Wright Flyer II

Wright Brothers · United States · first flew 1904 · light aircraft

The Wright Flyer II was the second powered aircraft built by Wilbur and Orville Wright. It was a single-seat experimental biplane with a 15 hp piston engine driving two pusher propellers.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	6.43 m fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Biplane with an elevator mounted in front of the wings and no tail behind
Two propellers driven by one engine, turning in opposite directions and pushing from behind the wings
Launched from a wooden rail rather than rolling on wheels

Look for a biplane with a front elevator and two chain-driven pusher propellers. It carries no tail, and in its later form the front elevator was enlarged and the radiator moved to a rear strut.

Specifications

The Wright Flyer II has a length of 6.43 m (21 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.29 m (40 ft).
Its maximum speed is 56 km/h (35 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The design was very similar to the 1903 Flyer, with a slightly more powerful engine and white pine in place of spruce. The wing camber was reduced from 1-in-20 to 1-in-25, and the aircraft was about 200 pounds heavier than its predecessor. Trials began at Huffman Prairie, outside Dayton, Ohio, in the spring of 1904.

Variants

Only one Flyer II was built. It was developed from the original Wright Flyer and led to the Wright Flyer III.

Where you'll see it

During 1904 the Wrights made 105 flights with it, the longest lasting five minutes. On 20 September 1904 Wilbur flew the first full circle.

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