Thu, May 01, 2003
Battle for 'Most-Authentic Flyer' Heats Up After Wright Redux
Flight
Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced Wednesday
that "...the company founded by three of aviation's greatest
pioneers will play a major role when the Wright Brothers' historic
first flight is recreated in painstaking detail next December along
the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina."
The international company has signed on as a major sponsor of
the Wright Experience, the non-profit organization based in
Warrenton (VA), that has built what they say "could be the world's
most historically accurate replica of the famous airplane that
proved powered flight by man was possible."
"It's pretty easy to build a Wright Flyer replica
that looks like the first plane, but it's very difficult to build
one that is an exact reproduction," said Wright Experience Founder
Ken Hyde, in a possibly not-too-oblique reference to other
groups' efforts. "Building this flyer was the ultimate reverse
engineering job with a major catch -- we had to ignore what we had
learned over the past 100 years and embrace the Wright brothers'
way of thinking."
Something Wrights Didn't Have: Wind Tunnel Testing
The aircraft performed well in recent wind tunnel trials. The
replica's real test, however, will be at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17,
2003, when pilots using the model will re-enact the historic flight
exactly 100 years (to the minute) later.
"Anyone who has ever been interested in any aspect of flight
will be captivated by this project," said Martin Benante, chairman
and chief executive officer of Curtiss-Wright. "In re-creating the
Wright Flyer, we are celebrating milestones in aviation, American
history and the human spirit. At Curtiss-Wright, we are proud of
our historic connection to the Wright brothers and proud to support
the Wright Experience."
In addition to helping give birth to a new industry and the
world's first Century of Flight, Curtiss-Wright pioneered the
development of aeronautical power plants. All three of the
company's founders (Orville and Wilbur Wright, and Glenn Curtiss)
-- representing three of the most renowned individuals in American
aviation history -- have been inducted into the National Inventors
Hall of Fame. The trio is being honored worldwide throughout the
year as part of various Centennial of Flight celebrations.
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