First flight 1913 | Manufacturer Wright Company | |
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The Wright Model E was the first in the series of Wright Flyers that used a single propeller The aircraft was also the test demonstrator for the first automatic pilot control.
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Design
The Model E featured 24 inch tires. It was flown with four and six cylinder Wright engines.
The model E was fitted with a prototype autopilot that used a wind driven generator and pendulums to drive the wing warping controls. The design was quickly eclipsed by a gyroscopic autopilot developed by Lawrence Sperry for the competing Curtiss Aeroplane Company.
Operational history
On 31 December 1913, Orville Wright demonstrated a Model E with an "automatic stabilizer" flying seven circuits around Huffman Prairie field with his hands above his head. The Model E demonstrations earned the Wright Brothers the 1913 Collier Trophy from Aero Club of America.
Albert Elton (1881–1975) purchased the sole Wright Model E for exhibition flights.
Specifications (Wright Model E)
General characteristics