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Comprehension Questions

Chapter 6: One Year to Flight: 1903

Answer Key

Directions:

After reading Chapter 6, One Year to Flight: 1903, answer each question using complete sentences. Back up your answers by using information from the book.

1. What did the brothers have to design and create before they went back to Kitty Hawk?

They had to design and create an engine light enough and powerful enough to give sufficient thrust to make their "glider-aircraft" fly. They would also have to redesign their glider so that it could accommodate an engine (because it is added weight). They also had to design and create propellers to give the thrust to their aircraft.

2. Explain what propellers are and how propellers work.

Propellers are airfoils. A turning propeller increases the air pressure behind it. This increase in air pressure behind it pushes the propeller into the lower pressure area in front of the propeller. But as the speed of the forward movement accelerates, the difference between the air pressure in front of the propeller and behind the propeller decreases. This causes the thrust to decrease.

3. What new problem had to be solved with propellers?

As the speed of the forward movement accelerates, the difference between the air pressure in front of the propeller and behind the propeller decreases. This causes the thrust to decrease. So the brothers had to figure out a way to keep the thrust from decreasing during the forward movement.

There had been no research done on how propellers can be used to push air, so the brothers had to solve another problem.

4. What was the design solution for the propeller problem?

They designed two rear-mounted propellers which were connected to the engine by strong, bicycle-type chains. The chains rotated each propeller in opposite directions (to maintain stability and to keep the aircraft from moving in a circle).

5. Why did the brothers want to keep their work on engines and propellers a secret?

They did not want to be bothered or distracted by reporters. They wanted to keep people away until they really had a successful, power-driven aircraft.

6. List the setbacks the brothers encountered during their visit this year to Kitty Hawk.

rain;
more storms with lots of wind and rain;
during engine testing, the engine motion caused the chains to be jerked around, which yanked the sprockets loose from the shafts and damaged them;
shafts had to be sent back to Ohio to be repaired;
during a second testing of the engine with the new shafts, a crack developed, so they needed to make steel shafts instead of wooden shafts;
Orville returned to Dayton to make the steel shafts.

7. The author noted some differences in this engine-bearing aircraft. List these differences below.

wingspan: 40 feet, 4 inches
wing width: 6 feet, 6 inches
total area of wings: 510 square feet
wings curved downward so that the tips were 10 inches lower than the central section
length from nose to tail: 21 feet, 1 inch
two skids braced to the upper and lower wing

8. Describe how the aircraft was launched.

It was wheeled from the storage building on a track to the launch site one-fourth of a mile away.

It was placed on a trolley which was on a track that led from the top of a sand dune down an incline. When ready for takeoff, struts holding up each wing were removed and a person was placed at each wingtip to keep it balanced. The pilot would flip the clip that released the restraining rope. The aircraft would then freely move along the monorail and down the sand dune's slope.

9. How long did Orville keep the Flyer up in the air?

Twelve (12) seconds.

10. How far did he fly?

One hundred and twenty (120) feet.