Building Wright Replicas

Beverly Hyde, wife of Ken Hyde, attaches the fabric wing skin to the outer wing panel of the 1911 Model B reconstruction plane. The fabric seen here, like the Wrights' Model B fabric, is rubberized and waterproof, which prevents the wings from absorbing moisture and shrinking. In order to allow the plane's wings to warp, or twist, while turning without ripping their fabric covering apart, the wing skin is sewn together along diagonal lines.