One of the Wright Brothers\' contributions to the development of flight dealt with the design of the propeller. What the contribution was and how it was (and is) applied. Solution The Airplane Propeller An example of their prowess is their approach to the solution of an intractable engineering problem associated with their invention of a deceptively simple item, the airplane propeller. In 1902, after their third trip to Kitty Hawk, they were confident that their glider would fly under pilot control. The next task was to develop a mode of propulsion. They proceeded to design and build a small gasoline engine weighing 180 pounds that produced 12-horsepower. Now, they needed a propeller to go with it. That seemed easy enough. Propellers have been used for years on ships. The respected scientist Samuel Langley, the Secretary of the Smithsonian had written in Experiments in Aerodynamics, .

1. One of the Wright Brothers' contributions to the development of flight dealt with the design of
the propeller. What the contribution was and how it was (and is) applied.
Solution
The Airplane Propeller
An example of their prowess is their approach to the solution of an intractable engineering
problem associated with their invention of a deceptively simple item, the airplane propeller.
In 1902, after their third trip to Kitty Hawk, they were confident that their glider would fly under
pilot control. The next task was to develop a mode of propulsion.
They proceeded to design and build a small gasoline engine weighing 180 pounds that produced
12-horsepower. Now, they needed a propeller to go with it.
That seemed easy enough. Propellers have been used for years on ships. The respected scientist
Samuel Langley, the Secretary of the Smithsonian had written in Experiments in Aerodynamics,