Giant Rubber Band Powered Wright Flyer Model

To relive the thrill of the first powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk as outlined below, get your very own 1903 Wright Flyer Model. This is a great project for the whole family to enjoy and experience. There is no better way to teach your kids aviation history than constructing a model of the airplane that started it all!

History Is Made!

The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, arrived at Kitty Hawk, NC in December of 1903 to set up their “Wright Flyer” in an attempt to fly the first powered heavier than air airplane to carry a human being aloft. The brothers suffered several weeks delay as the propeller for the 12hp engine continued to give them trouble during test runs.

Finally, on December 17, 1903, the Wright Flyer slid down the rails and became airborne, winning a place in history as the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. It flew forward some 120 feet without losing speed and landed at a point as high as that from which it started.

With Orville Wright at the controls as pilot, the airplane took off from a launching rail and flew for 12 seconds over a distance of 120 feet. The airplane was flown three more times that day, with Orville and his brother Wilbur alternating as pilot in command. The longest flight, with Wilbur at the controls, was 852 feet long and lasted some 59 seconds.

The Wright Flyer, designed and built by the Wright brothers, was one step in a broad experimental program that began in 1899 with their first kite and concluded in 1905, when they built the first truly practical airplane. The basic problems of mechanical flight, lift, propulsion, and control were solved by the Wright Brothers as they perfected their design.

Aircraft Specifications:

The 1903 Wright Flyer was made out of spruce and ash covered with a muslin cloth. The airframe “floated” within fabric pockets sewn outside, making the muslin covering an integral part of the structure. This ingenious invention made the aircraft light, strong, and flexible. The 1903 Flyer was powered by a simple four-cylinder 12hp engine that the Wright Brothers designed.

Laying prone with his head facing forward, the pilot would fly the airplane with his left hand operating the elevator control. By warping the wing tips in opposite directions the Wright Brothers were able to control lateral control using wires attached to a hip cradle mounted on the lower wing. The pilot shifted his hips from side to side to operate the mechanism, which also moved the rudder.

Wingspan: 40 ft 4 in
Length: 21 ft
Height: 9 ft 3 in
Weight, empty: 605 lb
Engine: Gasoline, 12 hp
Manufacturer: Wilbur and Orville Wright, Dayton, Ohio, 1903

Ever since this history making flight Wright Brothers Flyer model kits have been sought by adults and kids alike, anticipating reliving this historic flight.

Enjoy!

ps: Don’t miss out on this opportunity to own, and build, an exact replica of the Wright Flyer and relive this thrilling flight. Take a moment and see what this Wright Flyer model is like at The Paper Airplane Company website on the Wright Flyer model page!