Originally Posted by
combatpigg
The powerplant for the Wright Flyer was a juggling match between pulley diameters, prop sizes, weight, belt drag on the engine, lack of cooling for the engine..but in the end I got what I think was enough thrust to make a well executed model fly....I just haven't "executed" that end of the project well enough yet.
I built a depron based airframe and a balsa stick and cellophane covering airframe..neither flew.
The best flight of the plane was a gradual glide to the ground 30 feet away with no response from the ailerons [that I shamelessly installed].
After this outcome..other projects seemed to beg for more attention.....
I think I have read some of your posts regarding this airplane elsewhere on this site. Even the full scale Flyer was a pretty marginal aircraft. I thought your drive system was very creative. I had a rubber powered Flyer that I picked up at a museum store someplace. It had a fairly clever gear drive for the props but there must have been a lot of inherent drag. It always flew farther as a glider than when under power. I guess the spinning props didn't make enough thrust to overcome the drag of the prop discs. I know it's been done but you have to have a lot of respect for anyone who can actually get a Wright Brothers airplane to fly.