Vin Fiz Replica Does a Nose Plant | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Tue, Aug 19, 2003

Vin Fiz Replica Does a Nose Plant

Inelegant Landing Leaves Nobody Hurt

The replica Wright brothers 1911 Model EX, the most famous example of which was named Vin Fiz, and which set a transcontinental record at the hands of Cal Rodgers in 1911, will be repaired.

Builder/pilot, 68-year-old Dana Smith, wasn't as down as one might have expected. For one thing, he wasn't hurt -- he was able to drive himself home. For another, the machine is repairable -- he said it could be flying again in a week. The last thing -- he got a mess of publicity. "You get more publicity wrecking it than you do flying it," he said, as he inspected some of the crumpled bits.

What happened?

Apparently the marginally-powerful replica was set to take off into a reasonable headwind... which quit, as the machine was on its takeoff 'roll.'

Witnesses said the plane bounced, and slowed. Then Smith, they said, pulled back, which caused the tail to smack into the ground. That set the nose into a negative attitude, the skids' tips caught grass, and she stopped flying.

The crash happened Saturday at Bath (ME), in a local celebtarion called Ruth Law Day. Smith, who is proud to have a Wright replica that people aren't afraid to fly, was happy to celebrate that pioneering aviatrix's day. [Ruth Law bought a 1911 Flyer Model B, and flew it for 23 minutes for astounded crowds at this same location, on August 9, 1913. She was also the first woman to make a night flight or a loop; and she once held the Chicago-New York speed record --ed.]

FMI: www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/aero/aircraft/wrightex.htm

Advertisement

More News

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.11.25)

“Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch.” Source: SecTrans Sean Duffy commenting after President Donald Trump appointed U.S. Secret>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.11.25): Permanent Echo

Permanent Echo Radar signals reflected from fixed objects on the earth's surface; e.g., buildings, towers, terrain. Permanent echoes are distinguished from “ground clutter&rd>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.11.25)

Aero Linx: European Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union (EHPU) The general aim of the EHPU is to promote and protect hang gliding and paragliding in Europe. In order to achieve this>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Schweizer SGS 2-33A

Glider Encountered A Loss Of Lift And There Was Not Sufficient Altitude To Reach The Airport Analysis: The flight instructor reported that while turning final, the glider encounter>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Aeronca 7AC

Airplane Climbed To 100 Ft Above Ground Level, At Which Time The Airplane Experienced A Total Loss Of Engine Power On May 24, 2025, at 1300 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC