“First Flight”: The Wright Flyer Experience Flight Simulator

By SimHQ on December 12, 2003 in _air, hide

The Options page has settings for graphics, controls and sound. Nothing very complicated, and with working default settings.

The “mission” for all flights is to recreate or even beat the Wright Brothers flight records. After a completed flight you are presented with a “telegram” showing your results compared to earlier attempts and the Wright Brothers results.

Result

The Glider flight starts on the slope of Jockey’s ridge, a popular site for hang-gliding to this day. The glider is supported and launched by helpers when you press Spacebar. The objective is to stay aloft as long as possible, flying as far and fast as possible. Sounds easy? Not in an inherently unstable aircraft, I can tell you!

A common trait for the early Wright aircraft, especially the canard constructions, is the instability in pitch. The short length of the “fuselage” and the absence of wing dihedral make for some interesting flight characteristics…!

The later 1911 Model B aircraft are somewhat easier to control in pitch because of the aft horizontal stabilizer.