Find Out at Oshkosh, as the Field Will Narrow

The Experimental Aircraft Association's Countdown to Kitty Hawk presented by Ford Motor Company will announce two "Pilots of the Century" to fly the world's most accurate 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction on the centennial of flight - 100 years to the minute at 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 2003 near Kitty Hawk (NC).

Expert tutelage pays off...

For the past year, four pilots have been training under the direction of renowned test pilot instructor and aviation legend Scott Crossfield, who made aeronautical history on November 20, 1953, as the first person to reach Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Under his direction, testing has included practice in a 1902 glider much like the one Wilbur and Orville Wright used, and also practice in virtual simulators. Based on skill, training results and input from program organizers, two of the candidates will be selected for the roles of either Orville or Wilbur Wright at the First Flight Centennial celebration on December 17.

The four pilot candidates are:

• Ken Hyde, Warrenton VA: retired American Airlines pilot, president and founder of The Wright Experience -- the company contracted by EAA to exactly reproduce the 1903 Wright Flyer;
• Terry Queijo, Trappe (MD): co-pilot of the historic, first all-female flight crew for American Airlines and captain of Boeing 767 and 757s out of DC;
• Chris Johnson, Manassas VA: major for the U.S. Air Force Reserves and American Airlines pilot; and
• Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, Honeoye Falls (NY): associate professor of mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and pilot with more than 1,400 hours.

The Flyer reproduction will be on display at EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh, the world's largest aviation event, where visitors will be able to see the flyer as the centerpiece of EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk's 20,000-square-foot pavilion dedicated to the past 100 years and the future of aviation.

Fly it yourself, at OSH

Visitors also will be able to test their skills in a 1903 Wright Flyer simulator cradle featuring the soon-to-be released "Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight" software. Virtual pilots can try their hand at flying the "first" powered airplane as well as 23 other historic and modern aircraft.

FMI: www.countdowntokittyhawk.org