The Wrights had to reduce the glider’s planned 200-square-foot wing area to 165 square feet because of a problem with finding the right wood for the wing spars. Unable to locate 18-foot lengths of spruce, they had to settle for 16-foot pieces of pine, a less-resilient wood. This change resulted in both a smaller lifting surface and a slightly weaker structure.

The wing ribs were cut from ash strips and steam-bent to a camber of 1 in 23 (the height of the airfoil’s curve was 1/23rd the width of the wing).

A single layer of French sateen fabric covered the framework. The wing ribs and spars slipped into pockets sewn to the underside of the covering. The wooden structure was not rigidly fastened together; it simply “floated” inside the pockets.

Making the fabric, an integral part of the structure, eliminated the need for internal bracing, which saved weight and made the glider more resilient in a hard landing. The Wrights applied the fabric to the framework with the direction of the weave on the bias (at a 45-degree angle), which enhanced the ability of the wing to warp, while still adding stiffness to the structure.