From their first engine of 1903 to the mature engines of the early teens, the Wrights' engines were carefully designed and tested with specific performance criteria in mind.
In January 2001, the Vertical Four engine was run for over 6 hours in a series of dynamometer tests at the Delphi Automotive Systems Technical Center in Rochester, New York. How would the engine perform compared to its performance 91 years earlier?
The Setup: The performance would be based on measurements taken while the engine was running under simulated flight conditions. The test setup would need to capture a full suite of performance data.
The Tests: Since the engine is 91 years old, a limited test program was planned that would obtain important data while minimizing the run time.
The Results: In a letter dated April 12, 1911, Orville stated that "We look upon reliability in running as of much more importance than lightness of weight in aeroplane motors." Did the results support this statement?
