Aeronautics -- United States -- Biography; Wright, Orville, 1871-1948; Wright, Wilbur, 1867-1912
During the night of December 16th a strong cold wind blew
from the north. When we arose on the morning of the 17th,
the puddles of water, which had been standing about the camp
since the recent rains, were covered with ice. The wind had
a velocity of 10 to 12 meters per second (22 to 27 miles an
hour). We thought it would die down before long, and so
remained indoors the early part of the morning. But when ten
o’clock arrived, and the wind was as brisk as ever, we decided
that we had better get the machine out and attempt a flight.
We hung out the signal for the men of the Life Saving Station.
We thought that by facing the flyer into a strong wind, there
ought to be no trouble in launching it from the level ground
about camp. We realized the difficulties of flying in so high a
wind, but estimated that the added dangers in flight would be
partly compensated for by the slower speed in landing.
We laid the track on a smooth stretch of ground about one
hundred feet west of the new building. The biting cold wind
made work difficult, and we had to warm up frequently in our
living room, where we had a good fire in an improvised stove
made of a large carbide can. By the time all was ready, J. T.
Daniels, W. S. Dough and A. D. Etheridge, members of the Kill
Devil Life-Saving Station; W. C. Brinkley of Manteo; and Johnny
Moore, a boy from Nag’s Head, had arrived.
We had a “Richard” hand anemometer with which we measured the
velocity of the wind. Measurements made just before starting
the first flight showed velocities of 11 to 12 meters per
second, or 24 to 27 miles per hour. Measurements made just
before the last flight gave between 9 and 10 meters per second.
One made just afterward showed a little over 8 meters. The
records of the Government Weather Bureau at Kitty Hawk gave the
velocity of the wind between the hours of 10:30 and 12 o’clock,
the time during which the four flights were made, as averaging
27 miles at the time of the first flight and 24 miles at the
time of the last.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account