The world's most authentic reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer has arrived at the Inventing Flight celebration in Dayton, Ohio. As part of the event, visitors will also have a chance to try a virtual 1903 Wright Flyer simulated by Microsoft Flight Simulator. For full details on the event, click on Read More.Visitors Get a Chance to Pilot First Flight in Microsoft's Wright Flyer Simulator and Learn about the Wright Brothers Through Interactive Exhibits
DAYTON, Ohio - (July 3, 2003) - The world's most authentic reproduction of the 1903 WrightFlyer has "landed" at the Inventing Flight celebration in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Countdown to Kitty Hawk presented by Ford Motor Company. The flyer serves as the centerpiece of a 20,000 square foot pavilion located within Celebration Central in Deeds Park and is dedicated to telling the story of the Wright brothers and powered flight.
The reproduction, which was transported in a specially designed semi-trailer truck, will not fly publicly until it recreates the Wright brothers' first powered flight 100 years later at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003 in Kitty Hawk, N.C. After this ceremonial flight, which is the backbone of the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17, 2003, the Wright Flyer reproduction will reside at The Henry Ford's Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn as part of its new "Heroes of the Sky" exhibit. EAA's flyer reproduction will join the Wrights' home and bicycle shop in Dearborn, Mich.
"EAA's 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," said EAA President and U.S. Centennial of Flight Commissioner Tom Poberezny.
A virtual 1903 Wright Flyer simulator by "Microsoft Flight Simulator" will give aviation enthusiasts of all ages a chance to experience the challenges the Wright brothers faced a century ago when they take controls of the interactive flyer.
Bruce Williams, business development manager, Microsoft Flight Simulator, said, "Throughout the Countdown to Kitty Hawk tour, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Microsoft Wright Flyer Simulator, which gives everyone the chance to step back in history and experience first-hand what flight was like 100 years ago.
The Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion, one of the cornerstone attractions of Inventing Flights' Celebration Central, features several other attractions including:
- Exhibits on the history of Henry Ford and the Wright brothers
- Digital reproductions of the Wright brothers documents from the Library of Congress archives
- Interactive and Web-based exhibits, including a contest to select Eclipse Aviation's "Greatest Aviation Innovations of the First 100 Years." Voters will be eligible to win a deluxe travel package to the Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk and witness the re-enactment of the first powered flight on Dec. 17, 2003.
- A theatre and live presentation area where actors will assume the roles of the Wright brothers in a specially written "What's Wright With Flight."
- Storyteller Darrell Collins of the National Park Service in Kitty Hawk will be on hand to deliver his captivating story of the Wrights' first flight.
- Representatives from the Wright family will be on hand for special presentations throughout the three-week stay in Dayton
Poberezny added, "The eyes of the world will be on EAA's Wright Flyer this coming Dec. 17 as we attempt to re-create the Wright brothers' first-powered flight on the dunes near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We're honored to bring the flyer and our pavilion the home of the Wright brothers."
