The 1904 Flyer

They built a hangar on the field and began experimenting with their second powered airplane in May 1904. They began using a tower-and-drop-weight catapult launching device to assist takeoff in lighter winds. Increasing Stability The 1903 airplane’s main problems were pitch instability and an overly sensitive elevator. To deal with the instability, the Wrights added weight to the front of their 1904 Flyer to shift the center of gravity forward. They also moved the elevator farther ahead of the wings, which dampened the control response and made the aircraft easier to fly. The first circular flight Improvement came slowly. The Wrights did not match their 59-second flight of 1903 until the 49th flight of their 1904 airplane. On September 20, 1904, the Wrights finally flew their first complete circle. The flight lasted 1 minute, 36 seconds and covered 4,080 feet. Go to 1905, The First Practical Airplane >>

The first published eyewitness account Amos I. Root, a beekeeping enthusiast from Medina, Ohio, traveled 175 miles to see the Wright brothers fly and witnessed their first circular flight. He published an account of that historic event in his journal, Gleanings in Bee Culture. It was the first eyewitness account of a Wright brothers airplane flight to appear in print.