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Although the powered 1903 Wright Flyer is more famous, this glider from the previous year is enormously significant as the world’s first controllable flying machine. The culmination of countless hours of wind tunnel development and previous glider flight tests, the 1902 Wright Glider solved most of the stability and control problems that vexed previous designs. It was the final enabler for humans to fly.
Wilbur and Orville Wright were fascinated with machines from an early age. Together, they built and sold mechanical toys, published a paper with Orville’s own press, and made bicycles. The world of flight also caught the brothers’ imagination, inspired by the accomplishments of German glider innovator Otto Lilienthal. Following Lilienthal’s accidental death in 1896, the Wrights transitioned to active development of flying machines. Beginning with large kites, the Wrights developed a series of gliders from 1899 to 1902. When their first gliders didn’t provide the lift that Lilienthal’s published calculations said they should, the Wrights built a wind tunnel and systematically compiled the first reliable tables of aerodynamic data on curved surfaces. Their final glider, the 1902 version, had much-improved aerodynamic qualities and led the way to their first powered flights the following year.
The early Wright designs were controlled by the pilot in a prone position. Pitch is controlled by a bar ahead of the pilot, which changes the position of the elevator in front. Wires connect the wing tips to a U-shaped cradle beneath the pilot’s hips. When the pilot moves the cradle side-to-side, the wingtips move in opposition to each other, and the glider rolls for a turn. Additional wires connect the rudder in back to this “wing-warping” mechanism, thus controlling yaw.
The 1902 glider flew at least 700 piloted flights and perhaps as many as a 1000. Wilbur did most of the flying, but Orville also piloted the craft. This testing, plus the accumulation of piloting experience, were crucial elements in refining the design and developing flying technique. For example, the glider initially experienced lateral-directional stability problems, caused by the fixed double vertical fin, but the Wrights implemented a breakthrough solution that ensured coordinated turns -- a single moving rudder that was interconnected to the wing-warping roll control system.
The original 1902 Wright glider did not survive. It was left at Kitty Hawk and was destroyed by the elements. In 1960, a team of University of Washington Aeronautical Engineering students built this reproduction, based on original Wright drawings with a few modern component updates, supervised by Professor Robert G. Joppa. The glider flew multiple times, towed in kite fashion, in the Teanaway Valley near Cle Elem, Washington in 1963.
Although the powered 1903 Wright Flyer is more famous, this glider from the previous year is enormously significant as the world’s first controllable flying machine. The culmination of countless hours of wind tunnel development and previous glider flight tests, the 1902 Wright Glider solved most of the stability and control problems that vexed previous designs. It was the final enabler for humans to fly.
Wilbur and Orville Wright were fascinated with machines from an early age. Together, they built and sold mechanical toys, published a paper with Orville’s own press, and made bicycles. The world of flight also caught the brothers’ imagination, inspired by the accomplishments of German glider innovator Otto Lilienthal. Following Lilienthal’s accidental death in 1896, the Wrights transitioned to active development of flying machines. Beginning with large kites, the Wrights developed a series of gliders from 1899 to 1902. When their first gliders didn’t provide the lift that Lilienthal’s published calculations said they should, the Wrights built a wind tunnel and systematically compiled the first reliable tables of aerodynamic data on curved surfaces. Their final glider, the 1902 version, had much-improved aerodynamic qualities and led the way to their first powered flights the following year.
The early Wright designs were controlled by the pilot in a prone position. Pitch is controlled by a bar ahead of the pilot, which changes the position of the elevator in front. Wires connect the wing tips to a U-shaped cradle beneath the pilot’s hips. When the pilot moves the cradle side-to-side, the wingtips move in opposition to each other, and the glider rolls for a turn. Additional wires connect the rudder in back to this “wing-warping” mechanism, thus controlling yaw.
The 1902 glider flew at least 700 piloted flights and perhaps as many as a 1000. Wilbur did most of the flying, but Orville also piloted the craft. This testing, plus the accumulation of piloting experience, were crucial elements in refining the design and developing flying technique. For example, the glider initially experienced lateral-directional stability problems, caused by the fixed double vertical fin, but the Wrights implemented a breakthrough solution that ensured coordinated turns -- a single moving rudder that was interconnected to the wing-warping roll control system.
The original 1902 Wright glider did not survive. It was left at Kitty Hawk and was destroyed by the elements. In 1960, a team of University of Washington Aeronautical Engineering students built this reproduction, based on original Wright drawings with a few modern component updates, supervised by Professor Robert G. Joppa. The glider flew multiple times, towed in kite fashion, in the Teanaway Valley near Cle Elem, Washington in 1963.
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