The 1903 Wright Flyer
Posted by Tythatguy1312@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 6 comments
Ok so this might be cheating as its literally the first plane to fly under its own power but hear me out. Given it's a biplane with no seat, has a biplane canard setup, features a 3L engine that somehow only makes 12 horsepower and needed to take off on a set of rails (does that mean it counts as a rail speeder?) I'd say it's fair to call this thing... unique.
D74248@reddit
It should not be a surprise that the airplane predated the runway. Especially given that Kitty Hawk, selected for its winds, had pretty poor terrain for wheeled machines. Likewise the Ohio pastures that were used later.
When the time came, the Wrights had no problems mounting bicycle wheels.
DingleBerrieIcecream@reddit
Most other airplanes up to that point were based more on box kites and did not use an airfoil as part of the lifting strategy. Instead they used a flat plane at an inclined angle to create lift. Even the word we use now is derived from French, who were some of the earliest to explore the idea in that era. Aero + Plane became Airplane in English.
JJohnston015@reddit
Fun fact: the fuel tank is that wide, dark thing that looks like a giant sword sticking out of the pilot's back. It was tall and narrow and attached to the back of that vertical strut for aerodynamics.
waldo--pepper@reddit
Prone pilot position. Innovative in many ways.
FZ_Milkshake@reddit
I agree you are right, it was pretty unusual for it's time. Unlike most early powered aircraft (attempts) it was based on a successful glider design and had three axis controls (though yaw was coupled to roll and not completely seperate). The wing design also was not based on Lilienthals data and the Smeaton coefficient but on entirely new research by the Wrights. That means the wings were in fact a bit weird.
the_spinetingler@reddit
and the bendy wings for flight control!