Greater than five minutes — First Flight Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin

Today, the First Flight Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin remembers the early Wright Brothers’ experiments and their first greater-than-five-minute flight made on November 9, 1904.

The Scientific American of April 7, 1906 included an article describing their early work and its secretive nature.

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The Wright Aeroplane and its performances.

According to the statement sent to the Aero Club of America recently by Messrs. Orville and Wilbur Wright (which statement is, by the way, the first authoritative one made by the brothers in their own country), they have already solved the problem of the century, mechanical flight, with their motor-driven, man-carrying aeroplane.

During the past three years in which they have been experimenting with it, they have made 160 flights averaging a mile each, but not until the machine had been changed and improved many times was such a degree of success attained as to make it possible to cover long distances at high speed with safety.

As a result, the final flight of 25 1/5 miles made on October 5 last was longer than the 105 flights of 1904 taken all together.

The success of the Wright brothers in being the first to make free flights over considerable distances with a motor-driven machine heavier than air comes as the result of an earnest effort, made during the past six years, to learn and master the principles of gliding flight.

With the results of Maxim’s experiments before them, they knew that a motor-driven aeroplane could be made practical provided it could be made stable.

Therefore, after adopting the two-surface machine of Chanute (which consists of two superposed, rectangular, slightly-curved surfaces), they spent some three years making glides and attempting to improve the stability of their machine.

Their ultimate, and very brilliant, success is due mainly to the recumbent position of the operator, and to the horizontal front rudder maintaining the proper fore-and-aft stability.

There may also be other patentable improvements for maintaining the transverse stability, such as a method of twisting the planes slightly at either end.

The next step was to fit the machine with a suitable motor and propellers.

This was done the latter part of 1903, and on December 17 the first flight was made with the motor-driven machine.

This flight lasted only 59 seconds, but during it the aeroplane advanced a distance of 852 feet against a 20-mile-an-hour wind.

The motor used on this occasion was a four-cylinder, air-cooled engine of 16 horse-power.

In 1904 the Wrights continued their experiments with a motor driven flyer; and on September 20 they accomplished for the first time the feat of describing a circle, while on November 9 and December 1 they made two flights of 3 miles each, which were the longest up to that time.

In order to perfect the machine the brothers found that they had yet to overcome “several obscure and somewhat rare difficulties” which they had met with in their 1904 flights.

Last year was therefore given up to this, and from June to October frequent flights were made above a swampy meadow 8 miles east of Dayton, Ohio, in which city the Wright brothers reside.

Not until the middle of September were the experimenters able to correct the obscure troubles just mentioned.

As soon, however, as these were overcome, the length of the flights continued to increase, as can be seen from the following table:

Date — Distance —Time — Cause of Stopping.

Sept. 26 — 11 1/8 miles — 18 mins 09 secs — Exhaustion of fuel.

Sept. 29 — 12 miles — 19 mins 55 secs — Exhaustion of fuel.

Sept. 30 — – – miles — 17 mins 15 secs — Hot bearing.

Oct. 3 — 15 1/4 miles — 25 mins 05 secs — Hot bearing.

Oct. 4 — 20 3/4 miles — 33 mins 17 secs — Hot bearing.

Oct. 5 — 25 1/5 miles — 38 mins 03 secs — Exhaustion of fuel.

These flights were made in a rectangular or circular course about three-fourths of a mile in length.

In making the last one mentioned in the table, the machine made 29.7 circuits above the field and attained an average speed of slightly more than 38 miles an hour.

Taking account of the fact that on the straight parts of the course a considerably higher speed was maintained than at the turns, the machine very probably traveled 40 miles an hour or over when advancing in a straight line.

The distances traveled during the various flights were measured by a Richard anemometer carried on the machine, and the records thus made agreed closely with the distances measured on the ground when the flights were in a straight line and the air was calm.

It was impossible to effect an accurate comparison in this manner when the flights were made in a circle on account of the impossibility of tracing the course accurately on the ground.

The weight of the machine and operator as used last year was 925 pounds. The motor is said to have been a 24-horse-power, four-cylinder, air-cooled gasoline engine weighing complete about 250 pounds, or over 10 pounds to the horse-power.

The lightest aeronautical motor so far constructed weighs but 2.2 pounds per horse-power; so that with the same size machine and a light-weight motor more than the weight of an extra passenger could be saved.

No effort was made at lightness of construction, the object of the Wrights being to have a machine that is substantial and of practical utility, rather than one of great lifting power.

How much the lifting power might be increased can be seen from the fact that Maxim found it possible to raise 133 pounds per horse power, while the present experimenters have raised only 38, or (supposing that they actually used but 15 horse-power) 61 at a maximum.

In view of the fact that the Wrights claim to have made every effort “to increase the scientific efficiency of the wings and screws in order that even heavily-built machines may be carried with a moderate expenditure of power,” it does not seem that they have succeeded very well in obtaining the maximum lift possible per horse-power,

Owing to the fact that as soon as they had met with success the two brothers attempted to sell their machine to the French government for war purposes and that, having it unprotected as yet by patents, they did not wish to disclose anything about it, photographs or data of interest are not available for publication.

When the list of their flights given above was first announced last December in France, it was incredible to many people both there and here that so novel a device as a flying machine could be operated frequently for nearly six months in the vicinity of a large city without the fact becoming generally known.

The Wrights refused to make a statement, and they gave the names of but a few persons who had seen them fly.

With the communication recently sent by them to the Aero Club, however, they sent a list of names of seventeen men who were eye-witnesses of their experiments.

In order to dispel any lingering doubt regarding the flights, the reported accounts of which the leading German aeronautical journal, Illustrirte Aeronautische Mitteilungen, characterized as “ein amerikanischer ‘bluff,’ ” a list of questions was sent to the seventeen witnesses.

In all we received eleven replies. To the first question, on what date or dates did you see the aeroplane fly, it was not possible to get exact information in every case.

Ten of the witnesses agreed, however, that they had seen the aeroplane fly in the autumn of 1905, the majority in the month of October.

The second question, intended to bring out the length of the flights made on the various occasions, called forth answers which showed that the Witnesses had seen the aeroplane fly for distances that varied from 15 to 28 miles, agreeing substantially with the Wright figures.

The times given approximate fairly well with those of the Wright brothers.

In answer to the third question, Did the aeroplane fly in a circle or in a straight line? the replies indicated that the path covered was sometimes circular, sometimes elliptical, and sometimes rectangular.

The fourth question, Was the aeroplane attached in any way to any object, or was it absolutely free? called forth answers that left no doubt of its absolute freedom.

The fifth question, Did the aeroplane carry a man during the flight? was answered affirmatively. In order to ascertain if possible the manner in which the machine was launched, the witnesses were asked in the sixth question whether or not the machine arose from the ground by its own power.

From the replies received, it would seem that the aeroplane rested on a single rail 40 feet long, was pushed for a short distance by hand, and left the rail after having traveled 25 or 30 feet. The rail was level and raised about 6 inches from the ground.

The seventh question was this: Was there a wind during the demonstration, or was the air calm? Inasmuch as the eleven witnesses who replied did not all see the same flight on the same day, it was not to be expected that the answers would agree.

At one time the air was calm; at others there was a light or stiff wind.

As to the velocity of the wind, the subject of the eighth question, no very satisfactory information could be obtained. It seems, however, to have varied from 7 to 30 miles an hour.

Inasmuch as the course of the machine was approximately circular on its various flights, most of the witnesses agreed, in reply to the ninth question, that the flight was made both with and against the wind.

The tenth question was this: If the flight was made in circles, and there was a wind blowing, was there any difference in elevation when the machine was flying with and against the wind?

From the information gathered it would seem that there was some slight difference in elevation, although this did not affect the control of the machine in any way.

As to the speed of the machine when it alighted, the subject of the eleventh question, it was natural that the observers should not be in accord, since all had not seen the aeroplane glide at the same time.

The craft seems, however, to have slackened in speed until it stopped.

Some of the replies placed the speed it had when it touched the ground at the preposterous figures of 15, 20, and 30 miles an hour.

To the twelfth question, whether or not the aeroplane alighted on an even keel, rather vague replies were received.

Two observers replied that the front was inclined upward, which was probably the case.

Others thought that the aeroplane alighted on an even keel. In addition to the replies given above from ten witnesses, seven of whom are residents of Dayton, we publish a letter in which all the questions are answered in a very satisfactory manner.

Dayton, Ohio, March 21, 1906.

Dear Sirs:

Your letter of March 19, with inquiries concerning the Wright brothers’ flying machine, is received.

I witnessed one of their flights in the early part of October. I do not remember the exact date. The younger brother was aboard the machine, and remained in the air about a half hour.

I heard that a longer flight was made the next day. The machine traveled in large circles, apparently about a mile around. I did not keep track of the number of laps, but I think someone present remarked that he had counted twenty-four.

The flyer was absolutely free from the time it left the rail upon which it started until it touched the ground in making its final landing.

The machine was assisted in starting on the rail, but after leaving the track, which was only a few inches from the ground, it gradually rose by its own power alone until it had attained a height above the tallest trees; after which it continued on a level course.

The wind was light, and there was no noticeable difference in the height when traveling with and against the wind.

In landing, the machine approached the ground so gradually that I could not tell when it first touched.

After sliding a short distance, it came to rest directly in front of the building in which it is housed.

Mr. Wright shut off the power while still a few feet above the ground. He stated on alighting that the heating of a bearing in the machinery had made it unadvisable to continue the flight.

The machine landed on a level without any noticeable jar.

Yours truly, (Signed) CHARLES WEBBERT.

The letters which we have received all agree that the Wright aeroplane has flown and carried a man for a considerable distance, and that the machine rose from the ground mainly by its own power, and executed free flights in any direction in which the operator wished to guide it, both with and against the wind.

According to these eye-witnesses, the elevation of the machine was under the control of the operator at all times, and he was able to cause it to alight either very slowly or at a considerable speed without damaging it in the least.

There is no doubt whatever that these able experimenters deserve the highest credit for having perfected the first flying machine of the heavier-than-air type which has ever flown successfully and at the same time carried a man.

We congratulate them upon the accomplishment of this great feat, and we hope that they will soon see their way clear to give to the world, as did Maxim and Langley, some of the immense amount of valuable data which they have undoubtedly obtained while delving into the rapidly developing science of aerial navigation.

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The First Flight Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin shows with an image of the first greater-than-five-minute flight on November 9, 1904.

First Flight Commemorative Gold Five-Dollar Coin