You have control Mr Larsen. Thank you Mr Egerton.

Two versions of the Wright Flyer and their testing programmes separated by almost a century.
100 years ago the 'sport' of flying heavier than air machines was about to take off. It took courage and considerable skill to be a pilot, but there was another thing needed deep pockets. Hand-crafted airframes and lightweight engines do not come cheaply, and even when the determined flyer has made it into the sky there is always a risk that they will damage, or even write-off, their expensive machines with a single rough landing. The Short-built Wright Flyer A -1909. In 1909 five British sportsmen - Charles Rolls, Alec Ogilvie, Frank McClean, Maurice Egerton and Cecil Grace - ordered Wright Flyer As (an improved version of the Wright Flyer III). The Wright brothers, encouraged by Charles Rolls and Griffith Brewer (patent agent to the Wrights), contracted out their manufacture to Shorts. The Short brothers were astonished to find the Wrights did not have the drawings of their Flyer so in February 1909 Horace travelled to Pau, Wilbur Wrights winter flying ground, to make drawings of the machine (Horaces sketchbook is now in the care of RAeS). For each complete machine with a French-built Wright engine the pilots paid 1,000 (nearly 100,000 in todays money). One of these pioneering pilots left a logbook of his experiences whilst learning to fly his Short-Wright Flyer No 4 at Shellbeach, the Royal Aero Club flying grounds on the Isle of Sheppey. Now lost, the logbook survived long enough for the Xerox machine to be invented, and a copy to be made, in 1979, for Gordon Bruce, who has kindly made a copy of a copy for me. Maurice Egertons logbook brings to life the collaborative, competitive spirit engendered by the aviators as they pushed at the boundaries of an ill-defined flight envelope during those pioneering years 1909 to 1914. Utah State University/ NCC Wright Flyer III- 2003 Nearly one hundred years after Maurice Egerton and his fellow flyers taught themselves to fly Dr. Widauf, at the Utah State University, caught the shared vision of the Wright brothers by building a replica of Orville and Wilburs 1905 Flyer III using composite material. The USU Wright Flyers test flights began on March 11 and 12, 2003. The Flyers first flight lasted about eight and a half seconds. The Flyer travelled approximately 140 feet using a test runway about 8,000 feet long and wide enough to provide the necessary room required for the controlled flights being conducted by test pilot Wayne Larsen and the Utah State support team. The second flight lasted nearly 135 seconds and covered almost 3000 feet of the runway, powered by a Harley V88 engine. Larsen was able to dip the

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wings with the wing warping controls and maintain a stable, straight flight down the runway. The Wendover Test Flight Operations Log for March 10-12, 2003 has been published and an extract of both logbooks are compared below. The entries highlight the similarities of the test pilots experiences even though there is a gap of 94 years between the flights. Whilst the new Flyer has greater structural integrity the issue of flight stability and engine reliability are still challenging for the pilot.

Maurice Egerton in his Short-Wright Flyer No 4, ready for takeoff in 1909/10.

An early test flight of the USU/NCC Wright Flyer III in 2003. Draft 02 by Jim Rait Page 2 04/09/2011

Wendover Test Flight Operations March 10-12, 2003 Tuesday March 11, 2003 Operations began at 7:00am. Some adjustments were made from data and concerns gathered the previous day. Inspections were complete around 10:00am and high speed taxi tests resumed until 1:30pm. At 1:30pm the aircraft and all observers were moved to the far side of runway 120. First flight (2:20pm) lasted 9 seconds during which the aircraft travelled approximately 350 feet at a height of 4 feet AGL. Airspeed recorded by the pilot was 40mph; wind steady at 090 degrees at 7 knots; 5.5 on the Hobbs meter at the end of the flight; airport density altitude 5500 feet. The weather was mostly clear with temperatures near 70 degrees. The airplane appeared very stable in all respects as observed from the ground. The pilot reported the same but that control pressure and pilot workload was high. The canard lifted at about 32mph on the airspeed indicator and the lift off occurred at about 38mph. The ground speed recorded by the chase vehicle was approximately 35mph. Second flight (2:33pm) 4 seconds long then touched down; flew 15 seconds; about 4-5 feet AGL for 1200-1500 feet; engine rpm 4200; airport elevation 4240 feet; density altitude 5500 feet. Third flight (2:43pm) 22 seconds; 10 feet AGL; 1500+ feet. Fourth flight (3:40pm) 1 minute 26 seconds; 10 -15 feet AGL; 6000+ feet; take off roll 900 feet; landing rollout 300 feet. Fifth flight (3:50pm) 1 minute 34 seconds; 20 + feet AGL; 6000+ feet; shorter take off roll. Sixth flight (3:56pm) 1 minute 22 seconds; exceeded 25 feet AGL; full length of runway (8500 feet) including take off and landing rolls. This was the last flight of the day. Hobbs meter time was 6.5 hours. Note: the oil temperature and CHT were near red line. Wednesday March 12, 2003 Operations began at 6:30am. We installed an oil cooler to help lower the engine operating temperatures.

Shellbeach Dec, 1909-June 1910 December 5, Sunday 1909 I got out to my shed about 8.15 am; and started my first journey at 9.15. A beautiful frosty morning, the wind, when Short came by, was only 4 mph, and occasionally at first dropping to an almost dead calm. Rose off the rail first time, and flew for perhaps 60 yds, and nearly every time increased the distance up to my 6th trip, when I had to stop only on account of bad ground just in front 130 yds, Short's pacing -but got badly turned round, right-handed; Short said I had got my rudder set the wrong way all the time - quite likely - as at present I can only think of elevating and warping. My 7th trip, the engine started missing half-way down the rail, and I hopped to the ground, yanked on the elevator, rose, lost all way, and landed rather heavily, tail to the wind, as usual; hit my right wing pretty hard; Short said, but luckily no damage done. 8th and 9th journeys not very grand. 10th. Engine ran very well, I made a clean rise, and flew windward, till I came close to the ditches and the sheep - 200 yds the men said which is about correct. The advance spark was in the 5th notch after No. 5 run, hence my good flight on the 6th trial. Much easier to rise with the added power, without excessive elevating. 11th and 12th. Motor missing, so switched off on landing off the rail. Then the wind got up, and Green said I mustn't fly in it; so having a good morning, decided not to wait for it to go down as the tide had just turned, so knock off for the day. Took off the petrol pump in the Shed and found a piece of cork in the Pipe! June 2, Thursday 1910 In the afternoon we took some men over to Shellbeach, and got out my Wright. The engine ran without a miss, as soon as the air was out of the petrol-pipes, so I went straight off the rail to Eastchurch, landing near my shed. Wind probably 6 or 7. Time probably 7 mins. Made another flight of 9 mins. ----- 14 mins, the crankcase was then beastly hot, so I decided to bring her in; and Chapman is to put on a new oil pump tomorrow.

The challenge of flying a fairly large aeroplane at between 30-40 mph is just as challenging today as it was a century ago. The rules of aerodynamics, thermodynamics and the skill needed to control these beasts do not alter with time. After flying as a passenger with Wayne Larsen in the USU Wright Flyer former Space Shuttle astronaut Garn described the skills and physical stamina required by the pilot.

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The Flyer has no ailerons to help it turn, Garn explained. The pilot has to use the wing warping stick to turn the entire wing, which takes a lot of effort. In the Flyer, both wings have to be turned mechanically. Theres no power steering. You have to hold the stick constantly. It wears you out.

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