As Close to an Exact Copy as Humanly Possible, Flyer Will Re-Enact the Wright Brothers' First Flight

With the countdown clock ticking to the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight, EAA unveiled its 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction in a ceremony at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Tuesday.

As the world's most accurate re-creation of the original Wright Flyer, EAA's Flyer reproduction will re-enact the Wright brothers' first flight 100 years to the minute, on December 17, 2003, in Kill Devil Hills (NC). Prior to this historic event, EAA's 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction also will serve as the centerpiece of EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk touring pavilion. The 24,000 square-foot exposition will celebrate the Wrights' first flight with displays on the Wright brothers, aviation history and aviation innovations along with activities for youth.  

With Amanda Wright Lane and her brother Stephen Wright, both descendents of Wilbur and Orville Wright, looking on, EAA and its sponsors for Countdown to Kitty Hawk rolled out the 605-pound aircraft handmade primarily of wood, steel and muslin.

"The eyes of the world will be on EAA's Wright Flyer this coming December 17 as we attempt to re-create the Wright brothers' first-powered flight on the dunes of North Carolina," said EAA President and U.S. Centennial of Flight Commissioner Tom Poberezny. "This Wright Flyer reproduction represents a long-standing commitment by EAA and its partners to preserve the Wright brothers' legacy and their unbridled spirit of innovation that forever changed our world."

A Replica, not a Copy

Ken Hyde, of Warrenton (VA)-based The Wright Experience, the organization that built the Flyer, said, "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. 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."

"Microsoft Flight Simulator," demonstrated a 1903 Wright Flyer virtual cradle to accompany its upcoming "Microsoft® Flight Simulator: A Century of Flight" software program. The cradles, which will be part of the touring pavilion, allow would-be pilots to operate the "aircraft" from a horizontal hip cradle, using hand levers and a shifting hip mechanism to control virtual takeoffs and landings in front of a giant panoramic projection screen. Eclipse Aviation and Ford are also supporting sponsors of the program. Countdown to Kitty Hawk partners include the Library of Congress, National Park Service, First Flight Centennial Commission and Inventing Flight.

In early 2004, EAA's 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction will become part of a new aviation display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

FMI: www.countdowntokittyhawk.com