Anyone familiar with the Wright Flyer engine (1903)?

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hey guys,

I’m building the Revell 1/39 Wright flyer, and I’m trying to reconcile the differences between the kit and the real thing. I can’t seem to find a decent picture of the plumbing for the engine. On the model, you have the fuel can on one strut, the water supply on another. That’s fine - that jives with what I see.

But the water supply (on the model), then has this red coat hanger looking thing that runs across the cylinder head. From what I read, the real engine didn’t have a radiator-type system, so there was no need for a return line from the block to the supply. The tank just constantly supplied water, as it was flash-steamed off, in the engine. Best I can figure, the engine should have two inlets - one from the fuel, and one from the water.

Does anyone have good pictures (or diagrams) of how the engine was supplied fuel and water, and where on the block they were plumbed? This is something I should have asked a while ago, as now, all the struts are in place.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,

Fred

2

Your question sparked my curiosity. I found this illustration (link below) with a Google search, it may be useful:

http://www.pbase.com/czechman/image/55638764

3

This may provide additional help:

http://www.griffwason.com/wright_flyer_engine1.htm

4

Thanks for the links, guys [H].

I don’t know why they don’t want to explain the plumbing or how it was all connected, But, I managed to find a decent picture of the build-up, of that $200 kit that’s out there. I think I may just copy that, at least what I can see of it.

Thanks,

Fred

5

Fred, there was a Smithsonian Annals of Flight booklet published on the Wright engines that has photos and drawings of the Flyer engine. I think you will find that there were three water lines from the engine to the water tank/radiator, one which was smaller and I think would have been a vent line. The water circulated by convection as there was no water pump. There was one fuel line which went to the strut mounted tank.

Here is a photo from the book of the installed engine. The oil system is modified on this engine as it is on the Flyer in the Smithsonian (same airplane) but the 1903 engine did not have the oil pump at first. Near as I can tell and I am pretty sure about this, is that the Flyer the Wrights gave to Kensington was made from a collection of parts from the back room of the bicycle shop as the original was wrecked on the last of the first day flights.