Aero Team Online QuestChat

December 5, 2001

Featuring: The Wright Brothers

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 0 - 12:18:27 ]
Please join us Wednesday, December 5, for a chat with Orville and Wilbur Wright about the process they used to design airplanes. Please be sure to prepare for the event by exploring http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/aero/centennial/. This will ensure that your questions are appropriate to the experts' field.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 1 - 12:38:50 ]
You may go ahead and place questions in the chat room now to be answered during the webchat. Please don't post test messages or repeats -- though you may not see your question, it is in the chat room. Again, PLEASE do not repeat your questions. Enjoy the chat :-)

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 2 - 09:40:55 ]
Welcome early arriving chat participants! We have a treat for you today -- the Wright Brothers are going to chat with you about their experiences and accomplishments.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 3 - 10:00:41 ]
We are ready to begin the webchat with the Wright Brothers! Welcome Orville and Wilbur!!

[ Orville - 4 - 10:01:17 ]
Hello ladies and gentlemen. It's good to be here with you today.

[ WilburWright - 5 - 10:06:00 ]
Good morning everyone. This is Wilbur Wright.

[ WilburWright - 10 - 10:08:14 ]
RE: [Mike] did you hope to get rich?
Mike, Perhaps oddly enough, we didn't have personal wealth as our primary objective. We were interested in the challenge of learning to fly. We, of course, also wanted to be able to support ourselves.

[ Orville - 11 - 10:08:49 ]
RE: [Mike] did you hope to get rich?
Mike, We initially attempted to fly just to solve the problem. Later on we realized there was an opportunity to make a new business and possibly make money.

[ WilburWright - 13 - 10:09:40 ]
RE: [Angela] Was it fun to fly or scary on you airplane.
Angela, Flying was so much fun. It was (and is) a totally exhilarating experience. I hope you learn to fly, too.

[ Orville - 14 - 10:11:11 ]
RE: [Angela] Was it fun to fly or scary on you airplane.
Angela, I found our airplanes both fun and a little scary to fly. We did a lot of work to try and understand how the airplane would perform, and took many safety precautions to make the planes a little less scary.

[ WilburWright - 15 - 10:11:59 ]
RE: [Walter] Which of you is older ?
Walter, I am the older brother. My brother, Orville, was born in 1871, but I was born in 1867. Orville and our sister, Katarine (we called her "Sterchens"), have the same birthday, by coincidence.

[ WilburWright - 17 - 10:13:46 ]
RE: [Kelly] What was the hardest part about building your airplane?
Kelly, The hardest part of building the plane was discovering the correct shape of the wing to generate lift, and learning to control the aircraft through the three different ways that it can move -- Roll, Pitch (up and down) and Yaw (left and right).

[ Orville - 18 - 10:14:02 ]
RE: [Kelly] What was the hardest part about building your airplane?
Kelly, I think the hardest part about building our airplane was figuring out just how to do it. My brother and I debated for hours to determine the correct way to proceed, and we had to do this because no one had done this before

[ Orville - 19 - 10:15:15 ]
RE: [Will] Was money a problem when you were building your plane?
Will, We used the money we had earned in our bicycle shop to support our experiments.

[ WilburWright - 20 - 10:15:24 ]
RE: [Will] Was money a problem when you were building your plane?
Will, Money was always a consideration. We saved during the spring and summer months when running the bicycle shop, and then we had some money to live on when we went down to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

[ Orville - 23 - 10:16:15 ]
RE: [Jon] What surprises you about airplanes today
Jon, I am still amazed how large and how fast they have become.

[ Orville - 24 - 10:17:53 ]
RE: [Rachael] Was it possible to fly in the rain at Kitty Hawk?
Rachael, We did not want the airplane to get wet because the fabric on the wings would soak up the water and make the plane heavier. It could also ruin the material.

[ WilburWright - 25 - 10:17:57 ]
RE: [Jon] What surprises you about airplanes today
Jon, What is surprising about airplanes today is their huge size compared to the 1903 Wright Flyer. For example, every day we have Boeing 747 aircraft that take off for distant locations weighing just under a million pounds. Wow!! What an incredible payload they have compared to the 1903 Flyer.

[ Orville - 28 - 10:19:24 ]
RE: [Ann] How come you worked so hard? Did you want to be the first to fly?
Ann, Being the first to fly became a fun and interesting challenge. When you enjoy what you are doing it is easy to work hard.

[ WilburWright - 29 - 10:19:44 ]
RE: [Rachael] Was it possible to fly in the rain at Kitty Hawk?
Rachael, It would have been possible but not very comfortable because the pilot of all of our aircraft were exposed to the elements. It would have made it very cold, wet and uncomfortable, but possible.

[ WilburWright - 31 - 10:22:20 ]
RE: [Ann] How come you worked so hard? Did you want to be the first to fly?
Ann, Yes, we wanted to be the first to fly. In fact, Orville and I tossed a coin to see who would get the chance to fly the 1903 Wright Flyer first. I won the toss, but had a little control problem and went only a few feet before landing hard and breaking the airplane a little bit. Then, on December 17, 1903, Orville made the first successful flight. I got to fly next.

[ Orville - 32 - 10:22:35 ]
RE: [Lissa] Why have modern pilots found it so hard to fly replicas of your planes?
Lissa, I'll be the first to admit that our airplanes were hard to fly. I believe that my brother and I got good because we practiced so much with the 1902 Glider. We made 800 flights that year, and because it was so similar to the 1903 Flyer, we were successful, where others, who can't get that amount of practice, find it uncontrollable.

[ Orville - 34 - 10:24:12 ]
RE: [Seth] What was your inspiration?
Seth, We were inspired by Otto Lilienthal (from Germany), who flew his gliders in 1897. It was from reading articles about him that Wilbur and I became interested ourselves.

[ Orville - 35 - 10:25:43 ]
RE: [David] Who was your hero?
David, My response to Seth's question applies here. We also got a lot of help and inspiration from our dear friend Octave Chanute.

[ WilburWright - 36 - 10:25:46 ]
RE: [Lissa] Why have modern pilots found it so hard to fly replicas of your planes?
Lissa, You get the prize for a very very good question. One reason is that any replica of the airplane, even if built EXACTLY like ours, would be very unstable and difficult to fly in the first place. Also, this was the first successful aircraft, and the technology used to build it is not used much today in favor of much more sophisticated methods and materials. Lots of people have tried. There is one group in Los Angeles building a replica that will be successful in flying their 1903 Wright Flyer. They are going to test fly it very soon.

[ WilburWright - 37 - 10:26:56 ]
RE: [Seth] What was your inspiration?
Seth, My inspiration was an earlier glider pilot, a German man named Otto Lilienthal. Unfortunately, he was killed in a gliding accident some time before we flew the 1903 Wright Flyer successfully.

[ Orville - 38 - 10:27:32 ]
RE: [Ryan] What type of engine did you use?
Ryan, we used a four-cylinder gasoline engine of our own design, built by our mechanic, Charlie Taylor. We couldn't find an existing engine that was powerful and light enough for a reasonable price.

[ WilburWright - 40 - 10:28:13 ]
RE: [Ryan] What type of engine did you use?
Ryan, We had a little four-cylinder gasoline powered engine that produced about 12 horsepower or so. It didn't even have a carburetor on it, like most engines today.

[ Orville - 42 - 10:29:25 ]
RE: [Ryan] What was the heighth and time of your first flight
Ryan, I flew the first flight for about 12 seconds and a distance of about 120 feet. I must have been about 10 to 12 feet off the ground.

[ Orville - 43 - 10:31:37 ]
RE: [Don] Did people make fun of your ideas at first? If so how did you handle it?
Don, A lot of people were skeptical of anyone claiming to fly. My brother and I knew that we had to make sure we had a truly workable airplane before releasing any information to the public, or we would look bad.

[ WilburWright - 45 - 10:32:33 ]
RE: [Ryan] What was the heighth and time of your first flight
Ryan, Let me see if I can remember. I believe the time was about 10:31 AM on December 17, 1903. The height of the first flight was about 10 to 12 feet above the ground. In fact, our aircraft is now displayed in the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and is hung above the floor higher than any of the famous first four flights. None of the flights got more than 10 to 12 feet above the ground.

[ WilburWright - 46 - 10:34:44 ]
RE: [Don] Did people make fun of your ideas at first? If so how did you handle it?
Don, Lots of people just didn't believe that it was possible for something heavier than air to actually fly. In fact, some people even as late as 1908 to 1909 refused to believe that we had accomplished this. The French were particularly amazed to see what we could do with an aircraft during our demonstrations there in France.

[ Orville - 50 - 10:37:46 ]
RE: [Kitty] How did you find out that Kitty Hawk was so windy?
Kitty, We contacted the National Weather Service to find the place with the wind like we needed. Kitty Hawk had those winds, plus the benefit of soft sand to land on.

[ WilburWright - 51 - 10:38:25 ]
RE: [David] Who was your hero?
David, In case you didn't see my answer, my hero was a man named Otto Lilienthal,a German glider pilot who died in 1897, some time before we flew the 1903 Wright Flyer successfully. He flew gliders from the top of a huge pile of dirt in Berlin some years before we began flying.

[ Orville - 53 - 10:39:23 ]
RE: [Eric] did you like building bicycles?
Eric, Building bicycles was fun, but there wasn't a lot of room to experiment, like there is in flying.

[ WilburWright - 54 - 10:40:03 ]
RE: [Amir] 1- How many different organizations are officially involved in duplicating the Flyer? 2- Is the simulator of the Flyer created? 3- If answer to the above is yes, then is it exaclty duplicate of the Flyer or they had to modify it. If answer is yes, then why and which part? 4- Has anyone flown the simulator? 5- is the airplane itself under construction?
Amir, There is no 1903 Wright Flyer simulator in the normal sense of the word available today. Most of the replica aircraft built today have very small modifications made to them, to make them more airworthy or just plain safer to fly.

[ WilburWright - 56 - 10:41:24 ]
RE: [Kitty] How did you find out that Kitty Hawk was so windy?
Kitty, I wrote to the National Weather Service and told them of our requirements. One of the places suggested to us was Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Another place was San Diego, California, but that was too far to get to. So, we went to Kitty Hawk.

[ Orville - 58 - 10:42:39 ]
RE: [Ryan] Where were the different places you flew at, excluding Kitty Hawk?
Ryan, by 1905 we were flying at Huffman Prairie, near Dayton, Ohio. We did this because it was closer to home, and we were to the point where we could takeoff from "normal" ground, and we didn't need as much high wind.

[ WilburWright - 60 - 10:43:09 ]
RE: [Eric] did you like building bicycles?
Eric, Building bicycles is very interesting and Orville and I built three different models of bicycles ourselves. However, we were interested in the greater challenge of learning to fly. There is no comparison to riding a bicycle and flying. Flying is a lot more fun, and a lot more involved.

[ Orville - 61 - 10:43:30 ]
RE: [Ryan] Where was your bike shop?
Our bike shop was in Dayton,Ohio -- not far from our home.

[ WilburWright - 62 - 10:45:22 ]
RE: [Ryan] Where were the different places you flew at, excluding Kitty Hawk?
Ryan, We flew at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; and at Dayton, Ohio, (actually at a place called Simm's Station) in a borrowed cow pasture. That cow pasture is now called Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Among a number of other places, I also flew in France, and in Italy, to demonstrate the aircraft to the Europeans.

[ Orville - 63 - 10:46:01 ]
RE: [Kaycee] Did you ever worry about getting hurt?
Kaycee, We were very concerned about getting hurt in a manner similar to the accident that killed Otto Lilienthal. That concern was reflected in the design of our airplane, so it could recover from the flight condition that Mr. Lilienthal couldn't. Also, by flying over soft sand, we reduced the risk of injury.

[ WilburWright - 65 - 10:47:26 ]
RE: [Ryan] Where was your bike shop?
Ryan, We had a bicycle shop at three different locations in Dayton, Ohio. The last building we used has now been moved to Dearborn, Michigan, and preserved for all to see at an American History Heritage Park, created by none other than Henry Ford himself.

[ Orville - 66 - 10:48:49 ]
RE: [Mary] What were the gliders made of? What about the replicas?
Mary, We built our aircraft from wood covered with fabric. These were the lightest materials we could find at the time. The replicas are built from the same materials, and the same way we built the originals.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 67 - 10:49:18 ]
Great questions everyone!! We have about 10 minutes left to chat with Orville & Wilbur. Once the chat is over, we would appreciate you filling out our short online survey. We'd like to know how you think we are doing :-)

[ WilburWright - 68 - 10:49:32 ]
RE: [Kaycee] Did you ever worry about getting hurt?
Kaycee, I never really worried for myself, but I always worried just a little bit about Orville's flying. He had a little accident while we were experimenting and skinned his nose; then in 1908 he had a major accident while demonstrating the aircraft to the government near Fort Myer, Virginia (just outside Washington, D.C.).

[ Orville - 72 - 10:51:51 ]
RE: [Sean] How do you think Otto L. came up with the idea of a glider?
Sean, I suspect he was inspired by birds, as were my brother and I.

[ WilburWright - 73 - 10:52:17 ]
RE: [Mary] What were the gliders made of? What about the replicas?
Mary, Our gliders were made of nothing more than wood and fabric with a few metal fittings, to hold the wood parts together. One of our gliders (that we left behind at Kitty Hawk) was covered by a silk fabric used to cover the wings. After we left it behind, some folks made a dress for one of the women out of it.

[ Orville - 74 - 10:54:24 ]
RE: [Sean] What did the media think about what you were doing?
Sean, The media was always skeptical of anyone claiming to fly, just like they would be if you claimed you go to Mars regularly. Much of their skepticism was justified, because a lot of inventors would announce success before they actually succeeded in flying.

[ WilburWright - 75 - 10:54:43 ]
RE: [Mary] What were the gliders made of? What about the replicas?
Mary, the replica aircraft are also made out of wood (mostly spruce) and fabric. The replica built by the Los Angeles section of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) uses exactly the same fabric, right down to the number of threads per inch of fabric. Some people just use a sort of linen to cover the wings.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 76 - 10:55:37 ]
We don't have much time left for today's webchat. I would like to introduce you all to our Wright Brothers. Wilbur is played by Steve Shackelford & Orville is played by Craig Hange. Both are experts on the Wright Brothers -- their history and accomplishments. You can read more about them at http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/aero/centennial/.

[ Orville - 77 - 10:56:09 ]
RE: [Chris] What do you think the world would be like today without airplanes?
Chris, I think modern travel would be a lot slower, because you just can't go 500 miles per hour and stay close to the land or water.

[ Maria - 78 - 10:56:44 ]
Thanks for answering our questions!

[ WilburWright - 79 - 10:57:27 ]
RE: [Sean] How do you think Otto L. came up with the idea of a glider?
Sean, I think that Otto Lilienthal used as a design guide the design of a bird's wings. It is pretty obvious when you look at his gliders that they look a lot like a bird's extended wings. He sort of got in from underneath, and then extended his arms over the glider wings, and then just jumped off that great big dirt mound in his backyard near Berlin, Germany.

[ Craig - 80 - 10:57:47 ]
It was fun chatting with all of you today. I hope you have a nice holiday season.

[ Sean - 81 - 10:58:00 ]
Thanks for chatting with us today. Very cool.

[ WilburWright - 82 - 10:59:09 ]
RE: [Chris] What do you think the world would be like today without airplanes?
Chris, Without airplanes we would all still be ground bound and moving a lot slower. Probably the fastest mode of transportation would have been the automobile. Just think, nobody could fly anywhere. It wouldn't exist. A lot of people refused to believe we had invented it, but we did.

[ Orville - 83 - 10:59:47 ]
RE: [Maria] Thanks for answering our questions!
Maria and Sean, Thank all of you for asking such good questions.

[ WilburWright - 85 - 11:00:43 ]
I really enjoyed it, as well. I hope to chat with you all again, soon. Remember, you all can learn to fly, with a lot of work and education. Have a Happy Holiday.

[ Orville - 86 - 11:01:13 ]
RE: [ryan] When did you die
Ryan, Orville died in 1948, and Wilbur died in 1912.

[ WilburWright - 88 - 11:02:20 ]
RE: [ryan] When did you die
Ryan, I died on May 30, 1912 of typhoid fever. History records that I probably contracted it from eating some bad oysters, in Boston, at a restaurant.

[ Orville - 90 - 11:04:33 ]
Dear Brother, It was good seeing you again. It's good that being deceased doesn't spoil these little reunions. Have a good holiday.

[ WilburWright - 91 - 11:06:37 ]
You too, brother. It was a pleasure coming back to life with you. Have a wonderful holiday.

[ Lori/NASAChatHost - 89 - 11:03:28 ]
Glad you could all join us today. To join us again, please check our schedule. We have several cool events planned for this week and next week for the Centennial of Flight Celebration. Hope you can join us for the rest of the events scheduled! Have a great day all :-)