Wright Model L

The Wright Model L was a prototype high-speed reconnaissance aircraft built by the Wright Company in 1916 to meet a specification by the U.S. military.^[1] It bore no resemblance to previous Wright designs.^[1][2][3][a] Already obsolete compared to European military aircraft of the time,^[4][5] it attracted no orders, and only the single prototype was built.^[5]

Model L
Role	Military reconnaissance aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Wright Company
First flight	1916

By the time it was brought to market, Orville Wright had already left the company.^[1][3] It would be the last aircraft built by the Wright Company before it merged with the Glenn L. Martin Company,^[5] and the last Wright aircraft built at Dayton.^[5]

Design

The Model L was a two-bay unstaggered biplane with equal-span wings.^[6] The pilot sat in an open cockpit.^[6] A piston engine was mounted in the nose, which drove a tractor propeller mounted directly to it.^[4][5] It had a conventional tail^[4] and was fitted with fixed, tailskid undercarriage.^[1] Directional control was provided via ailerons.^[4][5] Aviation historian Richard P. Hallion described it as the "antithesis" of established Wright design.^[4]

Specifications

Data from Hallion 2019, p.72

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 24 ft 2 in (7.37 m)
• Wingspan: 29 ft 0 in (8.84 m)
• Height: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) (estimated)
• Wing area: 360 sq ft (33 m²) (estimated)
• Empty weight: 1,577 lb (715 kg)
• Gross weight: 2,049 lb (929 kg) (approximate)
• Powerplant: 1 × Wright 6-60 six-cylinder, water-cooled, inline engine, 60 hp (45 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 62.5 mph (100.6 km/h, 54.3 kn) (estimated)