WWA Info Exchange

The glider will be 1/3 scale model of the 1902 Wright Brothers Glider
This is the start of laminating the wing ribs. I cut 1/8 inch strips from ash lumber 20 inch long, I tape the strips to form a rib blank, 3 strips per rib, for gluing and bending. After applying glue to each side of the strip, using tite bond #2 I place the rib in the bending press and tighten the press to the final shape of the rib. I let it set for about 2 hours. You can see a rib is in the press ready to come out. I found the spring-back of the ash rib to be less than 1%. You can see the final bent ribs here that will form the curved wing of the aircraft. The final length of the ribs will be cut when wing assemble begins. I need to make 50 of the ribs to form 2 wings. The wings will be 10 long, to be continued……….


See "wing ribs"

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

this is gonna be cool. Keep the progress coming.

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"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

I am looking forward to seeing the finished project.
Looks like have a great start.

Wayne

One percent is surprising. That's not at all bad for spring back. Sometime when we steam bend and laminate for canoe stems and other various parts there is a great deal of spring back.

Whatever you're doing yer doing right! Keep the pics coming this looks like a humdinger of a project!

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Tim Eastman
Lead by example - be an example worth following

This is going to be a great project, and I'm just watching. Where did you come up with the idea? Please keep posting, the techniques and problems to solve during the build will certainly be of interest.

Look forward to the next update.

In deciding to build a scale replica of the Wright Brothers 1902 glider, it started by helping a neighbor kid for a book report in school. I have always had an interest in aviation and while helping the kid I picked up a book called The Bishop’s Boys by Tom Crouch. The more I read the book (more technical information given) then most books, the more I said “I can do this”
My interest in the Wright aircraft lead to 2 months of research of the glider. Plans and blueprints were located and downloaded. I was more interested in the building techniques used by the Wright’s and found the Wright’s mostly used ‘off the shelf supplies’ from the cycle shop or made their own like the hinges and pulleys used on the glider.
The Wright’s tried to steam bend the Ash wing ribs but due to spring back this was abandoned and due to poor quality of glue of the time, lamination was not practical, so they used a combination of glue and small brads, the type of bending form they used is unknown. I used a screw press of get the most pressure applied to the wood, perhaps that’s why I get very little spring back. I will keep you posted while I attempt to walk in the footsteps of Wilbur and Orville.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Tom,

As an avid Hang Glider, Ultralight and Private Pilot, I too, will be watching your Wright Flyer project with great interest. A few years back, I believe it was the centenial anniversary of the Wright brothers flight in 2003, Ford Motor Company sponsored the building and display of several Wright Flyer simulators at different airshows around the country (ie Lakeland's Sun & Fun and Oshkosh). These were really cool, full scale, models that you climbed up on and they were connected to a huge computerized large screen monitor.

I got to make a couple of attempts at flying the contraption, and while I did make it further than most of the other folks I saw, it was much harder than flying a regular hang glider. The wing warping was not intuitive at all, but I think with a few more trys, I could get the hang of it.

Are you using the same airfoil shape as the original?

Skyrider (aka Doug)

Doug, Yes I will be using the same airfoil shape. I want to stay true to the Wright's design and use of materials as I can. I will even make the hardware as they did.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Oh, this is gonna be soooooo cool! Got a pilot in mind?

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I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)

Gene, no pilot for the 1/3 scale glider, the pilot for that would have to be 18 inch and 30 pounds, lol, I hope to build a full size glider in the future. No pilot for that one yet. I am just taking small steps for this project now. Are you volunteering?

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Nope, not volunteering . Could you R/C it and fly it?

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I bring to life, I bring to death:
The spirit does but mean the breath:
I know no more. (Tennyson, In Memoriam)

Gene, I thought of that, it could be done but the cost would be high. But I think this aircraft is destine for a museum or an airport display somewhere.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

I second Gene's comment I'm patiently waiting.

Verna

oh yeah, more pics and lots of them... (please) as you go along

Great to see you up and back in the shop too
Lawrence

I'll volunteer to pilot the full scale model !!!! How cool would that be !!! To fly a replica of the Wright Flyer !!! Woo Hoo !!!

Just let me know when !!!

Skyrider

Doug, thats a deal
Time: Dec 17, 2012
Place: Kill Devil Hill, NC.

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I said to Orv and Wil many times this sucker will fly
Tom Taylor

Great project and I too can't wait to see more.

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Frank
WWACOAUX#1
"I love the smell of Sawdust in the morning, it smells like, victory."
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