WRIGHT
BROTHERS Aeroplane
Company
A Closer Look
On September 17,
1911, Calbraith Perry Rodgers took off from Sheepshead Bay on Long Island, New
York and pointed his single-seat Wright Model EX aircraft west to capture the
coveted Hearst Prize. Publisher William Randolph Hearst had offered a
$50,000 purse to the first aviator to fly coast to coast in 30 days or less.
Rodgers enlisted the Armour Meat-Packing Company as a sponsor, promising to
promote their new soft drink, Vin Fiz. He purchased a Wright biplane, christened
it the Vin Fiz, and set out to fly across the continent.
Cal Rodgers did not win the Hearst Prize. Almost from the first take-off, he
was beset by problems, many of which should have ended his journey. Less than a
day out from Sheepshead, he wrecked his aircraft and had to completely rebuild
it — a delay that cost him several days. And this was only the first of five
major crashes, two engine explosions, and dozens of minor incidents. In addition
to his mechanical problems, he was plagued with navigational errors. The Vin
Fiz carried no directional instruments, not even a compass. Cal Rodgers was
forced to "follow the line," navigating from town to town by following
railroad tracks. Occasionally he picked the wrong track and traced it for miles
before he landed and found he wasn't where he expected to be.
Nonetheless, he kept flying. Even when he had spent over 30 days crossing the
continent, the hope of winning the Hearst Prize had evaporated, and everyone
connected with the endeavor expected him to quit, he kept flying. His refusal to
give in endeared him to the American public, and the crowds that met each
landing grew larger and more enthusiastic after the prize was lost. When he
finally landed at Long Beach, California, on December 10, 1911 — 84 days after
he had left Sheepshead — 50,000 cheered him as he wet the wheels of the Vin
Fiz in the Pacific surf.
Dana Smith and Ken Whiting are determined to re-enact this epic
flight to help celebrate the upcoming Centennial of Flight. To that end, they
are building two replicas of the the Vin Fiz and are making parts for two
more. They have finished their first replica, which you can see below. If you'd
like to know more about their plans to fly across America, click The
Flight of the Vin Fiz.
Here's Dana and Ken's replica poised for take-off. |
And here's Dana poised as well. The gap in the wing
above his head will hold a ballistic parachute when he begins to fly the replica. |
Dana shows off the plane to a few visitors. Dozens
of people stopped while we had it out on the flying field taking photos. |
Here's a quick walk-around, starting with a view
from the right side. |
From the back, the elevator on the Vin Fiz seems
to be almost as wide as the wings. |
Note the twin rudders are outside the tail
outriggers. On the original, they were inside. Dana spread them apart to
get the rudders in the prop stream. This, in turn, gives him better yaw
control. |
A diagonal view. The flying field, by the way, is
the new WACO Museum Airfield in Troy, Ohio. |
Looking at the Vin Fiz from the front. |
If you squat down, you can see the lettering under
the wing. Wright EX's were frequently painted in this manner to advertise
a sponsor. |
Here's a close-up of a portion of the artwork under
the wing. The border collie is Tessa, the official airport dog at WACO. |
There is also some attractive artwork on the
"blinkers," just forward of the wings... |
...and on the elevator. |
The elevator, by the way, is not hinged. Instead, it
flexes to produce positive or negative lift. The first set of wires hold
the forward portion of the elevator rigid, while the second set flex the
back portion. |
The wings also flex or "warp" to roll the
aircraft right and left. These special fittings between the wings and the
struts serves as hinges. |
Since only the ends of the wings flex, the inboard
struts are not hinged. They are secured solidly to the wing spars. |
The tail outriggers and rails are held together with
special 3-way fittings and bracing wires . |
Like all Wright EX's, the Vin Fiz only has a
single seat. |
The controls on this reproduction are conventional --
Dana thought this would be safer than using the complex two-stick
bent-wrist "Orville" controls that Cal Rodgers used. The right
stick contols pitch and roll, the left is the throttle. |
The engine is a 3-cylinder Suzuki from a Geo Metro.
It has been converted to a magneto ignition and reworked to produce 50
horsepower. The original Wright 4-cylinder engine produced about 35
horsepower. |
The gas tank is just above the engine, and holds enough
fuel for about 2 hours of flying. Note that the left chain guide is
crossed so that the left prop will turn in the opposite direction from the
right prop. |
The electric motor and the large pulley at the rear of
the engine are to turn the props during a parade. They will be removed
when the Vin Fiz flies. |
The props are eight feet long and turn at about 375 RPM.
Compare this to modern props which turn almost 7 times faster. |
There is a great deal of bicycle technology in Wright
airplanes. The sprocket and chain drive is the most noticeable example.
And take a good look at the propeller support. It's a modified bicycle
frame! |
The landing gear is not steerable. To launch the Vin
Fiz, you point it down the runway, run up the engine, and let her go. |
In addition to the forward blinkers, Wright EXs
also had blinkers between the wings. These were supposed to keep the
airplane from skidding or slipping in a turn. |
For good luck, Dana and Ken's replica includes a small
piece of wood from an original Wright airplane inlaid into a strut. It was
donated by us -- the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company. |
How original is this Vin Fiz replica? Dana and
Ken have made some changes to make the airplane safer to fly cross country
-- the ballistic parachute and the modern motor are two examples. |
But they have remained faithful to the overall original
Wright design. Compare this view of the original Vin Fiz with the
replica to the left. |
