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1902 Glider Flight
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The propeller was the last great challenge faced by the Wrights before their first successful powered flight. The Wrights had recognized that control would be essential to success, and had to be mastered first. Only when they were satisfied with their ability to fully control their unpowered gliders did they concentrate on the power and thrust needed to keep a powered machine aloft. Their glider of 1902 was the culmination of their work in mastering control. Along the way, the Wrights became the first to correctly understand the actions of a wing in flight, develop the wind tunnel as a crucial testing device, and design and test the world's first practical system for controlling an aircraft in flight. As Wilbur stated in a 1901 lecture,"When this one feature[control] has been worked out the age of flying machines will have arrived, for all other difficulties are of minor importance." At this time, the Wrights did not yet know how complex the problem of the propeller would be, and that solving it would be one of their most significant contributions to aviation. |
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