it back (whenever the wind is strong
enough) up hill to the starting-point.] They had a purpose in view.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUtYTZ4q6wforc6Cxn9xt67AyrjJhT1drc2iZrj1QnzB06TEYUpWZR-HvzmtRE_1YUGSvgN725a743UHApo4BrrtB6JTt9s0KKgKljuDofBdYI0sQjqc6LA-RaBGbxQQMC51wVvvNvL4/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUtYTZ4q6wforc6Cxn9xt67AyrjJhT1drc2iZrj1QnzB06TEYUpWZR-HvzmtRE_1YUGSvgN725a743UHApo4BrrtB6JTt9s0KKgKljuDofBdYI0sQjqc6LA-RaBGbxQQMC51wVvvNvL4/s640/Image+5.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"That wild place." Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Well, these two men spent several summers in that wild
place, secure from intrusion, with their gliding machine. When they became
experts they brought in, as they had planned to do, a gasoline-engine to
furnish power, and made a little success <span style="color: red;">“A little success” does not equate
with what great things were claimed for December 17 </span>with their apparatus before
winter set [in]. As soon as the weather would permit, their experiments were
resumed the past season. You may have seen something in regard to it in the papers;
but as their purpose has been from the beginning to the end to avoid publicity,
<span style="color: red;">“Avoiding publicity” does not tally with the December 17 telegram ending
“Inform press”<span style="color: black;"> the</span></span> great outside world has had but very little opportunity of
knowing what is going on. The conditions were so different after applying power
that it seemed at first, to a great extent, as if they would have to learn the
trade of guiding their little ship all over again. At first they went only a
few hundred feet; and as the opportunity for practice in guiding and
controlling it was only a few seconds at a time, their progress was necessarily
very slow. . . .<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I recognized at once they were really scientific explorers
who were serving the world in much the same way that Columbus did when he
discovered America.”<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
. . . I found them in a pasture lot of 87 acres, <span style="color: red;">Falsely
implies a chance meeting </span>a little over half a mile long and nearly as broad.
The few people who occasionally got a glimpse of the experiments, evidently
considered it only another Darius Green [a youth in a famous poem by John
Townsend Trowbridge who tries but fails to fly], but I recognized at once they
were really scientific explorers who were serving the world in much the same
way that Columbus did when he discovered America, and just the same way that
Edison, Marconi, and a host of others have done all along through the ages.
<span style="color: red;">Most apt. Columbus did not discover America; and Edison and Marconi both
appropriated others’ inventions (light bulb and radio) and claimed them as
their own.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In running an automobile or a bicycle you have to manage the
steering only to the right and left; but an air-ship has to be steered up and
down also. When I first saw the apparatus <span style="color: red;">Visit #1</span> it persisted in going up and
down like the waves of the sea. Sometimes it would dig its nose in the dirt,
almost in spite of the engineer. After repeated experiments it was finally
cured of its foolish tricks, and was made to go like a steady old horse. This
work, mind you, was all new. Nobody living could give them any advice <span style="color: red;">Clearly,
an unsupportable claim</span>. It was like exploring a new and unknown domain.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Shall I tell you how they cured it of bobbing up and down?
Simply by loading its nose or front steering-apparatus with cast iron. In my
ignorance I thought the engine was not large enough; but when fifty pounds of
iron was fastened to its "nose" (as I will persist in calling it), it
came down to a tolerably straight line and carried the burden with ease. There
was a reason for this that I cannot explain here. <span style="color: red;">Neither, it would seem, can
any aerodynamicist to this day</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
experiments had to be made in turning from right to left; and, to make the
matter short, it was my privilege, on the 20th day of September, 1904, <span style="color: red;">Visit #2</span>
to see the first successful trip of an airship, without a balloon to sustain
it, that the world has ever made, that is, to turn the corners <span style="color: red;">Note
phraseology: ‘Turn the corners’</span> and come back to the starting-point. <span style="color: red;">Root thus
describes the September 20 flight as a rectangle with rounded corners; the
Wright diary shows a drawing of a perfect circle — and that drawing was
repeated, by Orville in improved form, a quarter-century later.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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The Wright flight test diary for September 20, 1904, shows
two flights, the second, in the afternoon, describing a circle. Despite the
lengths of the field boundaries being marked, the map is not to scale. </div>
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Close-up of the afternoon’s circular flight trace and
confirmation of Root’s presence. Note the launch rail and the final few yards
of the Flyer’s track.</div>
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Re-drawing, circa 1928, by Orville Wright of the “first
circular flight” path on an accurate, scale plan of Huffman Prairie. No launch
rail or landing position is shown.</div>
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Modern plan photograph of Huffman’s Prairie.</div>
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Above: Projections of the 1904 and 1928 flight paths on an aerial
photograph of Huffman Prairie, the former a “best fit” from an inaccurate
sketch which, if to scale, would have the aircraft landing outside the confines
of the field.</div>
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<br /></div>
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During all of these experiments they have kept so near the
soft marshy ground that a fall would be no serious accident, either to the
machine or its occupant. In fact, so carefully have they managed, that, during
these years of experimenting, nothing has happened to do any serious damage to
the machine nor to give the boys more than what might be called a severe
scratch. I think great praise is due them along this very line. They have been
prudent and cautious. I told you there was not another machine equal to such a
task as I have mentioned, on the face of the earth; and, furthermore, just now
as I dictate there is probably not another man besides these two who has
learned the trick of controlling it.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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In making this last trip of rounding the circle <span style="color: red;">(a circle IS
round!)</span>, the machine was kept near the ground, except in making the turns.
<span style="color: red;">“Making turns” confirms there were straight sections of the flight-path</span> If you
will watch a large bird when it swings around in a circle you will see its
wings are tipped up at an incline. This machine must follow the same rule; and
to clear the tip of the inside wing it was found necessary to rise to a height
of perhaps 20 or 25 feet. <span style="color: red;">Thus the straight sections at low altitude, climbing
to turn the corners </span>When the engine is shut off the apparatus glides to the
ground very quietly, and alights on something much like a pair of light
sled-runners, sliding over the grassy surface perhaps a rod <span style="color: red;">(=16½ feet)</span> or
more. Whenever it is necessary to slow up the speed before alighting, you turn
the nose up hill. It will then climb right up on the air until the momentum is
exhausted, when, by skillful management, it can be dropped as lightly as a
feather.</div>
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<br />
Diagram above: What Amos Root told <i><b>his</b></i> <i><b>readers</b></i> he had seen on September 20:
Low-level legs with climbing turns between, achieving a return to the starting
point. With only 16 hp available, climbing turns would have been difficult; at
even 25 feet, the wingtip would have been dangerously close to the ground and
deep in<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_(aerodynamics)"> ground-effect.</a></div>
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<br />
Diagram above:What Amos Root told<i><b> the Wrights</b></i> he had seen on September 20:
A landing in an adjacent corn field — with a request to be informed when they
eventually did achieve a return to the starting point.</div>
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"Since the above was written, <span style="color: red;">Therefore, that which follows
was written on a subsequent occasion and, furthermore, is not stated to be an
eyewitness account (= hearsay) </span>they have twice succeeded in making four
complete circles without alighting, each circle passing the starting-point.
These circles are nearly a mile in circumference each; and the last flight
made, Dec. 1, could have been prolonged indefinitely had it not been that the
rudder was in such position it cramped the hand of the operator so he was
obliged to alight. The longest flight took only five minutes and four seconds
by the watch. Over 100 flights have been made during the past summer. Some of
them reached perhaps 50 or 60 feet above ground. On both these long trips
seventy pounds instead of fifty of cast iron was carried on the
"nose." <span style="color: red;">Mostly hearsay. Root’s letter to the Wrights of December 6,
regarding December 1, hails this as the first four-circle flight, not the
second, and privately credits the report to his friend, and Huffman Prairie
neighbor, Torrance Baird (not “Dave Beard”). The claim to have climbed out of
ground-effect (50-60 feet) on 16 hp is deeply suspect, even without the extra
iron.</span><br />
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Everybody is ready to say, "Well, what use it? What
good will it do?" These are questions no man can answer yet. However, I
will give you a suggestion or two. The man who made this last trip said there
was no difficulty whatever in going above the trees or anywhere he chose; but
perhaps wisdom would dictate he should have still more experience a little
nearer the ground. The machine easily made 30 or 40 miles an hour, and this in
going only a little more than half a mile straight ahead. No doubt it would get
up a greater speed if allowed to do so—perhaps, with the wind, a mile a minute
after the first mile. The manager could doubtless go outside of the field and
bring it back safely, to be put in the little house where it is kept nights.
<span style="color: red;">All hearsay and unsubstantiated prediction.</span><br />
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But no matter how much time it takes, I am sure all the
world will commend the policy so far pursued—go slowly and carefully, and avoid
any risk that might cause the loss of a human life. This great progressive
world cannot afford to take the risk of losing the life of either of these two
men.* [Footnote: *If these two men should be taken away by accident or
otherwise, there is probably no one living who could manage the machine. With
these men to teach them "the trade," however, there are plenty who
could doubtless learn it in a few weeks.]<br />
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I have suggested before, friends, that the time may be near
at hand when we shall not need to fuss with good roads nor railway tracks,
bridges, etc., at such an enormous expense. With these machines we can bid
adieu to all these things. God's free air, that extends all over the earth, and
perhaps miles above us, is our training field. Rubber tires, and the price of
rubber, are no longer "in it." The thousand and one parts of the
automobile that go to make its construction, and to give it strength, can all
be dispensed with.<br />
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You can set your basket of eggs almost anywhere on the upper
or lower deck, they will not even rattle unless it be when they come to alight.
There are hundreds of queer things coming to light in regard to this new method
of travel; and I confess it is not clear to me, even yet, how that little
aluminum engine, with four paddles, does the work. I asked the question,
"Boys, would that engine and these two propellers raise the machine from
the ground if placed horizontally above it?" 'Certainly not, Mr.
Root. They would not lift a quarter of its weight.'<br />
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The answer involves a strange point in the wonderful
discovery of air navigation. When some large bird or butterfly is soaring with
motionless wings, a very little power from behind will keep it moving. Well, if
this motion is kept up, a very little incline of the wings will keep it from
falling. A little more incline, and a little more push from behind, and the
bird or the butterfly, or the machine created by human hands, will gradually
rise in the air. I was surprised at the speed, and I was astonished at the
wonderful lifting power of this comparatively small apparatus. When I saw it <span style="color: red;">Visit #3</span> pick up the 50 pounds of iron so readily I asked if I might ride in
place of the iron. I received, by way of assurance, the answer that the machine
would no doubt carry me easily. You see then I would have the "front
seat"; and even if it is customary (or used to be in olden times) to accord
the front seat to the ladies, I think the greater part of them would say, 'Oh! Sit still, Mr. Root. Do not think of getting up to give us your
seat.'</div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5WsreoSRtXOntGX5iK45S2-Xy88FZjtWcMRnmH_PUB3Chs_WZGypBGmYYLaTshro88iNCk_dH4nNggY7z4OIzI9r6VN2_jQa5c8P1D8akaTCqa762htaHEcBxSgfcjgnBhLXsjRV6Vg/s1600/Image+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1200" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5WsreoSRtXOntGX5iK45S2-Xy88FZjtWcMRnmH_PUB3Chs_WZGypBGmYYLaTshro88iNCk_dH4nNggY7z4OIzI9r6VN2_jQa5c8P1D8akaTCqa762htaHEcBxSgfcjgnBhLXsjRV6Vg/s400/Image+13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alleged second (1904) Flyer on the launch rail at Huffman Prairie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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At first there was considerable trouble about getting the
machine up in the air and the engine well up to speed. They did this by running
along a single-rail track perhaps 200 feet long<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: red;">This was “at first” and thus not at the time of writing.</span> It was also, in
the early experiments, found advisable to run against the wind, because they
could then have a greater time to practice in the air and not get so far away
from the building where it was stored. <span style="color: red;">Hearsay (or a fourth visit)</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since they can come around to the
starting-point, however, they can start with the wind even behind them
<span style="color: red;">Reckless, if not impossible, on 16 hp</span>; and with a strong wind behind it is an
easy matter to make even more than a mile a minute. The operator takes his
place lying flat on his face. This position offers less resistance to the wind.
The engine is started and got up to speed. The machine is held until ready to
start by a sort of trap to be sprung when all is ready; then with a tremendous
flapping and snapping of the four-cylinder engine, the huge machine springs
aloft.<span style="color: red;"> Carefully avoiding mention of the falling weight ‘catapult’ </span></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: red;"> </span>When it first turned that circle, and came near the
starting-point, I was right in front of it; and I said then, and I believe
still, it was one of the grandest sights, if not the grandest sight, of my
life. Imagine a locomotive that has left its track, and is climbing up in the
air right toward you—a locomotive without any wheels, we will say, but with
white wings instead, we will further say—a locomotive made of aluminum. Well,
now, imagine this white locomotive, with wings that spread 20 feet each way,
coming right toward you with a tremendous flap of its propellers, and you will
have something like what I saw. The younger brother bade me move to one side
for fear it might come down suddenly, but I tell you, friends, the sensation
that one feels in such a crisis is something hard to describe.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The attendant at one time, when the rope came off that
started it, said he was shaking from head to foot as if he had a fit of ague.
His shaking was uncalled for, however, for the intrepid manager succeeded in
righting up his craft <span style="color: red;">Why did it need righting?</span>, and she made one of her very
best flights. I may add, however, that the apparatus is secured by patents,
both in this and in foreign countries; and as nobody else has as yet succeeded
in doing anything like what they have done I hope no millionaire or syndicate
will try to rob them of the invention or laurels they have so fairly and
honestly earned. <span style="color: red;">Yet, when Octave Chanute called the following month, they were
unable to repeat the circular flight — which deficiency is easily explained by
modern, computer analysis of the aircraft’s configuration: At that stage, it
was aerodynamically incapable of doing what the Wrights claimed; and fatally
incapable of the tight turns which Root says he saw.</span><br />
<br /></div>
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When Columbus discovered America<span style="color: red;"> Not an opinion shared by
many Vikings</span> he did not know what the outcome would be, and no one at that time
knew; and I doubt if the wildest enthusiast caught a glimpse of what really did
come from his discovery. In a like manner these two brothers have probably not
even a faint glimpse of what their discovery is going to bring to the children
of men. No one living can give a guess of what is coming along this line, much
better than any one living could conjecture the final outcome of Columbus'
experiment when he pushed off through the trackless waters. Possibly we may be
able to fly over the north pole, even if we should not succeed in tacking the
"stars and stripes" to its uppermost end."<br />
<br /></div>
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<i>[article ends]</i></div>
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<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Conclusions</b></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></h3>
</div>
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Great efforts are made in most Wright histories to portray
Root as an impartial observer who just happened to put his head over the fence
one day and introduce himself — but there are serious problems with his
methodology, objectivity and reliability<br />
: </div>
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1. He was both a friend of the Wright family and a
friend-in-God of the Wrights<br />
<br />
.2. He published his story at the Wrights’ convenience,
delaying it for several months, despite becoming increasingly frustrated by the
changes and deletions demanded.</div>
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<br /></div>
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3. He was more “press officer” than fearless news-hound. He
omitted material facts (for example, the disastrous May “press facility” and
reliance on a launching “catapult”) to please the Wrights and make the Flyer
appear more capable than it was. He even, issued the Wrights with postcards
(and offered some for sister Katharine) so they could keep him updated.
Desperation to publish a story — at any cost — seldom enhances the objectivity
of the writing.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. He mixed eyewitness and hearsay reports, always to the
advantage of the Wrights. (He had not been invited to the “press facility” and
expressed his disappointment in a letter dated July 6.)<br />
<br /></div>
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5. He differs from the account of the September 20 circular
flight given in the Wright’s flight test diary. This latter depicts a
constantly-banked circular flight-path, whereas Root describes seeing a
rectangle with curved corners.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6. As revealed by modern computer analysis, the 1904 Flyer
was incapable of the sharp, climbing turns Root says he saw. In the absence of
evidence that the Laws of Physics are different in Ohio to the rest of the
Universe, it must be concluded that Root was “mistaken” in what he claimed to
have viewed.<br />
<br /></div>
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7. On September 27, 1904, Root suggested in writing that he
could arrange a meeting of his attorney with the Wrights to offer them legal
advice at no cost to themselves. In connection with this, he reminded them that
early publication by him could be valuable in establishing their prior rights
in any future case they might bring of patent infringement by others. “I may be
of some good to you as a witness, but a printed description with a date to it
would be worth ever so much more.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither proposal suggests neutrality or objectivity in the writer.<br />
<br />
Despite being, clearly, biased towards the Wrights and
willing to write under his own name what they told him, without checking that
it was physically possible, Root still manages to contradict them on a
fundamental point of aviation history and add details which the Wrights found
inconvenient to record for themselves<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And The Bombshell </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, what is the “explosive” conclusion promised above? One
of the Root-to-Wright letters in the Library of Congress requests,<b> “When you
get out of the corn fields and come back to the starting point, let me know and
I will be down again.”</b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Clearly, the Brothers had not, at that time, mastered the
art of flying a circular path, but Root is keen to see this for himself as soon
as possible after they have navigated the airborne Flyer back to its point of
origin without it going astray.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the date of this letter? September 22, 1904. So, just
two days after the Wright diary depicts a perfect circular flight and adds the
notation “Root present,” the gentleman himself has arrived back home and is
eagerly asking to be notified of the eventual achievement of that feat which he
has, supposedly, just witnessed. Earlier correspondence (September 12) makes it
clear that Root was intending to be in Dayton within the next week or so; there
is no mix-up with dates .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgnwrEHCYFcsPwczuPBtV3FjtAsOK9CZ_9-rhBQIp_T3Zt4NypmEgBnUjeko3TU-z5zgtHLqOUzNF34hvNiavgP1w-R7m87crqegeh-czI5UHVjVfB1ZZ4WFgrZXUJM_K4TksO7zi8c8/s1600/Image+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1076" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgnwrEHCYFcsPwczuPBtV3FjtAsOK9CZ_9-rhBQIp_T3Zt4NypmEgBnUjeko3TU-z5zgtHLqOUzNF34hvNiavgP1w-R7m87crqegeh-czI5UHVjVfB1ZZ4WFgrZXUJM_K4TksO7zi8c8/s640/Image+14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Root’s letter to the Wrights shows keenness to see a
circular flight and makes a tantalizing reference to an unintentional diversion
into a corn field. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0VISOmSHjYQcrTXsMLHEiCiCcGR8cyJqRw6Na6Lqnwq7zl93zjN6s4YpCshDY4nFbvD6ItNEY7Etbn11YQgxsU1E8iruH6qJjYOcandbanhVEwChseVBtMQ-NjE07pswlEMhK_u5_7w/s1600/Image+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="1416" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0VISOmSHjYQcrTXsMLHEiCiCcGR8cyJqRw6Na6Lqnwq7zl93zjN6s4YpCshDY4nFbvD6ItNEY7Etbn11YQgxsU1E8iruH6qJjYOcandbanhVEwChseVBtMQ-NjE07pswlEMhK_u5_7w/s400/Image+15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviXyrnBjxfV-7y0GLWYBdGM6sCo1UzobysGRrpKo3hHGfPnJMdGzjJ0NnThYCIyuHw_MUo4zwKzgfJjzaYIt-6uWbN-gKW4-5viSOV-mlLWZ0-d6jjSFYUpDxE9QLRrlU-t-wJ2jDl1o/s1600/Image+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="1600" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiviXyrnBjxfV-7y0GLWYBdGM6sCo1UzobysGRrpKo3hHGfPnJMdGzjJ0NnThYCIyuHw_MUo4zwKzgfJjzaYIt-6uWbN-gKW4-5viSOV-mlLWZ0-d6jjSFYUpDxE9QLRrlU-t-wJ2jDl1o/s640/Image+16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Two days after supposedly witnessing a historic, circular
flight, Root appears to have forgotten all about it<br />
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Either Root is suffering from clinical senility causing
serious memory loss, or the Wright diary is — not to put too fine a point on it
— “misleading.” Subsequent letters from Root, and the editorial writings in his
magazine over the ensuing months, show no evidence of an advanced medical
condition.<br />
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But there remains one further problem. By the time Root’s
much delayed, re-written, re-re-written and re-re-re-written article was
published three months later, he had entirely reversed his “for publication”
recollection of what he had seen on September 20. He even describes,
breathlessly, the aircraft heading straight for him after it has completed its circle.
How come?<br />
<br /></div>
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Did the Wrights badger Root into changing his story? In
truth, it is mystifying what prompted his <i>volte face</i>, beyond, perhaps (as his
regular letters make clear), frustration at constant requests to “censor” and
delay publication of his story, leading to despair that it would ever appear in
print. One might conjecture that the otherwise perfectly honest Root decided he
would write “whatever it takes” to win the go-ahead to publish.<br />
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Root’s letters of
September 22, September 30 and October 8 included three progressively revised
drafts, all of which the Wrights forbade to be published; other letters
(September 22, September c25, October 8) referred in exasperation to newspaper
and magazine reports which breached Wright “security” (the Smithsonian missed
those, too!); there was a meeting in Dayton in late November, presumably
including further “clarifications” by the Wrights; and a fourth — even fifth —
version was submitted for approval on December 24. The Brothers allowed this
last-mentioned to appear, but sent only a doctored picture of an earlier glider
by way of the requested illustration.<br />
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In fact, the conflict between Root’s private and public
versions of events extends as far as the location of the corn field that the
aircraft finished up in on September 20. The Wrights say they flew a perfect
circle, under adequate control, on that date; witness, Amos Root says,
privately, that they wandered off into an adjacent field, unable to fully
control their flight path.<br />
<br /></div>
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(Interestingly, the Wrights never declared the purpose of
the flight on the afternoon of September 20, although they had attempted a
first turn five days earlier and it ended in a crash. The morning’s sortie
meandered over the Prairie in an S shape. Was this another failed attempt at a
circle which, somehow, we are asked to believe, all came right after lunch? At
this stage, the aerodynamics of the Flyer were such that it would both start
turning when this was not desired; and/or refuse to come out of a turn, once in
one. These tendencies were only overcome 12 months later after significant
redesign.)</div>
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<br />
The September 27 letter from Root contains no evidence that
the Wrights objected (in theirs of September 26) to his statements that [a]
they had not yet flown a circle and [b] they had landed outside the boundaries
of the Prairie on 20th.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, Root’s
letter of September c25 makes a second reference, with its prophesy of some
future time when the Brothers will, indeed, be able to, “go out of that field
and get back into it”. Had the Wrights regarded these statements as
falsifications impugning their already proven achievements, they would have
raised objections immediately — and the ever-courteous Root would have been
fulsome in his apologies. They didn’t; so he didn’t; ergo, his letters were
relating the truth as both parties then saw it. The pressure on him to suppress
and contradict himself was, obviously, more subtle and came later.<br />
<br />
And, also, Root has
modern, computer-aided aerodynamic analysis of the Flyer’s aerodynamics to back
up his original version, describing an erratic flight. So — whose story is to
be believed?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9eDbGwIR18Ia4GNmXVveDiGdHj5St51HfC_DGVxW6Rk1DPrgd90HCmPl7-MOTaf8tJ-jlN9UzXXhM3VIMCEHsWgj5IFsnyne1fxqR0JPHPbXKPcjKLixQDoOqDlZdPYf-t1neoUOPnI/s1600/Image+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="854" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9eDbGwIR18Ia4GNmXVveDiGdHj5St51HfC_DGVxW6Rk1DPrgd90HCmPl7-MOTaf8tJ-jlN9UzXXhM3VIMCEHsWgj5IFsnyne1fxqR0JPHPbXKPcjKLixQDoOqDlZdPYf-t1neoUOPnI/s640/Image+17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the cornfields. A Wright first?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In 1940, the Luftwaffe put many more aircraft into Britain’s
September corn fields but, curiously, this was one “first” that the Wright
Brothers, most uncharacteristically, declined to claim for themselves.<br />
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-15805905604941134622017-04-19T02:46:00.000-07:002018-04-05T10:02:25.943-07:00Joe Bullmer Rebuttal to Tom Crouch in the "Huffington Post"<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Wright Brothers" "Fourth Flight Picture"</span></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMtMHgF27ZhKwyo92E_atw8qObYrzepyJtaofDUoOYQvQ1XNHAXmyz4XfKVaiAs5LJM_KYw7KEgx1-gSSq7d7gaJ0ThexO_rlOyO85II6E_CEoblh162NAFdufX-qHu62I_uatF9w_AE/s1600/Wright+fourth+flight+Paint+III.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMtMHgF27ZhKwyo92E_atw8qObYrzepyJtaofDUoOYQvQ1XNHAXmyz4XfKVaiAs5LJM_KYw7KEgx1-gSSq7d7gaJ0ThexO_rlOyO85II6E_CEoblh162NAFdufX-qHu62I_uatF9w_AE/s640/Wright+fourth+flight+Paint+III.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is claimed by Wright historians to be the 852 feet flight at Kitty Hawk, December 17, 1903</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tom Crouch Article for the "Huffington Post"</span></b><span style="font-size: large;">*</span><br />
<h2>
</h2>
<b>by Joe Bullmer</b></div>
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It has come to my attention that <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/people/staff/tom-crouch">Tom Crouch</a></span> of the Smithsonian provided<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carroll-f-gray/the-photo-doesnt-lie-and_b_12578144.html">an article to Carroll Gray </a></span>of the Huffington Post** concerning the Wright brothers testing at Kitty Hawk in 1903. In this article, along with his usual litany of erroneous statements about this subject, he has totally misrepresented my judgments concerning the Wright brothers and the photograph said to represent their last test on December 17, 1903.<br />
<br />
Having a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan with additional post graduate studies, I was a practicing aircraft design and performance engineer involved in intelligence analysis. This is the best possible background from which to assess the Wrights' various records of their work in aviation.<br />
<br />
In his article, Crouch asserts that I claim the photo said to depict the end of the Wrights' final test in 1903 is actually of a flight during their testing at Kitty Hawk in 1908. I have never said this and have never reached that conclusion. My statements about this photograph have consistently been that I don't know what it depicts. As I stated in an interview concerning this photo for a documentary film, "I'm not sure what I'm looking at."<br />
<br />
The facts about this photograph are conflicting. Crouch gives the usual caption (annotated on the back of the original photo by Orville Wright according to the Wright State University Library Special Collections and Archives Department), that the photo was of the 1903 aircraft on the ground at the end of a claimed 852 foot 59 second flight, the fourth and last attempt of December 17. Both the launching rail and the aircraft appear in the photo. Using simple proven photogrammetric mensuration techniques, I have determined the aircraft to be only about 270 feet from the rail. (Interestingly, others have come up with similar results. In fact, in 2002, Carroll Gray determined the distance in the photo to be 250 feet, although he claimed the vehicle was in the air and must have continued on to the 852 foot point after the photo was taken.<br />
<br />
Compounding the mystery is the fact that the propellers are obviously stopped. In other Wright photos of the aircraft with the engine running, the propellers appear as almost invisible blurs. However, in the "fourth flight" photo, propeller blades are clearly defined. Thus the aircraft in the photo has its engine stopped and is at, or very near, the end of the flight photographed.<br />
<br />
Crouch refers to the anhedral of the wings versus the dihedral exhibited in the only photo claimed to be of the 1908 aircraft.***<br />
<br />
[Ed. note: Compare pictures, below.]<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEFde2DA4BvBPv7QMqcTJxOW0YPZog2B3cQ4SzY7959Wa-h9vthICh5tRQkYdhoEDukQQey7Sgi-TUVPA6EVjcgKBiHTAwSGOLoPXxb9UXJVt9JSfnZeygHH7lyKMyxzvgkKnZ7lywzY/s640/Wright+1908_Flyer_III_at_Kitty_Hawk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the only photograph claimed by Wright historians to be of the 1908 "Wright Flyer III" (with one exception. See note below) ** Observe that the wings are obviously dihedral (tilted upwards at the ends.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfwi89ttjsi6JNDbLrN9Mcjh3gO9e17rx0OVLfcRAVOnHzxYZOMsV9zreDIpcpJHYYtUcwVin3syO1apVITlg6K8_1jeYEjuYIGHPEERIvy-6ka2cg9zQd34yX4uEDki5Bkumbqw-l_c/s1600/Wright+last+flight+close+up+good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfwi89ttjsi6JNDbLrN9Mcjh3gO9e17rx0OVLfcRAVOnHzxYZOMsV9zreDIpcpJHYYtUcwVin3syO1apVITlg6K8_1jeYEjuYIGHPEERIvy-6ka2cg9zQd34yX4uEDki5Bkumbqw-l_c/s640/Wright+last+flight+close+up+good.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is identified by Orville Wright as depicting the end of the 852 feet flight in 1903. It can't be. Note that the wings are tilted downward at the ends in an anhedral position.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This feature was adjustable by the Wrights, either by replacing the wing bracing wires, adjusting turnbuckles, or by switching them. In fact, they stated that they preferred anhedral for flying at Kitty Hawk.<br />
<br />
But Crouch does not mention the even more obvious three objects of the lower wing [below], features typical of the 1908 two-seat-with-engine aircraft but not the single prone crewman and horizontal engine of the 1903 version.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PLw7jCCWzfUtrvvMfkaEAiRfasYQgTdruRvpsMxuTpIF4NRwNX3rHIaT-TJcYSNPrcxiurgi-Izu-Wwb-ec93TA7dvudYsbf4AMI_HwtaXFQyWHjmXPgnhcO7aCoR303Nn5dJrmeaaA/s1600/Bullmer+fourth+flight+close+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PLw7jCCWzfUtrvvMfkaEAiRfasYQgTdruRvpsMxuTpIF4NRwNX3rHIaT-TJcYSNPrcxiurgi-Izu-Wwb-ec93TA7dvudYsbf4AMI_HwtaXFQyWHjmXPgnhcO7aCoR303Nn5dJrmeaaA/s400/Bullmer+fourth+flight+close+up.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three objects on the wing of the plane. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I find the short distance, stopped propeller, and three objects on board to be incompatible with what the photo has been claimed to represent. It seems that either the photo is of the fourth test in 1903 (ignoring the three objects on the wing) and the aircraft didn't go a third as far as was claimed, or perhaps their aircraft did go 852 feet as claimed, but that is not a picture of it. I simply am not sure what the photo represents. <span style="color: #cc0000;">Contrary to what Crouch states, at this point all I know is that it does not show the 1903 aircraft at the end of an 852 foot flight.</span></div>
<br />
Crouch has also called me a "Wright skeptic." He very well knows better. He has read my book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208">"The WRight Story"</a> and in a face-to-face meeting, was quite complimentary to me about it. On page 114 of my book, I repeat the Wright claim that the aircraft flew 852 feet on the fourth attempt of December 17. In fact, my book contains over three dozen highly complimentary comments about the Wrights, such as "...they were the first to achieve a minimal combination of all the essential elements comprising an airplane"; "I have utmost respect for their intellects and accomplishments"; "They accomplished the magnificent feat of creating the world's first real airplane and did so in an amazingly short time"; and "[the Wrights] did develop the world's first manned, powered, and, by the end of 1905, fully controlled airplane." These are hardly the statements of a "Wright skeptic."<br />
<br />
However, I do not deify the Wright brothers, either. I point out numerous instances of deceitful statements by the Wrights. In a sworn deposition for their 1910 patent suit hearing, Wilbur described their 1904 and 1905 test failures as "On a few occasions the machine came to the ground in a somewhat tilted position." This is in contrast to their test notes which list numerous occasions when they crashed heavily enough to crush wings and structure, smash propellers, and even break engines and suffer minor injuries.<br />
<br />
They also gave sworn testimony on how easily their aircraft could be turned with their interconnected rudder, when, in fact, they had to permanently disconnect it in order to complete turns. Actually, they had disconnected it for years before their patent on the connected rudder was granted and vigorously defended by them in court.<br />
<br />
Orville's published descriptions of the 1903 tests claimed totally unaided takeoffs, when, in fact, the wind supplied 90% of the required takeoff speed and 80% of the necessary lift. It was almost flying sitting still without using the engine. In a 1908 article, Orville described his first attempt as having "sailed forward on a level course" but later admitted that the flight was "exceedingly erratic," pitching and diving uncontrollably into the sand.<br />
<br />
According to page 70 of Crouch's own book <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wings-History-Aviation-Kites-Space/dp/0393326209">"Wings,"</a></span> Orville claimed in 1923 that their 1903 original powered aircraft was capable of flying for more than 20 minutes and achieving altitudes exceeding 1000 feet. This from an engine that, with no real cooling or oiling systems, couldn't run for more than two minutes without seizing, according to both the Wrights and modern engine experts, and couldn't supply enough power to climb the aircraft out of ground effect. <br />
<br />
These and over a dozen other false Wright statements, referenced in my book, belie Crouch's claim that "the Wright brothers did not lie, and they did not misrepresent." Indeed, as we just saw in the last paragraph, Crouch himself, albeit unwittingly, published one of Orville Wright's biggest falsehoods. I consider them exceptional intellects and gentlemen, but far from saints.<br />
<br />
Mr. Crouch and I have met cordially and exchanged emails. If in the future he wants to present my position on the"fourth flight" photo or any other facet of the Wrights' work, he should first determine the truth by contacting me directly. I would not have expected such shoddy research from one of the Smithsonian's Chief Curators.<br />
<br />
Copyright 2016 - Joe Bullmer<br />
<br />
__________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
Editor's note Joe Bullmer is author of the very popular book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9263176-the-wright-story">"The WRight Story." </a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd9zJMc_Xr_ikUurIevkwZKNWomTw9cfYEFOchQ9yEYrc5YVI29DGKY7j6oYMZ8WJlFU6cdYNE9EE2DjFh9VfkGe8ly1ZnXvPsleGT1zHNm7AiSjxWCGiQZ8DJvVsENhEaDDKidB7Px8/s1600/IMG_0571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd9zJMc_Xr_ikUurIevkwZKNWomTw9cfYEFOchQ9yEYrc5YVI29DGKY7j6oYMZ8WJlFU6cdYNE9EE2DjFh9VfkGe8ly1ZnXvPsleGT1zHNm7AiSjxWCGiQZ8DJvVsENhEaDDKidB7Px8/s320/IMG_0571.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2MHTvNIJh6-U9LFoumw2w4FTh7npJOMgxpLZVGrKGQP4NWTzug7QU71F96ySD6U5wgUltgNbuODhbqv8AcZPLx7hLqp6wfgNPR2XvvAWeW93shd3nh38VVBjzNyIKZVe9KiKGXLyBXc/s1600/Bullmer+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr2MHTvNIJh6-U9LFoumw2w4FTh7npJOMgxpLZVGrKGQP4NWTzug7QU71F96ySD6U5wgUltgNbuODhbqv8AcZPLx7hLqp6wfgNPR2XvvAWeW93shd3nh38VVBjzNyIKZVe9KiKGXLyBXc/s1600/Bullmer+book.jpg" /></a></div>
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From "Good Reads" and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208"> Amazon.com</a>:.<i>.."a new scientifically and historically accurate, unbiased account of the birth of aviation. The fact is that what many readers think is all Wright, is actually not...."</i><br />
<br />
Support the<a href="https://www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org/"> Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY.</a> Inquire there for "The WRight Story."<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>*</b></span>Ed: Although Joe Bullmer retains the copyright to this essay, he has graciously permitted<br />
"Truth in Aviation History" to publish it in full. Photographs and notes are added by the editor.<br />
<br />
**Ed: The blog post written by Tom Crouch in the "Huffington Post" is titled: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carroll-f-gray/the-photo-doesnt-lie-and_b_12578144.html">"The Photo Doesn't Lie and Neither Did the Wright Brothers." </a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">***</span>Ed. note: There is a distant photograph of the "Wright Flyer III," caught by <a href="http://core.ecu.edu/umc/wrights/exhibitpressrelease.html">journalist "Jimmy" Hare</a> in 1908. It was published in "Collier's Weekly" magazine. The wings appear to be anhedral, not dihedral. In other words, the 1908 profile most resembles the photo that was identified as the "fourth flight picture" of 1903, not the "photo shoot" still of 1908 with the Life Savers (above).The Hare photo thus supports the thesis that the Wrights flew in 1908 with the wings anhedral.Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149762536374978942.post-61363256791756140692017-03-14T16:29:00.000-07:002018-02-03T00:14:58.520-08:00The Wrights' 1903 Photographs, Part II. More About the Third (Fourth) Flight Attempt <div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span></span> A </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>study of the Wright brothers' "third flight photo" </b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kF7s2xR6mqiOMiMmNY8hZecuWYlL9M6uWKy5jAfoRVDyZs2CwgbJrLCzePT0GEJbUTQxoHzFIHP8Q7akRCPAXVTeGHoOwKpe0OfulkQyE_fOKJSHFyhqiBLJWoRWDNEyPfcD6pE67QI/s1600/Wright+Third+Flight+The-Blind+CROPPED%252C+PAINT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kF7s2xR6mqiOMiMmNY8hZecuWYlL9M6uWKy5jAfoRVDyZs2CwgbJrLCzePT0GEJbUTQxoHzFIHP8Q7akRCPAXVTeGHoOwKpe0OfulkQyE_fOKJSHFyhqiBLJWoRWDNEyPfcD6pE67QI/s400/Wright+Third+Flight+The-Blind+CROPPED%252C+PAINT.jpg" width="327" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Blind Leading the Blind" by Peter Breughal the Elder</td></tr>
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<i><b>Note from our editors:</b> The typical aviation historian presents
the Wright photograph, below, as proof of the third flight, claimed by the
Wright brothers on December 17, 1917. Expert examinations of the photo
reveal that these historians are blindly accepting its authenticity. </i><br />
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<i>We are pleased to provide our readers with an essay </i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>by one of our own </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>expert aviation </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b>historians</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>to rebut </b></span></i><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">the credibility of the third flight photo if we accept Orville Wright's statements in his diary.</span></b></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></b></span></i>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXXDi-wVGTRAr6CTwJ9okwz1aAKbKu0ycYtsRb684qkfOYcOnvwkS8AwZQI0U2AATaNEopIOkl3HCFwUyvGhyphenhyphenzRHUj4iKbDS7TAHHewfWrxIfzC7qXIpzmThHzLlP2ptzPlXcwRwhQdg/s1600/Wright+third+flight+for+blog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXXDi-wVGTRAr6CTwJ9okwz1aAKbKu0ycYtsRb684qkfOYcOnvwkS8AwZQI0U2AATaNEopIOkl3HCFwUyvGhyphenhyphenzRHUj4iKbDS7TAHHewfWrxIfzC7qXIpzmThHzLlP2ptzPlXcwRwhQdg/s640/Wright+third+flight+for+blog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alleged third flight photo of the Wrights brothers, December 17, 1903?<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">I Wouldn't Stand There If I Were You </span></b></span></td></tr>
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One of the oddities of the third claimed Wright flight of December 17, 1903, is that the photograph of the event is significantly at odds with Orville Wright's diary description of the same.That's strange, because the diary was, supposedly, written up that evening, while details were still fresh in the mind.</div>
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Here's what he says about, and leading up to, that flight: </div>
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"<i>After repairs, at 20 min. after 11 o'clock Will made the second trial. The course was about like mine, up and down but a little longer over the ground though about the same in time. Dist. not measured but about 175 ft [...]</i><br />
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<i>With the aid of the station men present, we picked the machine up and carried it back to the starting ways. At about 20 minutes till 12 o'clock I made the third trial. <span style="color: red;">When out about the same distance as Will's <span style="color: black;">I met with a strong gust from the left which raised the left wing and <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sidling">sidled</a> the machine off to the right in a lively manner. I immediately turned the rudder to bring the machine down and then worked the end control. Much to our surprise, on reaching the ground the left wing struck first, showing the lateral control of this machine much more effective than on any of our former ones. <span style="color: red;">At the time of its sidling it had raised to a height of probably 12 to 14 feet.</span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">[....} <span style="color: red;">Will took a picture of my third flight just before the gust struck the machine.</span>" </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">The widely published history of the Wrights' records of the third flight of the day (actually, Orville's second) was 200 feet.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></i><br />
The photograph that Wilbur took, "just before the gust struck the machine" is preserved in the Library of Congress (ref 00628). It shows the right wing scraping the ground and a general pose which any pilot would recognize as the consequence of an unexpected gust from the left. (The intent was to fly into the prevailing wind, which was, apparently, slightly east of north that day.)<br />
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Orville says the picture was taken just before the "sidling," but he also says the aircraft was at "12 to 14 feet" when the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=crosswind+defined&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8">crosswind</a> struck. One of these statements can't be right; the picture shows the aircraft skimming the ground. Generations of Wright historians have been too polite to mention that discrepancy.<br />
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Moreover, Orville says the "sidling" took place where Wilbur's flight had ended--175 feet 'down-range.' He says that effective rudder control allowed him to right the machine and, in fact, slightly over-correct, so that it landed left wing down.<br />
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The aircraft was covering the ground at a speed of about 10 mph (31 mph air speed in a 20+ mph headwind). Control began to be lost at 175 feet ("Will's distance"), and the "Flyer" landed 25 feet later. It was covering 15 feet per second, so the recovery episode--from picture to landing--took just over 1 1/2 seconds.<br />
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Such response from an under-powered airplane with a 40 feet wing span and <a href="https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/anhedral">anhedral</a>, in<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20effect"> ground effect</a>, and fighting a sudden veer in wind direction, would be reckoned incredible, bordering on supernatural, even in one of today's aircraft. And a modern pilot would be able to "cross the controls" to escape the effects of a crosswind gust, whereas this option was closed to the Wrights in 1903-5. Their vaunted, patented interconnection of wing trailing edge controls and rudder meant that once hit by a crosswind, they would only be going in one direction to one place--as the photograph makes clear. The (over) correction to the flight path was wishful thinking.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Wilbur Wright's Narrow Escape</span></b></div>
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But even more deserving of a "miracle" epithet is Wilbur's narrow escape from death on the ground. Having, somehow, avoided being skewered by a broken strut three days earlier when he declined to respond to the force of inertia induced by his crash landing, * we now find him setting up the camera\ tripod about 150 feet down range, where he stands a good chance of being decapitated if the aircraft is even a few feet off course. Examine the diagram below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iE-guksg4QVW67kuu4G7wgRE8GVO8fx44oSEwu3pdqnuK0Gf9JcnFUjkbzwLWwd3nZ-eyrQOk_kZSm6-JDswHr2IFW83KbUsiJgn_pihyphenhyphenUfWWmY0dS4wRu4DHE-AnryUAvrt_b7hzuc/s1600/Wright+Third+flight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iE-guksg4QVW67kuu4G7wgRE8GVO8fx44oSEwu3pdqnuK0Gf9JcnFUjkbzwLWwd3nZ-eyrQOk_kZSm6-JDswHr2IFW83KbUsiJgn_pihyphenhyphenUfWWmY0dS4wRu4DHE-AnryUAvrt_b7hzuc/s1600/Wright+Third+flight.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iE-guksg4QVW67kuu4G7wgRE8GVO8fx44oSEwu3pdqnuK0Gf9JcnFUjkbzwLWwd3nZ-eyrQOk_kZSm6-JDswHr2IFW83KbUsiJgn_pihyphenhyphenUfWWmY0dS4wRu4DHE-AnryUAvrt_b7hzuc/s1600/Wright+Third+flight.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></a></span>
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<i><span style="color: black;"><b>The scale diagram (above) shows the cameraman's position and the track of the plane's right wing, assuming that the Wrights' description of the event is accurate. </b></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXXDi-wVGTRAr6CTwJ9okwz1aAKbKu0ycYtsRb684qkfOYcOnvwkS8AwZQI0U2AATaNEopIOkl3HCFwUyvGhyphenhyphenzRHUj4iKbDS7TAHHewfWrxIfzC7qXIpzmThHzLlP2ptzPlXcwRwhQdg/s1600/Wright+third+flight+for+blog.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXXDi-wVGTRAr6CTwJ9okwz1aAKbKu0ycYtsRb684qkfOYcOnvwkS8AwZQI0U2AATaNEopIOkl3HCFwUyvGhyphenhyphenzRHUj4iKbDS7TAHHewfWrxIfzC7qXIpzmThHzLlP2ptzPlXcwRwhQdg/s400/Wright+third+flight+for+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alleged third flight of the Wrights brothers, December 17, 1903.</i><br />
<i> Note that it is provably full frame.</i></td></tr>
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Another pertinent observation--the archived picture is, clearly (because it has ragged edges), full-frame and not an enlargement--so the camera is even closer to the "Flyer" than in the famous "first flight" photograph. For a camera of the day, that's close.<br />
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Suppose, however, that the camera was set up close to the end of the launch rail and and far enough back to miss the journey of that wing tip. If so, the flight exhibited in the photograph could not possibly have reached anywhere near 200 feet. The plane is obviously "in distress," as is apparent to any pilot, [obviously not to any historian] and it's demise is only a matter of a second or so away, too late for any possible chance of recovery.<br />
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Finally, of course, Life Saver John Daniels, who is credited with taking the "first flight" picture earlier that day, testified several times to only two flight attempts on December 17.* According to him, the event depicted in the photograph never happened on the day in question.*<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">T</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><b>he</b></span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Wrights' wing warping illustrated</span></b></div>
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According to the "third flight photograph," did Orville attempt to recover from his wing tip's fatal collision with the ground, as he stated in his diary? <br />
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Or did the plane crash before it he could manipulate the controls?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFRG3P6vsqe7RM5GVLV7Z-GmnsNyd4exuse04T-suYNniGLbePWJowLDltyvXatKyZp2ligX83gIqWZnzDWyAhqc3lTXRcb2xGbMk1SWWsoHBmTFjlE3jW-cBpziiMXaugGV2amPENZk/s1600/Flight+three.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFRG3P6vsqe7RM5GVLV7Z-GmnsNyd4exuse04T-suYNniGLbePWJowLDltyvXatKyZp2ligX83gIqWZnzDWyAhqc3lTXRcb2xGbMk1SWWsoHBmTFjlE3jW-cBpziiMXaugGV2amPENZk/s640/Flight+three.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A comparison of the alleged third flight photo (top, above) when there is no wing warping being applied (according to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489514579&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=the+wright+story+joe+buhler">Joe Bullmer</a>, M. A. Aeronautical Engineering), with a similar photo of the Wright glider in 1902 (below) where wing warping is being applied, to demonstrate the observable difference in the conformation of the wings.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When author Joe Bullmer, aviation historian and aeronautical engineering expert,*** was queried whether the aircraft in the third flight picture had any control applied, he graciously filled us in with more detail why he decided that no control movement was evident in the photo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">According to Bullmer, "First, I couldn't see the pilot's position since it was obscured by the right vertical rudder. But if you examine the right wings you see that the distances from the highest edges (which are near the max camber lines) to the trailing edges on both wings are consistent over the entire span. If any aerodynamically significant warping had been applied you would see an increase or decrease in the distances between these lines over the outer portions of the wings. It is quite evident in other photos with warping applied. On a photo this close and clear, if you don't see any warping there is none of any aerodynamic significance. With coordinated controls, this also indicates that the vertical rudders were undeflected. I can't completely rule out that the horizontal canard elevators might have a couple degrees of upward deflection, but nothing of significance that would affect the conclusions I drew.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I thus felt safe in saying that apparently no control had been applied at the instant the photo was taken."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>(Editor's note: Joe Bullmer has written his own separate study of the "third flight" photo. It will be forthcoming on this blog.) </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">********* </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*A reference to the photo supposed to be of the aftermath of the flight attempt on December 14.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">"Truth in Aviation History" is planning an essay on this photograph, as well as others attributed</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> to 1903</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">**</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">See, for example,<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=149762536374978942#editor/target=post;postID=8563387889735948065;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=39;src=postname"> "Pieces of the Wright Puzzle, Part II"</a> in this blog. The Saunders interview of John Daniels for "Colliers" is recounted in the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Published-Writings-Wilbur-Orville-Wright/dp/1588341429">The Published Writings of Wilbur and Orville Wright</a>," edited by Peter L.Jakab and Rick Young, The Smithsonian Institution,</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> year 2000,</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"> pp 274+</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">**<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wright-Story-Joe-Bullmer/dp/1439236208/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489514579&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=the+wright+story+joe+buhler">*Joe Bullmer is author of "The WRight Story"</a> (sic), a must read for those interested in the truth in aviation history. Joe is a writer of aircraft performance studies and worked for the U. S. Air Force for over thirty years as an intelligence analyst on aircraft and missile designs.</i></span></div>
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Geniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13107226974887974148noreply@blogger.com0