A wind tunnel is a device used to determine the aerodynamic forces (lift and drag) on an object (such as a wing). Wind tunnel testing was a key ingredient in the Wrights' successful development of the 1903 Flyer.

Click on the picture to see an animation of the Wrights' Wind Tunnel

The glider experiments did not always go as planned and the Wrights returned home in 1901 after an unsuccessful summer of glider testing. In frustration, during the train ride home to Dayton, Wilbur told Orville, "Man will not fly for 50 years." (This story is often repeated with exaggeration as Wilbur exclaimed, "Not within a thousand years would men ever fly!")

The brothers believed that the wind tunnel data of other researchers was incorrect. This information was used by the Wrights to predict the lift their own gliders would obtain for a specific shape of wing. Using other researchers' lift information, the Wright gliders were just not able to rise in the air as high as the data predicted.

Wilbur was scheduled to make a speech about the Wrights' experiments on September 18, 1901 at the Western Society of Engineers in Chicago. Wilbur wanted to state that he and Orville felt that inaccurate lift data of other experimenters had misled them. Orville was in agreement but felt that they needed proof that this was true before making such statements against other researchers.

One of the 1901 Wright Wind Tunnel Balances

Over the next 3 months, the Wrights constructed wind tunnels and instruments called balances to measure the forces. They also shaped a series of airfoils (wing shapes). Systematically, the airfoils were placed on the balances to determine the lift and drag characteristics of each airfoil. The airfoils with the best characteristics could be made into full scale wings that would be placed on their aircraft.

Airfoil No. 12, created in 1901 by the Wright Brothers

As part of the Wright Again project, we will also wind tunnel test models of these same airfoils as well as some of those original 1901 airfoils which still exist in the Wright Brothers Aeronautical Engineering Collection at the Franklin Institute! We also plan to wind tunnel test some small models of one of the kites, two gliders, and the 1903 Wright Flyer.

Here is the schedule. With NASA's help, you'll be able to follow the progress and watch videos of the tests from this portion of the website. We'll use a wind tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California.

The Wright Wing Warping Kite Model in the NASA Wind Tunnel
(Click To See The Movie)

Schedule of Wind Tunnel Tests conducted at the NASA Ames Research Center

• Wright Glider (1900): April - July, 2002
• Wright Unsuccessful Glider (1901): July - September, 2002
• The 1901 Airfoils (1901): September - December, 2002
• Wright Glider (1902): June - July, 2003
• The Uprights (1903): June - July, 2003
• Wright Flyer (1903): December, 2003