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WRIGHT, Orville. Typed letter signed ("Orville Wright") to C.F. Schory of the National Aeronautic Association, Dayton, Ohio, 14 April 1926. 1½ pages, 4to, single-spaced, "Orville Wright" stationery. Fine. .
WRIGHT'S FIRST-HAND REPORT ON AN ATTEMPT AT A NEW ALTITUDE RECORD. A long letter furnishing considerable technical details on an unsuccessful altitude record attempt by the pioneer aviator John A. Macready at McCook Field, Dayton, observed by Orville. "I am enclosing the report of the attempt for altitude made Saturday by Lieutenant Macready...We suspect the trial was not successful in beating his former records. The barographs [recording barometers]...were placed in the second cockpit away from the engine...The first cockpit was made tight and was slightly heated. Nevertheless this cockpit was so cold in the flight that Macready's watch stopped and the altimeter froze at 34,000 feet.The strut [external] thermometer showed a continuous decrease in temperature with altitude and reached minus 62 degrees cent.... The thermometer inside the first cockpit showed a temperature of minus 47 degrees cent. at the peak. In the last trial...the minimum temperature was reached at about 35,000 feet...with a rise of five or six degrees...between 35,000 and 36,000 feet. This warmer temperature continued to the peak of the flight about 39,000 feet indicated."
"A duplex thermograph was installed in the machine...to get a record of the temperatures in both the front and rear cockpits. I was present a part of the time while the thermograph was being calibrated. After seeing the amount of lag in recording I am of the opinion that there may be difficulty in getting thermographs sufficiently free from hysteresis to get a correct reading of the temperature when the airplane remains so short a time at its maximum height...."
Wright goes on to inquire about certain rules of the Féderation Aeronautique Internationale concerning the use of barographs: "....I was under the impression that a rule had to be adopted at the annual conference of the F.A.I before it became a law....I had failed to find any record of its adoption by the main body. I have also failed to find the article in the "Statutes and General Regulations of the F.A.I." defining the powers of these two commissions.... The question is have these rules been legally adopted by the F.A.I., and was the record made by Callizo done in accordance with them. I am inclined to think that there should be a publication of the full report of all trials for World records a considerable period of time before a record is homologated, in order that if there are any objections they may be filed.... If it is convenient I would be glad if you would collect what material you have which defines the powers of the "Commissions d'Aerologie et Technique" before our meeting on the 23rd."
WRIGHT'S FIRST-HAND REPORT ON AN ATTEMPT AT A NEW ALTITUDE RECORD. A long letter furnishing considerable technical details on an unsuccessful altitude record attempt by the pioneer aviator John A. Macready at McCook Field, Dayton, observed by Orville. "I am enclosing the report of the attempt for altitude made Saturday by Lieutenant Macready...We suspect the trial was not successful in beating his former records. The barographs [recording barometers]...were placed in the second cockpit away from the engine...The first cockpit was made tight and was slightly heated. Nevertheless this cockpit was so cold in the flight that Macready's watch stopped and the altimeter froze at 34,000 feet.The strut [external] thermometer showed a continuous decrease in temperature with altitude and reached minus 62 degrees cent.... The thermometer inside the first cockpit showed a temperature of minus 47 degrees cent. at the peak. In the last trial...the minimum temperature was reached at about 35,000 feet...with a rise of five or six degrees...between 35,000 and 36,000 feet. This warmer temperature continued to the peak of the flight about 39,000 feet indicated."
"A duplex thermograph was installed in the machine...to get a record of the temperatures in both the front and rear cockpits. I was present a part of the time while the thermograph was being calibrated. After seeing the amount of lag in recording I am of the opinion that there may be difficulty in getting thermographs sufficiently free from hysteresis to get a correct reading of the temperature when the airplane remains so short a time at its maximum height...."
Wright goes on to inquire about certain rules of the Féderation Aeronautique Internationale concerning the use of barographs: "....I was under the impression that a rule had to be adopted at the annual conference of the F.A.I before it became a law....I had failed to find any record of its adoption by the main body. I have also failed to find the article in the "Statutes and General Regulations of the F.A.I." defining the powers of these two commissions.... The question is have these rules been legally adopted by the F.A.I., and was the record made by Callizo done in accordance with them. I am inclined to think that there should be a publication of the full report of all trials for World records a considerable period of time before a record is homologated, in order that if there are any objections they may be filed.... If it is convenient I would be glad if you would collect what material you have which defines the powers of the "Commissions d'Aerologie et Technique" before our meeting on the 23rd."