Wright Model R
Wright Model R | |
---|---|
The "Baby Grand" at Belmont Park. | |
Role | Racing aircraft |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Wright Company |
First flight | 1910 |
Developed from | Wright Model B |
The Wright Model R was a single-seat biplane built by the Wright Company in Dayton, Ohio, in 1910. Also known as the Roadster or the Baby Wright, it was designed for speed and altitude competitions.
Design[]
The Wright Model R was derived from the Wright Model B, and was a two-bay biplane with rear-mounted twin rudders mounted in front of a single elevator and carried on wire-braced wood booms behind the wing. It was powered by a 30 hp (22 kW) Wright four-cylinder inline water-cooled engine driving a pair of pusher propellers via chains.[1]
Operational history[]
Two examples were flown at the International Aviation Tournament at Belmont Park in November 1910, one being a standard model flown by Alec Ogilvie and the other being a special competition model known as the Baby Grand, which had a 60 hp (45 kW) V-8 engine and a reduced wingspan of 21 ft 5 in (6.53 m). Orville Wright succeeded in flying the Baby Grand at a speed of nearly 70 mph (110 km/h). Both aircraft were entered for the second Gordon Bennett Trophy competition which was held at the meeting, but the Baby Grand, flown by Walter Brookins, suffered an engine failure during a trial flight on the race day and crashed heavily. Ogilvie's aircraft also had engine problems, having to make a stop of nearly an hour to make repairs, but was nevertheless placed third.[2]
Ogilvie also flew his aircraft in the 1912 Gordon Bennet competition, re-engined with a 50 hp (37 kW) N.E.C. engine.
Specifications[]
Data from "1910 Wright Model R". Retrieved 20 May 2012.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 27 ft (8.2 m)
- Wingspan: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
- Wing area: 185 sq ft (17.2 m2)
- Powerplant: 1 × Wright Vertical 4 water-cooled piston engine, 30 hp (22 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed x2 chain driven pusher, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter
Performance
References[]
- Notes
- ^ Munson 1969, p.42
- ^ "The American International Meeting"Flight 5 November 1910
- Bibliography
- McFarland, Marvin (ed), The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright vol. 2. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1953, p. 1199.
- Munson, Kenneth, Pioneer Aircraft 1903-1914. London: Blandford, 1969.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wright Model R. |
- "Mr Ogilvie's Wright Biplane" Flight 28 January 1911.
- Wright aircraft
- 1910s United States experimental aircraft
- Single-engined twin-prop pusher aircraft
- Aircraft first flown in 1910