{"product_id":"lyonaeec-88010-wf-1-light-fryer-rubber-band-powered-airplane","title":"Lyonaeec 88010 — WF-1 Light Fryer Rubber-Band Powered Airplane","description":"\u003cp\u003eManufacturer: Lyonaeec\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduct: WF-1 Light Fryer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eProduct number: 88010\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarcode: 4892818880105\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eType: Rubber-band-powered model aircraft\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeries: Light Plane\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCountry of origin: Japan\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRelease: 27 June 2012\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStatus: Discontinued\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePackaging dimensions\/weight: approximately 52.5 × 20.2 × 5.1 cm \/ 400 g\n\u003cbr\u003eKit contents and operation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike the Hasegawa and Revell kits you've been cataloguing, this is intended to fly, rather than simply sit on a display shelf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is described as a rubber-band-powered airplane.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe basic principle is the traditional free-flight model:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    propeller is driven by a wound rubber motor;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the rubber motor stores energy when twisted;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    releasing the propeller allows the rubber to unwind;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the propeller produces thrust;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    the lightweight airframe can therefore make a free flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe available catalogue record does not give a reliable individual parts count, so I would not invent one.\n\u003cbr\u003eManufacturer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLyonaeec appears in surviving hobby catalogues primarily in connection with lightweight model aircraft and flying-model products.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 88010 belongs to its Light Plane series rather than to the conventional plastic scale-model lines produced by companies such as Hasegawa, Revell or Airfix.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThat distinction is useful for valuation: this is an operational flying model, so its value is affected by completeness and whether the flying mechanism can still be assembled and operated.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe real aircraft — Wright Flyer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft associated with the 1903 subject is the Wright Flyer, the aircraft developed by Wilbur and Orville Wright for their pioneering powered-flight experiments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn 17 December 1903, at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the Wright brothers achieved the first sustained, controlled powered flights by a heavier-than-air aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first flight, piloted by Orville Wright, lasted approximately 12 seconds and covered about 120 feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe brothers subsequently made three additional flights that day, with the final flight, piloted by Wilbur, travelling substantially farther than the first.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe significance of the aircraft is not simply that it became airborne: the Wright brothers had developed a practical system combining:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    powered propulsion;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aerodynamic control;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a lightweight structure;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    pilot-operated control surfaces;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a suitable engine and propeller system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir experiments established the basic principles required for controlled powered flight.\n\u003cbr\u003eDesign\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1903 Flyer was a biplane with two large wings arranged one above the other.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUnlike later aircraft, the pilot did not sit inside a conventional cockpit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe pilot lay prone on the lower wing, reducing frontal area and allowing the pilot to operate the controls.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe aircraft had:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    two wings;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    twin propellers;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a forward elevator;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a rear vertical rudder;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    a lightweight wooden structure;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    fabric-covered flying surfaces.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wrights used wing-warping to control roll.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis was a crucial innovation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInstead of using ailerons, the outer sections of the wings were twisted in opposite directions, changing their lift and causing the aircraft to roll.\n\u003cbr\u003eEngine\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wright brothers needed an engine that was sufficiently powerful but light enough for their aircraft.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNo commercially available engine met their requirements, so they worked with their bicycle-shop mechanic Charlie Taylor to construct their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe resulting four-cylinder engine produced approximately 12 horsepower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a modern aircraft this is extremely little power, but in 1903 the combination of low weight and efficient propellers was sufficient.\n\u003cbr\u003ePropellers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wrights also conducted extensive experiments with propellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey recognised that an aircraft propeller should be treated as a rotating wing rather than simply as a screw pushing through the air.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1903 Flyer therefore used two counter-rotating propellers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe propellers were driven by chains derived from bicycle-chain technology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis arrangement allowed the engine to be mounted relatively centrally while the propellers were positioned behind the wings.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe 1903 flights\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe first successful flight occurred on 17 December 1903.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOrville's first flight covered approximately 120 feet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe brothers continued flying throughout the day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe fourth and final flight, made by Wilbur, covered approximately 852 feet and lasted around 59 seconds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA gust of wind subsequently damaged the aircraft, ending the day's flying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe machine was not rebuilt for further flights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe surviving aircraft is preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and is one of the most famous aircraft in the world.\n\u003cbr\u003eHistorical importance\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1903 Wright Flyer represents a fundamental transition in engineering history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEarlier experimenters had achieved gliding flight and some had produced powered aircraft that briefly left the ground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wright brothers' achievement was different because their system demonstrated controlled, powered, sustained flight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheir work was based on years of experimentation, particularly with gliders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1903 aircraft was therefore the culmination of a development programme rather than an isolated invention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Wright brothers had already built and flown gliders in 1900, 1901 and 1902, gradually improving their understanding of lift and control.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 1902 glider was particularly important because it incorporated an effective three-axis control system.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhy a rubber-powered model is appropriate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Lyonaeec WF-1 is an interesting modern interpretation of this history because the original Wright Flyer itself was extraordinarily lightweight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA rubber-powered model similarly relies on:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    very low weight;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    efficient propeller design;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    relatively low power;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    careful balance;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e    aerodynamic stability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough the model is not a scale replica in the strict museum-model sense, the basic operating principle makes it an appropriate educational representation of early powered flight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lyonaeec","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57512972583292,"sku":"Lyonaeec-88010","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0432\/8584\/0033\/files\/CD962B4D-F8FA-4E65-BCD8-CE59A0072A7A.jpg?v=1790662684","url":"https:\/\/sussex-model-centre.co.uk\/products\/lyonaeec-88010-wf-1-light-fryer-rubber-band-powered-airplane","provider":"Sussex Model Centre","version":"1.0","type":"link"}