It triggers the imagination. What would aviation
pioneer Orville Wright think about a reproduction of his
1903 Wright Flyer being tested in a wind tunnel he used to
visit?
An authentic, airworthy reproduction of the Wright brothers’
first successful powered flying machine is undergoing
aerodynamic testing at the Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST).
The tunnel is owned by NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC)
in Hampton, Va., and operated by Old Dominion University
(ODU) in Norfolk, Va. The LFST was built in 1930. It was
NASA’s first full-scale wind tunnel.
During this experiment, underwritten primarily by ODU,
engineers will take to determine how the 1903 Wright Flyer
replica can be safely flown and controlled. They’ll use the
information, not only to document the 40.5-foot-wingspan
aircraft’s flying characteristics, but also to create the
first accurate flight-simulator to teach pilots how to fly
the primitive aircraft.
“NASA Langley is proud to sponsor wind tunnel tests of this
accurate, authentic reproduction of the Wright Flyer. The
first man to fly, Orville Wright, was on the advisory
committee that established NASA’s Langley Research Center in
1917,” said Ed Prior, deputy director of Langley’s Office of
Education. “Wright also visited Langley a number of times.
In fact, we have at least one picture of Orville Wright
taken in the very same tunnel where the Wright Flyer
reproduction is being tested,” he said.
The wind tunnel tests are part of research being done by ODU
and Ken Hyde of the Wright Experience of Warrenton, Va. The
not-for-profit Discovery of Flight Foundation, also in
Warrenton, to uncover and document how the Wright brothers
managed to conquer the principles of controlled, powered
flight in five short years, contracted the Wright
Experience.
The Wright Flyer replica, built with help from the Ford
Motor Co. and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in
Oshkosh, Wis., will use two different motors during tests.
One is a gasoline-powered reproduction of the primitive
engine designed and built by the Wrights in 1903. The other
is an electric motor donated by Teco Westinghouse
Corporation that can be controlled precisely during wind
tunnel testing.
“Rediscovering the secrets of the Wright brothers to inspire
a new generation is what motivates The Wright Experience,”
said Hyde. “Our journey will continue through December 17
this year with the flight of this 1903 Wright Flyer
reproduction at Kitty Hawk. These wind tunnel tests will
help us recreate the Wrights’ historic accomplishment and
reduce the risk involved in the replica flight later this
year,” he said.
“We can’t predict what the weather will be December 17,
2003, when the Wright Experience plans to fly the EAA Flyer
reproduction,” said Professor Robert Ash, Wright test-
program manager for ODU. “We only know the original Flyer
could be flown on a cold day into a 27 mph wind. The wind
tunnel test results will give us the necessary knowledge to
guide and train pilots for virtually all eventualities.”
The Wright Experience and ODU have already built and tested
1901 and 1902 Wright glider reproductions along with a suite
of Wright propellers in their quest to “reverse engineer”
the 1903 Wright Flyer and other early Wright aircraft.
For more information about the Wright Experience on the
Internet, visit:
http://www.wrightexperience.com
For more information about the LFST on the Internet, visit:
For more information about NASA on the Internet, visit:
For more information about the Centennial of Flight
commemoration on the Internet, visit:
