View source for Wright Model A

{{Short description|Early Wright Brothers aircraft}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = Wright Model A/Military Flyer
| image = NASM-NASM2022-04540A-000001.jpg
| caption = Wright Military Flyer at the [[Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]]
| type = Demonstrator/trainer
| manufacturer = [[Wright Company]]
| designer = 
| first_flight = [[1908 in aviation|1908]]
| introduction = 
| retired = 
| status = 
| primary_user = 
| more_users = 
| produced = 
| number_built = {{circa|60}}
| unit cost = $25,000 plus $5,000 bonus (first 1909 Military Flyer only)
| variants = [[Wright Model B]]
}}
[[File:NASM-NASM2009-4949.jpg|thumb|Three-quarter left front view from below of the Wright Type A Military (Signal Corps No.1) hanging on display in the darkened Early Flight exhibit, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum]]
The '''Wright Model A''' is an early [[aircraft]] produced by the [[Wright Brothers]] in the United States beginning in 1906. 
It was a development of their [[Wright Flyer III|Flyer III]] airplane of 1905. The Wrights built about seven Model A's in their bicycle shop during the period 1906–1907, in which they did no flying. One of these was shipped to [[Le Havre]] in 1907 in order to demonstrate it to the French. The Model A had a {{convert|35|hp|adj=on}} engine and seating for two with a new control arrangement. Otherwise, it was identical to the 1905 airplane. The Model A was the first aircraft that they offered for sale, and the first aircraft design to enter serial production anywhere in the world. Apart from the seven machines the Wrights built themselves in 1906–1907, they sold licences for production in Europe with the largest number of Model A's actually being produced in Germany by [[Flugmaschine Wright GmbH]], which built about 60 examples.<ref>[http://www.deutsches-museum.de/sammlungen/ausgewaehlte-objekte/meisterwerke-iii/motorflugzeug/ Das Flugzeug "Model A" von Wilbur und Orville Wright] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104125755/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/sammlungen/ausgewaehlte-objekte/meisterwerke-iii/motorflugzeug/ |date=2013-11-04 }}, [[Deutsches Museum]] (German) (shows German advert for Wright Flugmaschinen, flying lesson included with purchase) "In der in Johannisthal bei Berlin ansässigen Firma "Flugmaschine Wright GmbH" wurden Wright-Flugzeuge in Lizenz gebaut. Die im Herbst 1909 gegründete Firma war nach der Flugmaschinenfabrik von August Euler die zweite Flugzeugfabrik in Deutschland, in der Flugzeuge in Serie gefertigt wurden. Sie produzierte bis 1913 etwa 60 Wright-Doppeldecker verschiedener Versionen"</ref>

The 1909 '''Military Flyer''' was a one-of-a-kind '''Model A''' built by the [[Wright Brothers]]. With wings shortened two feet, higher skid undercarriage and the same engine salvaged from the 1908 Wright Military Flyer wrecked at [[Fort Myer]], it differed from the standard Wright A in size and had a faster speed. The aircraft was demonstrated at [[Fort Myer, Virginia]], beginning June 28, 1909<ref name="fahey">"U.S. Army Aircraft 1908–1946" by [[James C. Fahey]], 1946, 64 pp.</ref> for the [[Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps|Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps]], which offered a contract of $25,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|25000|1909}}}} in 2022 dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}) for an aircraft capable of flying at {{convert|40|mph}}, with two people on board, and a distance of {{convert|125|mi}}. After rigorous trials the Signal Corps accepted the airplane as "Signal Corps (S.C.) No. 1", August 2, 1909,<ref name="fahey"/> and paid the brothers $30,000<ref>"On Great White Wings" by Fred E. C. Culick and Spencer Dunmore (Airlife Publishing Ltd. Shrewsbury, England, 2001, {{ISBN|1-84037-333-4}}), 176 pp.</ref> (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|30000|1909}}}} in 2022 US dollars{{Inflation-fn|US}}).

==Designation==
The aircraft were not referred to as 'Model A' by the Wrights, but the term was likely created by the U.S. Army after purchasing a Flyer of 1909 and purchasing later Model B's. At different times prior to 1909 the aircraft were called the following: 'Wilbur Wright machine', 'Wright 1905 Flyer', and by later surviving Wright pilots and personnel 'twin-propellered Wright with head' ('the head' referring to the front elevator). As more Wright models were built after 1910 their natural designations became B, C, D etc. to differentiate one model from the other. Later aviation historians and biographers continued with 'Model A' in providing a chronological timeline for each of the different model of Wright aircraft.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==Individual control arrangement==
[[File:Wright movie still.jpg|right|thumb| Wilbur Wright flying a Model A in France 1909.]]
[[Wright brothers|Wilbur and Orville Wright]] devised slightly different [[Aircraft flight control system|flight controls]] in the Model A airplanes they flew separately in France and the United States for their 1908 and 1909 public demonstrations. The Smithsonian Institution's [[National Air and Space Museum]] refers to "The Wilbur Method" and "The Orville Method". In the Wilbur Method, the roll and yaw controls were combined on the same lever at the pilot's right hand. A forward-backward movement controlled the rudder, while a sideways or left-and-right motion controlled wing-warping. In the Orville Method, moving the stick controlled wing-warping, while a knob atop the stick controlled the rudder. In both methods the left-hand lever operated the forward elevator to control pitch. Wilbur trained French and Italian pilots using his method, and Orville trained German pilots while in Germany in 1909 for the Wright GmbH as well as American pilots at the Wright Company flight school using his method.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

==Survivors==
[[File:Orville Wright&flyer1909.jpg|thumb|right|Orville Wright and Model A, Tempelhof Field, Berlin September 1909. This machine is now preserved in the [[Deutsches Museum]], Munich, Germany.]]
*[[Wright Flyer III]] was itself the prototype in 1908. Flyer III was restored in the late 1940s back into its original 1905 configuration.
*The original  Wright Military '''Model A''' plane (Signal Corps No. 1) is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in [[Washington, DC]].<ref>"United States Military Aircraft Since 1909" by F. G. Swanborough, 1964, 596 pp.</ref> S.C. No. 1 had been significantly modified by the addition of wheels for landing gear and the movement of the elevators, but was restored by the Wright Company to its original configuration before donation to the museum. It is displayed in much the original condition as when the Smithsonian received it in October 1911. The aircraft was displayed in the National History Museum, then protected in [[Luray, Virginia]] during WWII, and is now in the Early Flight gallery in the Air and Space Museum.<ref>{{cite book|title=Smithsonian Air and Space Museum an Autobiography|page=76|author=Michael Neufield and Alex Spencer}}</ref>
*The only original standard Model A to survive, and the sole surviving original Dayton-built example, is the one Orville Wright used to demonstrate at [[Tempelhof]], Germany, in September 1909. It resides in the [[Deutsches Museum]], [[Munich]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wright Standard Type A, 1909 |url=http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/collections/transport/aeronautics/propeller-planes/up-to-1918/wright-biplane |website=Deutsches Museum |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=19 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619105159/http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/collections/transport/aeronautics/propeller-planes/up-to-1918/wright-biplane |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Reproductions==
*An exact reproduction of the 1909 Military Flyer is on display in the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]]. This reproduction was constructed in 1955 by museum personnel. It is equipped with an original engine personally donated for the reproduction by [[Orville Wright]], while the chains, sprockets, and propellers were all donated by the heirs of the Wright estate, and have been added to the replica as they have been received and restored.<ref>United States Air Force Museum (1975 edition)</ref>
*In 2008 Ken Hyde built an exact replica of the original 1908 Wright Military Flyer which itself was one of the Dayton 7. This was for the 100th anniversary and remembrance of Orville Wright's first trip to Fort Myer and also the death of [[Thomas Selfridge]]. Hyde has said in press reports that his reproduction is flyable but for now it will only exist in static display.

[[File:Wright Military Flyer arrives at Fort Myer VA DA-SD-05-00659.JPEG|right|thumb|The 1908 Wright Military Flyer arrives at Fort Myer, Virginia aboard a wagon, attracting the attention of children and adults]]

==Operators==
;{{flag|United States of America|1896}}
*[[Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps]]

==Specifications (Wright Military Flyer)==

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=US Army Aircraft 1908–1946<ref name=Fahey>{{cite book |last1=Fahey |first1=James C. |title=US Army Aircraft |year=1946 |publisher=Ships & Aircraft Ltd |location=New York }}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=2
|length ft=30
|length in=8
|length note=
|span ft=36
|span in=5
|span note=
|height ft=8
|height in=0
|height note=
|wing area sqft=
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=<!--'''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>-->
|empty weight lb=740
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=1263
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Wright Vertical 4]]
|eng1 type=4-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine
|eng1 hp=35
|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=2
|prop name=Painted spruce elliptical propellers
|prop dia ft=8
|prop dia in=8
|prop dia note=(2 of, rotating in opposite directions)
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=42
|max speed note=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=
|range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{Aircontent|
|related=
* [[British Army Aeroplane No 1]] – designed and built by [[Samuel Cody]] (1908) 
* [[Wright Glider#1902 glider|1902 Glider]]
* ''[[Wright Flyer]]'' 
* [[Wright Flyer II|Flyer II]]
* [[Wright Flyer III|Flyer III]]
* [[Wright Model B]]
* [[Early flying machines]]
}}

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist|colwidth=33em}}
;Bibliography
* [http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/types/usa/wright/flyer/flyer.htm aeroflight.co.uk]
* United States Air Force Museum (1975 edition)

== External links ==
{{commons category|Wright Model A}}
* [https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1909-wright-military-flyer 1909 Wright Military Flyer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212232423/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/1909-wright-military-flyer |date=2020-02-12 }}, National Air and Space Museum collections database
* [https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196762/wright-1909-military-flyer/ Replica at the National Museum of the United States Air Force]
* [http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/FEATURE-Wright-engine.html# Under the Hood of a Wright Flyer] Smithsonian online version of magazine November 1, 2006
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YdptInW0TI Engine start Youtube video of Ken Hyde's] reproduction 1908 Wright Model A Military Flyer.
* [http://www.centennialofflight.gov/chrono/log/1908HunaudieresRaceCourse.htm Wright Brother Flight Logs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920210532/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/chrono/log/1908HunaudieresRaceCourse.htm |date=2012-09-20 }}
{{Wright aircraft}}

[[Category:1900s United States experimental aircraft]]
[[Category:Wright aircraft|Model A]]
[[Category:Single-engined twin-prop pusher aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1908]]