The Wright Stuff and The Wright Experience

Over the past couple days I've watched TV stories about a couple of programs
to celebrate the Wright Centennial (Dec 17th) with reenactments of the
famous flight. The key ingredient to both efforts (are there more?) is a
reproduction Wright Flyer in 1903 trim. This is trickier than it might seem
.... the Smithsonian flyer was damaged after the fourth flight and was
modified several times between 1903 and its presentation to the museum.
Notes/blueprints are not extensive. It's obviously a challenge to reverse
engineer the machine to an authentic configuration, right down to the
engine.

The Wright Experience is sponsored by Ford, EAA and others. They've got a
towed glider and a flight simulator for training. Several pilots chosen.
Scott Crossfield is a consultant (and test pilot for the glider!).

The Wright Stuff appears to be smaller scale. Never the less, their product
appears to be of similar quality and authenticity to the other program. The
apparent lack of flight training (the guy is practicing in a Citabria) looks
like a large hurdle. I suspect the flyer needs rather specialized technique
compared to conventional aircraft.

Anyone know of any other efforts in the reenactment effort?

R / John

"John Carrier" wrote:

Over the past couple days I've watched TV stories about a couple of programs
to celebrate the Wright Centennial (Dec 17th) with reenactments of the
famous flight. The key ingredient to both efforts (are there more?) is a
reproduction Wright Flyer in 1903 trim. This is trickier than it might seem
... the Smithsonian flyer was damaged after the fourth flight and was
modified several times between 1903 and its presentation to the museum.
Notes/blueprints are not extensive. It's obviously a challenge to reverse
engineer the machine to an authentic configuration, right down to the
engine.

The Wright Experience is sponsored by Ford, EAA and others. They've got a
towed glider and a flight simulator for training. Several pilots chosen.
Scott Crossfield is a consultant (and test pilot for the glider!).

The Wright Stuff appears to be smaller scale. Never the less, their product
appears to be of similar quality and authenticity to the other program. The
apparent lack of flight training (the guy is practicing in a Citabria) looks
like a large hurdle. I suspect the flyer needs rather specialized technique
compared to conventional aircraft.

Anyone know of any other efforts in the reenactment effort?

I watched the same show and was impressed by their efforts to
duplicate the Wright Flyer -- esp. the engine as you said (the engine
was built from scratch in Germany). However, I was diappointed when
they said to tune in (next month?) for the next episode as they kinda
left ya dangling...

-Mike Marron

"John Carrier" wrote in message
...
Over the past couple days I've watched TV stories about a couple of
programs

Snip

. The
apparent lack of flight training (the guy is practicing in a Citabria)
looks
like a large hurdle. I suspect the flyer needs rather specialized
technique
compared to conventional aircraft.

Anyone know of any other efforts in the reenactment effort?

R / John





Would make more sense (maybe) to get a bicycle repairman who's never been in
a plane before to be the pilot.


....or maybe his brother ...



CHeers

Dave Kearton

"Dave Kearton" wrote:

Would make more sense (maybe) to get a bicycle repairman
who's never been in a plane before to be the pilot.

...or maybe his brother ...

Good point, but unfortunately they're both dead. But as an
avid aficionado of flexwing flight, throw ME in that briar patch!

BTW, when it comes to the '03 Wright Flyer, personally I wouldn't
be so much concerned with the wing warping method of control
as I would the methods of pitch and yaw. Not to mention being
propelled by an engine that has external combustion chambers(?!)

-Mike Marron
CFII, A&P, UFI (fixed-wing, weightshift land & sea)

"Mike Marron" wrote in message
...
"Dave Kearton" wrote:

Would make more sense (maybe) to get a bicycle repairman
who's never been in a plane before to be the pilot.

...or maybe his brother ...

Good point, but unfortunately they're both dead. But as an
avid aficionado of flexwing flight, throw ME in that briar patch!


Hmmm, I'd guessed that the originals weren't available. The last of
them died in '48 (Orville ??)

A replica will do.


shifting the thread by a couple of degrees ...

Anybody know the truth in the story about the returning Apollo 11 crew
being congratulated by a very ancient Wright Bros mechanic ?




Cheers



Dave Kearton

The key ingredient to both efforts (are there more?)

There are three, but I think the third one is a reproduction of a
1907? Flyer.



all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Would make more sense (maybe) to get a bicycle repairman who's never been in
a plane before to be the pilot.

The pilot of the Warrenton VA reproduction will be the woman airline
pilot.

(You read it here first!)



all the best -- Dan Ford
email: www.danford.net/letters.htm#9

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

We had three (one was a 1907 repro) opn the ramp at Dayton General South
back in 1991. Local retired USAF 0-6 has been flying his for years. Don't
know about the most recently publicized repros, but methinks thay are not as
rare as the TV folks would have you believe?

Less rare now than in 1991 at least.

Steve Swartz


"John Carrier" wrote in message
...
Over the past couple days I've watched TV stories about a couple of
programs
to celebrate the Wright Centennial (Dec 17th) with reenactments of the
famous flight. The key ingredient to both efforts (are there more?) is a
reproduction Wright Flyer in 1903 trim. This is trickier than it might
seem
... the Smithsonian flyer was damaged after the fourth flight and was
modified several times between 1903 and its presentation to the museum.
Notes/blueprints are not extensive. It's obviously a challenge to reverse
engineer the machine to an authentic configuration, right down to the
engine.

The Wright Experience is sponsored by Ford, EAA and others. They've got a
towed glider and a flight simulator for training. Several pilots chosen.
Scott Crossfield is a consultant (and test pilot for the glider!).

The Wright Stuff appears to be smaller scale. Never the less, their
product
appears to be of similar quality and authenticity to the other program.
The
apparent lack of flight training (the guy is practicing in a Citabria)
looks
like a large hurdle. I suspect the flyer needs rather specialized
technique
compared to conventional aircraft.

Anyone know of any other efforts in the reenactment effort?

R / John

"Leslie Swartz" wrote in message

We had three (one was a 1907 repro) opn the ramp at Dayton General
South back in 1991. Local retired USAF 0-6 has been flying his for
years. Don't know about the most recently publicized repros, but
methinks thay are not as rare as the TV folks would have you believe?

Less rare now than in 1991 at least.

The issue is the degree of authenticity. There are quite a few
reproductions, but they tend to be modernized (either later models like the
1905 Flyer, or using modern materials, or both.) The goal here has been to
get as close a possible to the exact configuration the Wrights flew in
December 1903.

BTW: There is recent news on the Chicago attempts -- the could not get it to
fly, reportedly due to lack of wind.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Sep20.html

--�
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"If brave men and women never died, there would be nothing
special about bravery." -- Andy Rooney (attributed)

We had three (one was a 1907 repro) opn the ramp at Dayton General South
back in 1991. Local retired USAF 0-6 has been flying his for years.
Don't
know about the most recently publicized repros, but methinks thay are not
as
rare as the TV folks would have you believe?

Less rare now than in 1991 at least.

I think the biggest issue is the engine. There aren't many reproductions of
the Wright Flyer powerplant. Substitute a relatively modern design and
power delivery ceases to be an issue.

Minor mods to the original Flyer design could result in a very flyable
aircraft that looked quite authentic, but because of its improvements
(something the Wrights were incorporating in the design after their initial
success) wouldn't come close to emulating the original. So far I've found
only two efforts where the machine is a genuine attempt to reproduce the
original Flyer, right down to its engine.

R / John