{"id":1082,"date":"2023-10-03T11:51:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T11:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/?page_id=1082"},"modified":"2023-12-04T04:56:43","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T04:56:43","slug":"the-controls","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/the-controls\/","title":{"rendered":"The Controls"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Wright brothers\u2019 controls evolved in a process started in 1899 with their first kite. The Wrights\u2019 controls were the first to give the pilot full command of the aircraft. The Model \u201cB\u201d was the Wrights\u2019 most popular aircraft, yet the controls are unlike anything found in airplanes today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wrights\u2019 controls of 1900-1905 were essentially the same design: the pilot lay down on the lower wing, facing the front of the aircraft. With his left hand he controlled the elevator in front, and, with a hip cradle, used his body to warp the wings. The early gliders of 1900-1901 had foot controls for the warping, and the aircraft from 1902-1905 used a hip cradle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with all aspects of their machines, the pilot\u2019s position was a calculated part of their overall design. When designing the gliders, the Wrights estimated that the total drag of the glider would be one-half that of the machine with the pilot sitting upright. (Jakab, 75) Despite their success in controlled flight, their early supporter Octave Chanute expressed concern for their safety with this arrangement: \u201cThis is a magnificent showing, provided that you do not plow the ground with your noses\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wrights moved to sitting in 1908, and modified the controls first for that position, then for training. The U.S. Army contract they were trying to fulfill required that the machine accommodate both a pilot and passenger. The prone position would not be a practical arrangement, and gave way to upholstered chairs mounted on the lower wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-19: Inventing the Cockpit<\/strong>
The Wright brothers\u2019 controls evolved in a process started in 1899 with their first kite. The Wrights\u2019 controls were the first to give the pilot full command of the aircraft. The Wrights\u2019 aircraft from 1900-1905 all had the pilot operating the machine while lying on the lower wing. The controls which evolved, while practical, are far different from today\u2019s standard aircraft controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that remains of an aircraft called F-19 is the controls and a few other parts. These unique artifacts<\/a> yielded invaluable information for the new set of controls, as well as a fascinating glimpse into early aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Factory<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Builder:<\/strong> W. Starling Burgess was a yacht designer who had designed and flown a number of aircraft in collaboration with several different partners. Burgess agreed to build Wright airplanes under contract with the Wright Company, provided he paid a 20 percent royalty to the Wright Company on each airplane sold (Crouch, p. 461).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Completed in April, 1911, Burgess\u2019 first Wright aircraft was the nineteenth aircraft he had built, which led to its designation of F-19. It was also affectionately known as \u201cthe Moth\u201d. The aircraft was modified from the Wright Model \u201cB\u201d, with a reinforced, heavier airframe (Mansfield, p.17). The aircraft was sold to Charles K Hamilton, who began the aircraft\u2019s long and varied career.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Flight<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Pilots:<\/strong> Charles K. Hamilton and Harry N. Atwood were two of the most colorful and celebrated pilots of their time. Hamilton in particular was known for his daring exploits. He had been a balloon, dirigible, and glider pilot, as well as the most famous stunt pilot for the Wrights\u2019 arch rival Glenn Curtiss. He survived 63 crashes. His specialty was diving straight at the ground and pulling up at the last moment (Mansfield, p. 37). He was the first owner of the F-19, which he completely wrecked moments after his first takeoff in the machine (LeShane, p.14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next pilot to fly the machine was the enterprising Harry Atwood, a pilot for Burgess who had trained at the Wright school. During a record-breaking flight from Boston to Washington, Atwood crashed, and the F-19 was brought in to replace his aircraft. Hamilton accompanied Atwood on the remainder of the journey. Hamilton sold the machine to Atwood in College Park, Maryland. Atwood completed the journey by landing the machine on the White House lawn (Mansfield, pp. 37-48).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The White House Landing: <\/strong>On July 13, 1911, as the grand finale of his flight from Boston to Washington, Harry Atwood flew the F-19 over Washington DC, circling the Capitol, the Library of Congress, Union Station, and the Washington Monument. President Taft, who was golfing in Maryland, missed the performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, Atwood flew back through the rain to the city from College Park, Maryland. When he was signalled that the President had finished his lunch, Atwood flew in over the South Lawn and landed, the aircraft rolling to a stop thirty feet from Taft. After a brief ceremony during which he was presented with a gold medal by the President, Atwood took off, declining his mother a ride for fear of the restricted space he had to leave the grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harry Atwood went on to greater fame as an aviator and inventor, but the F-19 was not as lucky. A week later, while on the ground, the airplane was smashed to pieces during a severe thunderstorm (Mansfield, pp. 37-48).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George A Gray:<\/strong> George A. Gray was a Wright trained pilot who purchased the repaired F-19 in November of 1912. Gray took the plane barnstorming throughout the East coast from 1912-15. During one performance, he met Edith \u201cJack\u201d Stearns of Virginia, who later became his wife. She described flying in the F-19 in her memoir \u201cUP\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we sailed higher and faster, dipping now and then, the engine zoomed beautifully. There were no wild dips or spiral glides, but a straight-away carefully piloted flight, so smooth and uneventful that the plane seemed without a motion\u2013a sailing magic carpet, except for a side-ways vibration as the warping of the wings met the varying air currents. We were very high up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray\u2019s interests turned to instruction in 1915, and he demonstrated bombing and observation for the National Guard in New York and Vermont. He opened a flying school in Garden City, Long Island, where he taught for a time. In 1916, he went to Canada to open a flying school, but the plane was wrecked again, this time beyond repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Remains: <\/strong>Following George A. Gray\u2019s failed attempt to start a flying school in Canada, the story of the F-19 is unknown until the remains of the plane were discovered in the 1960s. Purchased by the Wright Experience<\/a>, the remains include the controls, the propeller shafts, sprockets, and chain guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The controls themselves are modified from those that were on the Wright Company Model \u201cB\u201d aircraft. On the standard Wright controls there were three levers: a wing warping\/rudder control in the center, and an elevator control on either side. The F-19 controls, shown above, were modified from the standard Wright controls. There are four levers: two wing warping\/rudder levers on each pilots\u2019 right hand, and elevator on each pilot\u2019s left. The student\u2019s controls were shorter so as not to overpower the instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although different from the controls being built for the reproduction Model \u201cB\u201d, the F-19 controls yielded important clues about the construction and operation of the Model \u201cB\u201d. The instructor\u2019s controls were made at the Wright factory, and were used by Burgess on the original plane. Thus a great many of the components were available for reproduction and for analysis in their original configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Wood & Wire \u2013 Building the Model \u201cB\u201d<\/strong>
The Wright Model \u201cB\u201d was the world\u2019s first production aircraft. While the methods of Wright aircraft construction have long been mysteries, the quality of the Wright Company machines has always been considered outstanding. The key seems to have been the standards set by the Wrights themselves. Grover Loening, Orville Wright\u2019s assistant, said that Orville \u201cdirected all of the design work in the shop,\u201d and that meticulous attention was paid to each aspect of the manufacture process (Crouch, p. 412).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contemporary images of the factory show large, well equipped departments. Clearly the factory was not set up for assembly line production. Although it was produced in quantity by the Wright Company and other licensed manufacturers, each aircraft was assembled by hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of reproducing authentic Wright aircraft is demanding. It is always tempting to take modern shortcuts. The challenge is in meeting the exact design, materials, and standards of craftsmanship set by the Wrights themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casting Patterns<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Bell<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

These patterns are used for the sand casting of the aluminum bell cranks which connect the control levers to the control wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Machining<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Bell<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Each crank is machined to exact specifications, based on original components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bell Cranks<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Bell<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The reproduction bell crank on the left was modeled on the original, taken from the surviving controls of Burgess-Wright F-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warping Lever<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Wing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

This control lever was modeled on an original from the Burgess-Wright F-19. Moving the main lever forward and backward controlled the wing warping, and moving the small handle left and right controlled the rudder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rudder Bell Cranks<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Wing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

These components were duplicated using the original method of sand-casting aluminum. The cranks were both attached to the center control lever, operating both the wing warping and rudder mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elevator Lever<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Elevator<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

This lever controlled the elevator, and was one of two on the Model \u201cB\u201d. Each was installed on either side of the wing warping control. This duplicate is made from ash, with a bronze casting. Note the friction band on the base of the lever, used for keeping the control in a fixed position, allowing the pilot to let go and perform other operations, such as shutting off the motor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rudder Crank<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Rudder<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The rudder is interconnected to the wing warping system. The rudder crank is attached to the warping lever but can be independently adjusted by being linked to the rudder handle atop the control lever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cockpit<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Finished<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The assembled control components of the Model \u201cB\u201d were arranged as shown above: the outside levers are for the elevator and moved in unison; the center column was shared between the pilot and passenger\/student, and was for wing warping and rudder control. The footrest in advance of the controls is hinged at the wing to allow control assembly to be folded for aircraft shipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Finished Aircraft<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"Assembled<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The assembled aircraft above is complete except for its fabric covering. All exposed wooden components also will receive an aluminum finish. The final step in the completion of the cockpit is to upholster the seats with corduroy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The F-19: Inventing the Cockpit<\/strong>
The last time a Wright Model \u201cB\u201d flew was in 1933, when Grover Berdoll\u2019s machine, donated to the Franklin Institute, made a short hop in Camden, New Jersey. While an authentic flying Model \u201cB\u201d is in production at the Wright Experience, we can learn much about flying the machine itself from early aviators, our custom flight simulator, and even our radio-controlled model. The Wright Model \u201cB\u201d was used for instruction at schools including the Wrights\u2019, the US Army\u2019s, and others established by former Wright pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wrights established their flying school in 1910. Their first student was Walter Brookins. The school was first operated in Montgomery, Alabama, and was later moved to the Wrights\u2019 home<\/a> field of Huffman Prarie outside Dayton, Ohio. The field was also known as Simms Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orville was the original instructor at the school, and managed other instructors as they became qualified. Orville set the standards by which the student pilots were trained. There was considerable emphasis placed on maintenance of the machines. Each pilot became fluent in the mechanics and repair of the Wright aircraft<\/a>. Students practiced flying in a machine known as the \u201cbalance\u201d machine, which was an older Wright plane set up on the ground with functioning controls, something like a modern flight simulator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students were taught to fully control their machines and how to handle emergency situations, such as having the engine quit. Orville instructed many of the students personally, preparing them for their appearances as members of the Wright demonstration team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students typically learned to fly in under eight hours of instruction. Many of the graduates of the Wright school were the most famous aviators of their time: Arch Hoxsey, \u2018Cal\u2019 Rodgers, Ralph Johnstone, Frank Coffyn. Henry \u201cHap\u201d Arnold went on to establish the United States Air Force (Crouch pp. 426-428, 435-439).<\/p>\n\n\n\n