Quote:
Originally Posted by Lutador Branco
Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Comrade Ray.
I think this subject is fascinating...
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To a casual viewer looking at the photos of the Santos Dumont and Wright airplanes, it would appear to be a 3/4 rear or 4 o'clock position view. This is not the case. Both machines had a 'canard' layout, that is the horizontal stabilizers were at the front, with the main wings in back with the engine and propellers mounted in a 'pusher' position as opposed to the more conventional layout most people are familiar with. And you can see the mannequin of Orville or Wilbur Wright facing forward behind the stabilizer. The canard configuration appeared sporadically throughout the history of aviation, but has made sort of a comeback, starting with Burt Rutan's designs in the 1970s and other aircraft more recently.