The White Wing (or Aerodrome #2) was an early US aircraft designed by
Frederick W. Baldwin and built by the
Aerial Experiment Association
The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was a Canadian-American aeronautical research group formed on 30 September 1907, under the leadership of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell.
The AEA produced several different aircraft in quick succession, with eac ...
in 1908. Unusual for aircraft of its day, it featured a wheeled
undercarriage. The wings were equipped with
ailerons controlled by a harness worn around the pilot's body; leaning in one direction would cause the aircraft to bank to follow. The ailerons led to a legal dispute with the Wright brothers over the brothers' patent on movable wing surfaces.
First piloted by Baldwin himself on 18 May and the aircraft flew very well. White Wing was then piloted by Lt
Thomas Selfridge
Thomas Etholen Selfridge (February 8, 1882 – September 17, 1908) was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and the first person to die in an airplane crash. He was also the first active-duty member of the U.S. military to die in a crash whil ...
at
Hammondsport, New York, on 19 May 1908 (becoming the first US Army officer to fly an airplane)
"Lt. Thomas Etholen Selfridge ."
''US Air Force.'' Retrieved: 24 February 2012. and then Glenn Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
made a flight of 1,017 ft (310 m) in it on 21 May. On 23 May, it crashed during a landing by John McCurdy and was damaged beyond repair.
Specifications (White Wing)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Aerofiles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aea White Wing
Biplanes
1900s Canadian experimental aircraft
1900s United States experimental aircraft
White WIng
Single-engine aircraft
Alexander Graham Bell
Aircraft first flown in 1908