The 1902 Glider
image credit: Library of Congress

What happened next?

As recorded by their sister Katherine, the Wrights concluded their experiments on December 7, 1901. They never again used the wind tunnel. The tunnel experiments had brought them through the greatest crisis of their investigations, and lead them to an unparalleled understanding of the dynamics of flight. They had produced reliable data, and set about designing and building their next machine.

The 1902 Glider became the first fully controllable aircraft ever built. It was also the first to soar. The Wrights had solved the problems they had first established for themselves: lift and control. They could turn to power.

The tunnel's legacy is perhaps greatest in the Wrights' work on powered flight. The data they assembled in 1901 was the basis for their propellers of 1903, the first to have a basis in aerodynamics, and whose performance rivals the best wooden propellers of today. For more, visit In Depth: The Propeller.