Popular Woodworking 2003-06 № 134, страница 71

Each rib of the 1903 "Centennial Flyer" carries the signatures - and perhaps the dreams - of the young people who made it.

fortunate - the tail outriggers were snapped and the forward elevator cracked. There were a few other broken sticks here and there. Taking inventory of the damage, I was amazed at how light it was considering we had just rolled the aircraft. Most folks who had witnessed the crash thought surely this was the end of the flying, but it wasn't the case. We splinted and lashed the broken parts and within the hour the glider was back in the air.

Dunlop and the other military pilots went on to make some of the longest and most spectacular glides later that same day.

The Right Stuff

From time to time, I am approached by an aeronautical engineer with plans to build Wright gliders or flyers from some new cutting-edge material, usually some fiber-reinforced polymer. I have to smile when this happens. Wood is a fiber-reinforced polymer. Specifically, it's made up of cellulose fibers glued together with lignin. New materials may be stronger and lighter, but that doesn't necessarily make them better suited for this structure.

The craftsmen who build and restore old airplanes often tell stories about trying to adapt some new material or technology to an

old airplane only to find that it flies worse than it did before. Airplanes are complex aerodynamic systems, and a small change in one component often has unforeseen effects on the entire system. If you replace the wood in a Wright glider with something stronger, you may find you've sacrificed something important like the ease with which it can be repaired. If you substitute a material because it's lighter, you've changed the glider's flying characteristics and not necessarily for the better. When Capt. Tanya Markow, U.S. Army, flew the glider, we had to add 25 pounds of lead shot to bring the weight up to what the glider would have weighed with Wilbur or Orville aboard. Otherwise, the strong sea breezes blew her all over the sky. On the other hand, Capt. Jim Alexander, USAF, weighed 40 pounds more than the Wright brothers and made some of our longest flights.

Among the many talents that the Wright brothers used to unlock the secrets of flight was a remarkable understanding of wood and the things that it could be made to do. There are stronger, lighter, newer materials we could work, but none with the beauty, versatility and wonderful possibilities of wood. PW

NEXT STOP: FLYING THE 1903 FLYER

Right now we're assembling the 1903 Flyer at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio, in preparation for its centennial flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Children across America (and the world) built the ribs of this airplane, and we're busy adding the fabric and wires to make this historic craft fly. As the Centennial Flight nears, we'll be showing off the 1903 Flyer and the other Wright gliders we've built at events, including the 2003 Dayton Air Show. We're also booking appearances at other air shows around the country. To see a list of places you can go to see this amazing woodworking project, visit the web site of the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company and Museum at: first-to-fly.com

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