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Wrights' third glider was the world's first aircraft with 3-axis control and was the basis
for the Wrights' first pioneer "flying machine" patent. Used on all Wright
aircraft through 1905, a novel hip cradle controlled roll axis via helicoidal wing warping
in combination with rear rudder deflection for yaw control producing coordinated flight.
Wrights flew their third glider at Kitty Hawk almost 1,000 times during Sep-Oct 1902, with
flights up to 622 feet and durations of up to 26 sec. This biplane had 32-foot span; 0.33-foot anhedral; 5-foot chord; 4.6-foot separation; 305 sq-foot area; 1/24-1/30 camber; 15 sq-foot horizontal rudder; 16.1-foot overall length; and weighed 112 lb. Originally, it had twin fixed vertical 11.7 sq-foot rear rudder. On 6 Oct 1902, they replaced the double rudder with a single movable rudder with 5.7 sq-foot area. Stored at Kitty Hawk over the winter, they used this glider for practice in 1903 while building the powered airplane, replacing the single vertical rudder with a double one, whereon Wilbur made one glide lasting 43 seconds. References:
[Submitted by Joe W. McDaniel] For More Information To do a virtual "walk-around" of the 1902 Wright Glider replica in our Virtual Hanger, click HERE. If you have bigger ambitions and would actually like to build your own replica, we offer a complete set of engineering drawings for the 1902 glider that you may download for free. Click HERE. |
 The 1902 glider was the first Wright flying machine to have a vertical rudder (behind). At first, the rudder was only a fixed tail with twin vanes, unable to move. The Wrights found this caused them grief when they tried to turn.
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