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Bell and Curtiss

Stick and Rudder Pedals

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Stick and Rudder Pedals

Reproduction of the Silver DartThe Wright brothers had demonstrated that powered flight was possible in their famous 1903 flight at Kitty Hawk, but there was still a great need for pilots to have control over the process. The pilot needed to be able to do more than just rise from the ground, glide a distance and then land. The aircraft had to lift, turn, and bank to allow flight to be truly controlled.

The Aerial Experiment Association sought to solve this conundrum, especially when the first aircraft built by the Association, the Red Wing, flew and crashed on 12 March 1908 due to lack of pilot control.

The next aircraft built by the Association was the White Wing, which included control flaps for the first time. These flaps, eventually known as ailerons, proved effective in improving stability in flight.

The Association was eventually able to develop a stick and rudder pedal system, allowing the pilot better control of the flight. The fourth and final model, the Silver Wing, made the first powered, manned flight in the British Commonwealth.

 

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