usu wright flyer

[gstew]

We used wing warping. The main design changes (or how we cheated) were modern materials, better shaped airfoil, moved the center of mass forward, and more horsepower. We just had a different goal (something that flew) than others who were building replicas. Being at a university it made since to teach modern techniques, use computer design applications, and not kill anyone. The wing warping worked fine. Changing the balance made the plane stable and eliminated the tendency for the plane to porpoise. Although the plane is now stable it must be flown the entire time and is very tiring. The pilot says after 12 minutes he is exhausted.

If you are interested in Curtiss a good web site to visit is www.glennhcurtiss.com But now that I think of it, I probably found out about this site from this forum.

[gstew]

Sorry, intended to post this as a reply under H-D engines over Germany

[AdminGuy]

Great to see you have a sence of humor. I was just teasing you.

Your goal was practical - as shes a runner. Great stuff. Look forward to maybe seeing it live one day. 250 flights eh. That's great.

I was looking at the beach glider photos and was thinking to myself - are they trying to replicate a death? That looked really hairy.

Opps ---back to antique M/C discussion. Thanks for the inside scoop.
, take care.