AOPA Comes To The Aid Of Official Wright Flyer Replica | 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-02.10.25

Airborne-NextGen-02.11.25

Airborne-Unlimited-02.12.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-02.13.25

Airborne-Unlimited-02.07.25

Wed, Apr 09, 2003

AOPA Comes To The Aid Of Official Wright Flyer Replica

AOPA has filed a waiver petition on behalf of Ken Hyde to let him flight test two replicas of Wright Flyers, including the official replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer, which will take part in the Centennial of Flight commemoration in Kitty Hawk in December 2003.

Hyde contacted AOPA President Phil Boyer directly, after discovering that the small airstrip where he's attempting to duplicate the Wright brothers' accomplishment falls just within the Washington, D.C., air defense identification zone (ADIZ). (Aircraft without radios and transponders are prohibited from flying in the 25,000-square-mile security zone surrounding the Washington-Baltimore area.)

"We are very hopeful that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will recognize both the historical significance and lack of a threat these aircraft, like other small general aviation aircraft, represent and will quickly approve a waiver," said Boyer. Hyde is ready to flight test both the 1903 replica and a 1911 Wright Model "B" Flyer reproduction as part of a documentary on his remarkable job of reverse engineering. While the 1903 Flyer is the showcase, Hyde's project spans the evolution of the Wrights' aircraft, from their early gliders through the Model "B," which was their first production aircraft.

"In talking to the TSA, AOPA has stressed the extremely unusual nature of these aircraft and their inability to comply with the ADIZ regulations," said AOPA Vice President of Air Traffic Policy Melissa Bailey. "They have no electrical system to support a transponder. And they're so inherently unstable that it would be both unrealistic and unsafe for the pilot to let go of the controls and use a handheld radio to talk to air traffic control."

FMI: http://www.wrightexperience.com, www.aopa.org

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: SlipStream International Genesis

Airplane Veered Left Of The Runway And Struck Trees Before It Came To Rest In A Grass Area Analysis: The student pilot was conducting a solo flight when he was unable to keep the a>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (02.12.25): Navigable Airspace

Navigable Airspace Airspace at and above the minimum flight altitudes prescribed in the CFRs including airspace needed for safe takeoff and landing.>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (02.12.25)

Aero Linx: Great Alaska Aviation Gathering At the Alaska Airmen's Association, we're more than just a community; we're a vibrant, passion-driven movement dedicated to safeguarding,>[...]

Aero-FAQ: Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories -- ITBOA BNITBOB

Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Busine>[...]

Airborne 02.07.25: ERAU Buys NX Cubs, Able Flight's 100th, DCA Video Arrest

Also: $7B Embraer Buy, Tariff Pause, Air Tour Safety Committee, 1st CA SkyCourier Embry Riddle Aeronautical University recently announced that its flight team, the Golden Eagles, w>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

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