Fall Book Sale!
Mark your calendar for the annual book sale! This year’s sale
will take place on:
Tuesday, 11/4, 5:30 - 8:00 (Friends’ Preview Sale)
Wednesday, 11/5, 9:00 - 6:00
Thursday, 11/6, 9:00 - 6:00
Friday, 11/7, 9:00 - 7:00
Saturday, 11/8, 9:00 – noon
If you have used books to donate, bring them to the circulation desk
by October 31. Last year’s sale resulted in more than $2,900 to
support the library!
The Wright Stuff
This year's Fall Forum is scheduled for Sunday, November 9 at 2:00
p.m. in room 101 of the Mills Godwin Building. It promises to be an
outstanding event, featuring Dr. Bob Ash, eminent professor of engineering,
and Temple West, a writer and instructor English department.
A Preview from Bob Ash
During the winter of 1902-03, Wilbur and Orville Wright's wind tunnel
tests and theoretical studies in Dayton, OH, left them with a reasonably
efficient aerodynamic structural configuration incorporating an effective
three-dimensional control system. In addition they had acquired considerable
skill as pilots, and gained the confidence needed to embolden them to
attempt their ultimate goal.
The only remaining important challenges were to obtain an engine with
good power-to-weight ratio and to find propellers that were efficient
in converting shaft power to thrust. Neither of their remaining problems
was as simple to overcome as they had assumed.
By early 1903, they had built and tested their own four-cylinder (4
in. bore and 4 in. stroke) engine and found that it produced almost
16 horsepower immediately after a cold start, but decreasing to a near
steady-state output of 12 horsepower. They assumed that the mystery
of propeller design had been solved by the shipbuilding industry, since
screw propellers had been used on steam-powered ships plying the Atlantic
for more than 50 years. They soon realized that a technological breakthrough
in propeller design was required if they were to achieve powered flight
with their existing airplane structures and power plant. Their design
of efficient airplane propellers has been largely overlooked.
This talk will discuss the pioneering accomplishments of Wilbur and
Orville Wright in designing the world’s first powered and controlled
flying machine as documented through modern wind tunnel testing techniques.
We will discuss how The Wright Experience is carefully reproducing the
original Wright flying machines, propellers and associated hardware
and how the wind tunnel testing program at Old Dominion University is
beginning to document the extraordinary achievements of Wilbur and Orville
Wright. Thus far, 1903, ’04 and ‘bent end’ propeller
reproductions, and 1901 and ’02 Wright glider reproductions have
been tested in the Langley Full Scale Tunnel. The results of those tests
will be discussed, along with preliminary test results of the 1903 Wright
Flyer reproduction that is scheduled to be flown at Kitty Hawk, NC on
December 17, 2003.
A Preview from Temple West
Through the Wright Flyer Project, Ken Hyde, a retired airline pilot,
has set out to solve an historical mystery and, at the same time, embark
on an engineering adventure. The 1903 Flyer design is acknowledged a
unstable and potentially dangerous. As a prototype, it served its experimental
purpose but it was not used for more than the initial flights in 1903.
Notorious for their secrecy, the Wright brothers fiercely protected
their research and findings. They kept much of the data in their heads,
and as a result there is little formal documentation for their flyers
other than what was required for patent applications. Ken Hyde has done
meticulous research into the Wright’s original correspondence
and personal papers, looking for clues regarding the design and construction
of the 1903 glider. His exploration is a compelling story of detective
work and dedication.
I plan to tell a story -- not Ken Hyde’s story, that is his to
tell -- but the story of my observations and experience of him and his
project through a series of “snapshots” of Hyde at work.
Baskets for Books
Mark your calendar! Come to the Ted Constant Convocation Center on
February 25th for the Baskets for Books game!
It’s the Monarchs vs. the William and Mary Tribe – all
tickets sold mean $$ for the Library!
