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The ''Wright Flyer'' (often retrospectively referred to as ''Flyer I'' or ''1903 Flyer'') was the first successful heavier-than-air powered aircraft. It was designed and built by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903, near Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, US. Today, the airplane is exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. The U.S. Smithsonian Institution describes the aircraft as "the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard."〔( "Milestones of Flight - 1903 Wright Flyer" ), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum〕 The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale described the 1903 flight during the 100th anniversary in 2003 as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight."〔("100 Years Ago, the Dream of Icarus Became Reality" ), ''FAI NEWS'', 17 December 2003. Retrieved: January 5, 2007.〕 The ''Flyer I's'' date of its first flight generally marks the beginning of the "pioneer era" of aviation. ==Design and construction== The ''Flyer'' was based on the Wrights' experience testing gliders at Kitty Hawk between 1900 and 1902. Their last glider, the 1902 Glider, led directly to the design of the ''Flyer''. The Wrights built the aircraft in 1903 using giant spruce wood as their construction material.〔 The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. Since they could not find a suitable automobile engine for the task, they commissioned their employee Charlie Taylor to build a new design from scratch, effectively a crude gasoline engine.〔http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1903/engine.cfm〕 A sprocket chain drive, borrowing from bicycle technology, powered the twin propellers, which were also made by hand. The ''Flyer'' was a canard biplane configuration. As with the gliders, the pilot flew lying on his stomach on the lower wing with his head toward the front of the craft in an effort to reduce drag. He steered by moving a cradle attached to his hips. The cradle pulled wires which warped the wings and turned the rudder simultaneously. The ''Flyer's'' "runway" was a track of 2x4s stood on their narrow edge, which the brothers nicknamed the "Junction Railroad". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wright Flyer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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