wind tunnel<\/a> tests conducted on the reproduction 1903 Flyer, the fabric was observed to have two distinctly different behaviors on each surface of the wing. The upper surface lifted, rising slightly away from the ribs in a \u2018ballooning\u2019 effect, whereas the lower surface only fluttered, held more closely to the ribs by the interior pockets. A close examination of the famous image of the first flight of 1903 reveals this ballooning effect. The wind tunnel data should reveal what effect, if any, the fabric\u2019s behavior has on the flight characteristics of the airplane.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeyond creating the actual surfaces for the air to flow over to create lift, the fabric must also allow for the flexibility required by the wing-warping system of the Wright machines. The trailing edge of the wings will need to move a full 24 inches from their neutral position to achieve this position. The fabric, by being sewn diagonally across the surface, maintains the lateral strength and integrity of the wing during wing warping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we observe the aircrafts, we can see how the fabric seems to billow up on the upper surfaces of both the upper and lower wings, and the wings\u2019 shape seems distorted. After significant stress, the fabric on the Wright planes would eventually lose its elasticity and become too loose to be effective, an indication that the aircraft would need to be recovered.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the Wright brothers progressed in their flying experiments, the sophistication of the selection and preparation of the fabric improved as well. Their first machines were covered with French sateen. Wilbur sewed the fabric for the 1900 glider on the front porch of the Tate family home, whom he boarded with during the Wrights\u2019 first trip … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1238,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1128\/revisions\/1238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrightexperience.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}