Wright Glider

In 1896 Orville and Wilbur Wright started to pursue their dream of powered, controlled flight. The brothers took a scientific approach, utilizing the accumulated knowledge of flight from their predecessors and contemporaries, and through developing scientific experiments of their own. They built a series of gliders to test new ideas on, the 1902 glider was used to perfect the control system that they developed. The controls included a rudder to keep the aircraft headed in a straight line, wing-warping to bank the wings, and a forward elevator to change the pitch of the aircraft.

The Wrights set unofficial world records for the largest glider ever built, the longest time in the air and for gliding at the lowest angle of descent to date with this aircraft. Their longest flight with it was 622’-6″ and the flight lasted 26 seconds. The success of this glider led them to develop the 1903 Wright Flyer that became the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled sustained flight on December 17, 1903, and their dream was realized.

Cole Palen purchased this replica at auction in 1981.

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