Positioning the Wright Flyer on the Launch Rail, France, 1908-1909
Add to SetSummary
The Wright brothers' early airplanes had no wheels, just simple landing skids. To achieve takeoff, they devised a clever catapult system. The airplane was attached, with cables and pulleys, to a weight suspended in a tower. When the weight fell, it pulled the plane along a wooden rail fast enough to generate the necessary lift.
The Wright brothers' early airplanes had no wheels, just simple landing skids. To achieve takeoff, they devised a clever catapult system. The airplane was attached, with cables and pulleys, to a weight suspended in a tower. When the weight fell, it pulled the plane along a wooden rail fast enough to generate the necessary lift.
Artifact
Negative (Photograph)
Subject Date
1908-1909
Creators
Keywords
Collection Title
On Exhibit
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
2000.53.117
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Glass (Material)
Technique
Gelatin dry plate process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 5.000 in
Width: 7.000 in
Share Anywhere
Use this Artifact Card to share this great find with others. From historic images to vivid descriptions, a record of rich detail is bundled inside a single card.
