| 1903 | |
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Plans/Diagrams |
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Construction |
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Photos |
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Engine |
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Specifications |
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Wind Tunnel Tests |
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| 2003 | |
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Rediscovering Secrets |
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Construction |
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Photos |
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Wind Tunnel Tests |
Original Wright Engine Has 'Fury About It'
The first time they revved up the Wright Brothers Vertical Serial No. 2 engine it was unlike anything they had heard before.It had sat dormant for 85 years, but after two pulls it was screaming at 850 rpms, said Greg Cone, who joined The Wright Experience as a machinist and now helps with woodwork, fabric and research. It has a fury about it.
The engine, first started in June, has about nine minutes on it, Cone said. It is the only engine manufactured by The Wright Company in operation anywhere. And it is one of the few engines that they can assign to a certain airplane, he said.
Installed in a Wright B Flyer, it was used by their company pilot Frank Coffyn, to carry 41 passengers at Detroits Grosse Point Country Club in June of 1911.
On July 31, 1911, brothers Frederick and Russell Alger bought the plane, retaining Coffyn as pilot. Within six months it was the first to be fitted with floats as well as a hand crank mechanism for starting.
In 1915, the Algers donated the aircraft to the University of Michigan Flying Club where it was wrecked in a storm. The engine was then sent to Dayton for repairs and storage at the Lincoln Storage Co. where it remained.
Cone said they replaced a minimum of hardware on the engine, and have x-rayed and inspected every piece. Next they will test the engine to see how it functions, and then reproduce it.
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Engine Specifications
Year of manufacture 1910
Serial number 20 Bore 4 3/8 inches Stroke 4 inches Displacement 241 cubic inches Compression ratio 5.14:1 Horsepower 35 hp @ 1320 rpm Cooling Liquid circulated by pump and radiator Lubrication Splash system, circulation by pump and gravity Dry weight 180 pounds. Engine Features
Generous use of aluminum
castings and tubing
Inlet valves Automatic type Exhaust valves Mechanically operated by push rods and rocker arms. Fuel system Gravity-fed pump forces gasoline to a nozzle in inlet manifold Ignition MEA high tension magneto and spark plugs. Compression release Manually operated linkage for interrupting exhaust valves. Engine speed is regulated by ignition spark timing only. |
