Jim, I'm too lazy to actually do the research, but I strongly question the
90 hp at/near the same weight as the Wright's engine... My recomember is
that Langly's engine, while a true engineering marvel for the time, was a
radial engine developing a bit under 60 horsepower at ~240 pounds ~4
pounds per horsepower... this was astounding for 1903
My recomember on the Wright engine of the 1903 flyer was about the weight of
a man, ~180 pounds, and ~16 horses, or roughly 12 pounds per horsepower...
Certainly if the Wrights and Langly had cooperated, and had they access to
Langly's $50,000 grant (an astronomical sum in todays dollars) flight would
have been moved forward a couple of years and progressed more rapidly...
That however, is not how the world works..
Denny
"Jim" wrote in message
...
One interesting thing about Langley's Aerodrome was that it's engine
weight
was about the same as the Wright's but it produced roughtly 90 horsepower.