Harry Atwood lands his Wright Model B in Nyack

August 24, 1911

 

     

     Harry Atwood was trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an electrical engineer, but he left his business near Boston to learn how to fly from the Wright Flying School in Ohio. He became a proficient pilot and within three months of his first lesson made a record-breaking 461-mile flight from Boston to Washington, DC, landing on the White House lawn. Between August 14th and 25th he made a 1,256-mile flight from St. Louis to New York. On the last leg of his journey from Cold Spring to Governor's Island, he developed engine trouble about 30 minutes into his flight. With the engine quickly losing power, he was able to set the aircraft down in the village of Nyack near Hook Mountain in a tree lined field.  As news of Atwood's arrival spread the town became flooded with curious onlookers.

     It seems that a connecting rod on the engine failed, and a local machinist was able to make the necessary repairs. The following day the aircraft was moved into position, with some of locals lending a hand cutting down trees at the end of the field to give Harry a little more elbow room for take off.  On the initial startup the engine backfired, starting a small fire near the fuel tank but it was quickly extinguished. After all this he was able to take off and continue his flight to Governor's Island.

 

 

Wright Model B Specifications

Empty weight: 950 lbs.
Wingspan: 38 feet, 6 inches
Take-off speed: 27 mph
Cruising speed: 40 mph
Engine: 35 horsepower 4-cylinder water-cooled Wright engine
Propellers: Twin counter-rotating 8 foot 6 inch propellers

A view down the 'runway'.

To read the NY Times account of his flight click on atwood.pdf . You will need Adobe Reader to open the file.