Wilbur flying the 1902 glider,
Dan Tate following
Image credit: Library of Congress
Orville flying the 1902 glider
Image credit: Library of Congress
How did it feel to fly the 1902 glider?
The Wright brothers recorded many aspects of their flights: distance, direction, glide angle, speed, and so on. Almost nowhere do they describe the sensation of flying itself. Their enthusiasm can only be inferred by a few comments and one outstanding fact: once they had cracked the problem of control, they flew the glider as much as they could.
"In fact, we have spent but little time in measurements and have consequently greatly increased the amount of practice, which we consider to be the only thing now lacking to attain soaring flight."
-Wilbur Wright to Octave Chanute, Sept 23, 1902
In fact, many of their comments reflect their self-instruction as pilots. Learning to operate the controls effectively seemed to be consuming most of their attention while in the air.
"We went to the small hill again, and then to the second hill, where I spent most of the afternoon in practice on the end control in a wind of from seven to nine meters per second. I had great difficulty in getting started and, while trying to use the end control, caused the machine to bounce a great deal by turning the front rudder too far."
-Orville Wright, October 10, 1902
By the end of their stay at Kitty Hawk, they were elated by their success:
"The past five days have been the most satisfactory for gliding that we have had. In two days we made over 250 glides, or more than we had made all together up to the time before Lorin left. We have gained considerable proficiency in the handling of the machine now, so that we are able to take it out in any kind of weather. Day before yesterday we had a wind of 16 meters per second or about 30 miles per hour, and glided in it without any trouble. That was the highest wind a gliding machine was ever in, so that we now hold all the records!"
-Orville Wright to Katherine Wright, October 23, 1902
(McFarland, pp. 260-280)