Celebrating a century of flight...

[ragingfish]

Wright Experience pilot Kevin Kochersberger lands a Wright 1903 Flyer replica in a puddle during the first attempt at an anniversary flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, December 17, 2003. The Flyer didn't get enough wind under its wings and wrecked after raising its nose briefly. Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flights. (Hart Matthews/Reuters)Quote »100 years on, Wright flight replica ends in the mudKILL DEVIL HILLS, United States (AFP) - An attempt to honour the Wright brothers by recreating their historic first powered flight 100 years ago ended in a muddy failure. After delays caused by heavy rain, a replica of The Flyer, the muslin-shrouded plane which carried Orville Wright 120 feet (36.5 metres) on December 17, 1903, ended up in a muddy puddle in 2003. President George W. Bush joined thousands of people under drenching rain in the sand dunes at Kill Devil Hills, near the resort of Kitty Hawk, but was too busy to wait for the weather to clear for the attempt. Before departing to stage a flyover at 1,200 feet (365.7 metres) over the venue in Air Force One, Bush paid tribute to the Wright brothers however and vowed that the United States would remain in the forefront in the second century of flight. The attempt to repeat the flight was meant to be one of the highlights of a year of commemorations for today's anniversary. After several failures, Orville Wright managed to keep the biplane, that he built with his brother in their bicycle workshop, in the air for 12 seconds. One hundred years on, heavy rain prevented organisers from staging the re-enactment at 10:35 am, the exact time of the Wright brothers historic flight. They blamed the lack of wind for the failure to take-off and delayed their attempt for two hours. With thousands watching -- including Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men on the moon, and descendants of the Wrights -- technicians had to make 23 attempts to get the two engines going. The replica Flyer, with Kevin Kochersberger as pilot, moved down its wooden track but failed to get off the ground and came to rest in the mud, its right wing in a puddle. Kochersberger looked down in disappointment. But organisers promised a new attempt and they got the engines going again later in the day, but the plane did not move. And the day finished in disappointment. The Wright brothers faced similar problems with rain and wind. They crashed The Flyer four days before their successful flight. But Bush said that Americans "take special pride in their qualities of discipline and persistence, optimism and imagination." And the former National Guard pilot vowed that the United States would use its "skills and daring" to stay ahead of the rest of the world. He said: "A great American journey that began in Kitty Hawk, continues in ways unimaginable to the Wright brothers." Bush went on: "These past 100 years have brought supersonic flights, frequent space travel, the exploration of Mars and the Voyager I spacecraft which right now is moving at 39,000 miles per hour toward the outer edge of our Solar system. "By our skill and daring, America has excelled in every area of aviation and space travel and our national commitment remains firm. By our skill and daring, we will continue to lead the world in flight." Kochersberger flew in the replica in November and early December, and said that on Wednesday he did not intend to fly further than 36.5 meters (120 feet). In a tent on the beach, curious spectators viewed a simulator of the Flyer flight, examined a piece of lunar rock, and spoke to NASA (news - web sites) astronauts. Actor John Travolta, himself a pilot, presided as a master of ceremonies. "The Wright brothers' invention belongs to the world, but the Wright brothers belong to America," Bush added. Today, the dunes near Kitty Hawk, a thin strip of land off the North Carolina coast, are a popular tourist attraction. The famous beach attracts over 200,000 daily visitors in the summer. From left to right: Wilbur and Orville Wright, aviation pioneers. Preparing the plane for takeoff. Camp d'Auvours, September 21, 1908.Wilbur's record flight of 1 hr 31 min 25 4/5 sec.

[cohocarl]

I'm kind of glad it didn't fly. Makes the one 100 years ago seem that more amazing.

[Vibe]

I agree-but great post with great pictures. James