Burgess-Wright Model F
United States — Pioneer Biplane

Archive Photos

1911 Burgess-Wright Model F (s/n 69115) c.2002 at the Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB, Salt Lake City, UT (Photos by John Shupek)

Wright Model B ²

• Wright Model B
• Role: Sports plane
• Manufacturer: Wright Company
• First flight: 1910
• Number built: ca. 100
• Unit cost: $5,000

Overview ²

The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rather than at the front. It was the last Wright model to have an open-frame tail. The Model B was a dedicated two-seater with the pilot and a passenger sitting side-by-side on the leading edge of the lower wing.

Besides their civil market, the Wrights were able to sell aircraft to the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps (S.C. 3, 4, and 5) and to the United States Navy as hydroplanes (AH-4, AH-5-, and AH-6), in which services they were used as trainers. Furthermore, the Wrights were able to sell licenses to produce the aircraft domestically (to the Burgess Company and Curtis, which designated it Model F), as well as in Germany. The deal with Burgess was the first license-production of aircraft undertaken in the United States and most of the approximately one hundred Model Bs produced were actually built by Burgess. A modified Model B, redesignated Model EX (for Exhibition) achieved fame as the Vin Fiz Flyer, the first aircraft to cross the United States. Burgess also planned a refined version as the Model G, but this was never built.

Variants ²

• Model B: Two-seat sports biplane, powered by a 35-hp (26-kW) Wright piston engine.
• Model B-1: Civil seaplane variant with two steel and aluminum pontoons.
• Model B-2: Civil seaplane variant with a single float.
• Model EX: This modified Model B, dubbed the Vin Fiz this was the first aircraft to cross the United States.
• Model F: This version was built under license by the Burgess Company.
• Model G: Unbuilt version, it was intended to be built by Burgess Company.
• Model G Aeroboat: Two aircraft, built for the US Navy in 1913 and 1914, similar to the Model F, and designated AH-19.

Operators ²

• United States: United States Army; United States Navy

Wright Model B Specifications ²

General Characteristics

• Crew: One pilot
• Capacity: one passenger
• Length: 26 ft 0 in (7.93 m)
• Wingspan: 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m)
• Height: 8 ft 9 in ( m)
• Wing area: 480 ft² (44.6 m²)
• Empty weight: 800 lb (363 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,250 lb (567 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright Vertical 4, 35 hp (26 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 45 mph (72 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 40 mph (64 km/h)
• Range: 110 miles (177 km)

References

1. Shupek, John. Photos, copyright © 2009 Skytamer Images. All Rights Reserved
2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wright Model B