Aerodynamics, Stability and Control of the 1903 Wright Flyer
- Creators
- Culick, Fred E. C.
- Jex, Henry R.
Abstract
The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Aero and Astronautics is building two replicas of the 1903 Wright Flyer airplane; one to wind-tunnel test and display, and a modified one to fly. As part of this project the aerodynamic characteristics of the Flyer are being analyzed by modern wind-tunnel and analytical techniques. Tnis paper describes the Wright Flyer Project, and compares key results from small-scale wind-tunnel tests and from vortex-lattice computations for this multi-biplane canard configuration. Analyses of the stability and control properties are summarized and their implications for closed-loop control by a pilot are derived using quasilinear pilot-vehicle analysis and illustrated by simulation time histories. It is concluded that, although the Wrights were very knowledgeable and ingenious with respect to aircraft controls and their interactions (e.g., the good effects of their wing-warp-to-rudder linkage are validated), they were largely ignorant of dynamic stability considerations. The paper shows that the 1903 Flyer was readily controllable about all axes but was intrinsically unstable in pitch and roll, and it could barely be stabilized by a skilled pilot.
Additional Information
September 20, 1984. Systems Technology, Inc., Paper No. 359. We thank Mrs. C. Yehle of Caltech for typing the manuscript through many drafts, and Mr. C. Reaber for the great care with which he prepared the figures. To be published in "Proceedings of the Symposium on the 80th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight", Smithsonian Institution; Dec. 16, 1983. Copyright reserved. This draft version is for limited review and distribution. Permission to republish any portion must be obtained from the Smithsonian (Mr. Wolko); however the right to reference this paper in technical reports is hereby granted.Attached Files
Accepted Version - CULaiaawfp84.pdf
Files
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 21217
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20101207-140100221
- Created
-
2010-12-14Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2019-10-03Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Guggenheim Jet Propulsion Center, GALCIT
- Series Name
- AIAA Wright Flyer Project Report
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- WF 84/09-1
- Other Numbering System Name
- Systems Technology, Inc. Paper
- Other Numbering System Identifier
- 359