Some scuppers were drilled through to carry oil to the rod
bearing and some were not.
The first engine was finished and assembled in February 1903 and given
its first operating test on 22 February. The Wrights were quite
pleased with its operation, and particularly with its smoothness.
Their father, Bishop Wright, was the recorder of their satisfaction
over its initial performance, but what he noted was probably the
afterglow of the ineffable feeling of deep satisfaction that is the
reward that comes to every maker of a new engine when it first comes
to life and then throbs. They obtained 13 hp originally: later figures
went as high as almost 16, but as different engine speeds were
utilized it is rather difficult to settle on any single power figure.
The most realistic is probably that given in the _Papers_ as having
been attained later, after an accurate check had been made of the
power required to turn a set of propellers at a given rpm. This came
out at approximately 12 hp, the design goal having been 8. Following
exactly the procedure that exists to this day, the engine went through
an extended development period, and it was the end of September 1903
before it was taken, with the airplane, to Kitty Hawk where the
historic flights, which have had such a profound effect on the lives
of all men, were made on 17 December 1903.
The Engines With Which They Mastered The Art of Flying
Two more engines of this first general design were built but they
differed somewhat from each other as well as from the original.
Together with a third 8-cylinder engine these were begun right after
the first of the year in 1904, shortly after the Wrights' return from
Kitty Hawk. In planning the 8-cylinder engine they were again only
being forehanded, but considerably so, in providing more power for
increased airplane performance beyond that which might possibly be
obtained from the 4-cylinder units. Progress with the 4-cylinder
engines was such that they fairly quickly concluded that the
8-cylinder size would not be necessary, and it was abandoned before
completion. Exactly how far it was carried is not known. The record
contains only a single note covering the final scrapping of the parts
that had been completed; and apparently there were no drawings, so
that even its intended appearance is not known with any exactness. It
was probably a 90° V-type using their original basic cylinder
construction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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