Bicycles and Airplanes

by John Ostrem
EAA Chapter 54

 
What do bicycles and airplanes have to do with aviation history? Well, if you miss that one, Marlon will revoke your pilots license and triple your Chapter dues! Of course the answer is the Wright Brothers who were bicycle designers, builders and repairmen in Dayton, Ohio from 1892-1904. They used their profits to build gliders and airplanes. In fact they estimated it cost $1,000 to build the first plane and engine (which would be $36,000 today.) They made two bicycle models the “Van Cleve” named after their Great -Great-Grandmother Catharine Van Cleve Thompson, sold for $65 and the St Clair, named after the first Governor the Ohio Territory, sold for $40. In total they made 180 bikes and today there are only 5 priceless survivors, located in museums. Typical of what you would expect from these brilliant designers there were many innovations incorporated into the bikes. They had wooden wheel rims and wooden handlebars that would act as shock absorbers to combat the terrible street potholes in Dayton. They were the first to use left-handed threads on the left pedal so it wouldn’t unwind on the road, and they incorporated a coaster brake on the rear wheel. Their bikes did not look like the traditional bikes of the period and remarkably resemble the racers of today.

With no other aircraft to copy, these pioneers had to do everything themselves and the many bike building skills were instrumental in teaching them how to work with wood and metal for their gliders and airplanes. Further, the experience with bicycling helped them understand the balance and motion needed for wing warping necessary for control and turning. They often said, “riding a bike was like flying at a low level and the small adjustments needed to ride a bike were the same adjustments for stability on the plane.” Their drill presses, lathes, and tools for bike frames were used for making the aircraft parts and the chains and gears that drove the twin propellers were directly from the bicycle shop. Another important innovation was the ability to tighten spokes on the wheels for balance which was transferred to wing adjustments on the Flyer. Their idea to build a wind tunnel to test lift calculations came from riding and the components were from bicycle parts. In fact, many of their early glider failures were based on lift calculations of Lilienthal which they proved to be wrong; they used the bicycle wind tunnel to test 50 different wing shapes for a 100-pound glider and a 150-pound pilot proving the calculations wrong. The new lift calculations allowed them to build the proper wing size necessary for the Wright Flyer, engine, and pilot.

The Wright Brothers didn’t just ride bikes for fun and profit, but they used the technology to design their powered adventures into aviation. Their success was a direct result of the skills they honed in their bike shop and without this experience the first heavier than air flight would have been many years later and by different aviators.

With only five of these treasured bicycles accounted for, our recommendation would be to check the back corners of your hangar and maybe we could display a missing Wright Van Cleve model in our Chapter House.