Wright Model A
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| Wright Model A | |
|---|---|
 A replica Wright Military Flyer at the National Museum of the United States Air Force |
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| Type | Demonstrator |
| Manufacturer | Wright Company |
| Maiden flight | 1908 |
| Number built | ca.60 |
The Wright Model A was an early aircraft produced by the Wright Brothers in the United States beginning in 1907. It was an outgrowth of their Flyer III airplane of 1905. The Model A had a 35 horsepower engine and seating for two with new control arrangement. Otherwise it was identical to the 1905 airplane. The Model A was the first aircraft that they offered for sale, and the first aircraft design to enter serial production anywhere in the world. Apart from the seven machines the Wrights built themselves in 1906-1907, they sold licences for production in Europe, with the largest number of Model As actually being produced in Germany by Flugmaschine Wright GmbH, which built about 60 examples.[1]
The 1909 Military Flyer was a one of a kind Model A built by the Wright Brothers. With wings shortened two feet and the same engine salvaged from the wrecked 1908 Fort Myer Flyer, it differed from the standard Wright A in size and had a faster speed. The aircraft was demonstrated successfully at Fort Myer, Virginia June 28, 1909[2] for the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which offered a contract of $25,000 for an aircraft capable of flying at 40 mph (64 km/h) with two people on board for a distance of 125 miles (200 km). After rigid trials the Signal Corps accepted the airplane, August 2, 1909[2], paying the brothers $30,000[3]. This original Wright Military Model A plane is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC[4]. It is displayed in much the original condition as when the Smithsonian received it in 1911. The only original standard model A to survive is the one Orville Wright used to demonstrate at Tempelhof, Germany in 1909, it resides in the Deutsches Museum, Munich.
[edit] Specifications (Wright Military Flyer)
Data from "US Army Aircraft 1908-1946" by James C. Fahey, 1946, 64pp.
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Length: 30 ft 8 in (112 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 5 in (133 m)
- Height: 17 (89 m)
- Empty weight: 740 lb (336 kg)
- Loaded weight: 1,263 lb (573 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Wright Model 4, 30 hp (22 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 42 mph (67.6 km/h)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.[edit] References
- ^ Das Flugzeug "Model A" von Wilbur und Orville Wright, Deutsches Museum (German) (shows German advert for Wright Flugmaschinen, flying lesson included with purchase) "In der in Johannisthal bei Berlin ansässigen Firma "Flugmaschine Wright GmbH" wurden Wright-Flugzeuge in Lizenz gebaut. Die im Herbst 1909 gegründete Firma war nach der Flugmaschinenfabrik von August Euler die zweite Flugzeugfabrik in Deutschland, in der Flugzeuge in Serie gefertigt wurden. Sie produzierte bis 1913 etwa 60 Wright-Doppeldecker verschiedener Versionen"
- ^ a b "U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946" by James C. Fahey, 1946, 64pp.
- ^ "On Great White Wings" by Fred E. C. Gulic and Spencer Dunmore (Airlife Publishing Ltd. Shrewsbury, England, 2001, ISBN 1840373334), 176pp.
- ^ "United States Military Aircraft Since 1909" by F. G. Swanborough, 1964, 596 pp.
[edit] External links
- 1909 Wright Military Flyer, NASA Collections Database
- Replica at the Museum of the United States Air Force
[edit] See also
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