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.

FMI: www.curtisswright.com/centennial.asp; www.wrightexperience.com