Museum News & Views - 2003/04

April 2003 159
THE YEAR 2003 has
arrived and with it the
centennial of one of—if not
the—most important
aviation events in history. Of
course, I am referring to the
amazing accomplishments of
the Wright brothers, whose
tireless efforts led them to a
quiet, sand-covered North
Carolina beach on December
7, 1903. There, at 10:35
a.m., Orville Wright made
the first flight in a mancarrying,
powered, heavierthan-
air vehicle.
While this first flight
only lasted for 12 seconds and covered a mere 120 feet, it marked
the beginning of an amazing developmental history, the likes of
which had not been seen before. In the blink of an eye, aircraft were
capable of staying aloft for hours, metal replaced fabric, and then
suddenly we were going faster than the speed of sound.
This year, in celebration the Wrights’ accomplishments, groups
all over the world have planned fabulous festivities. Whether it is a
museum exhibit, part of an air show, or an event all to itself, each
will in some way attempt to help the public better understand and
therefore appreciate what the Wright brothers did.
At the National Model Aviation Museum, we too will have an
exhibit honoring the Wright brothers’ work. Titled Spinning Tops to
Whirling Props: The Wright Brothers Progress in Aviation, this
exhibit will trace the Wrights from the early flying, rubber-powered
helicopter they received from their father in 1878 to their 1905
Wright Flyer III, the world’s first truly successful airplane.
To begin our visitors’ journey, we are fortunate to have in the
museum’s collection an original pencil drawing, produced by Orville
Wright in 1929, of the toy helicopter. From this drawing we then
utilize photographs of the brothers’ various kites, gliders, and fliers
to trace their accomplishments.
In this manner we hope to give visitors a better understanding of
how the brothers actually achieved success. The Wright brothers did
not simply go out one day and fly; they spent years struggling with
various aeronautical problems. In fact, it was not until 1905, with
their third flier, that they could truly claim mastery of the air. It is for
that reason we have chosen to end our exhibit with this airplane.
Instead of another photograph, visitors will be given the
opportunity to move the controls of the flier themselves. That’s right!
Visitors to the museum will be able to climb onto a reproduction of
the Wright Flyer III’s center-section and move its levers and hip
cradle. As they do so, a small-scale model of the flier will move its
control surfaces, warp its wings, and yaw, pitch, and roll accordingly.
In effect, visitors will be able to fly the Wright Flyer III and in
doing so understand how the Wright brothers fulfilled mans’ dreams
of soaring like the birds. We hope you will join us at the museum
and see firsthand how the Wrights controlled their aircraft.
If you are unable to visit the National Model Aviation Museum,
please check out the many Web sites on the Wright brothers. I am
sure you will be able to find an event near you celebrating this
marvelous centennial.
The Wright Flyer RCAD (Remotely Controlled Airplane
Demonstrator) will be part of the hands-on display in the exhibit.
A pasteup of the timeline of events is used to plan the
positioning of the pictures and descriptions.
Museum
News & Views
Michael
Smith
National Model
Aviation
Museum
Curator
Tel.: (765) 287-1256 Ext. 500
[email protected]
A pasteup of one of the displays features the famous brothers as
children, their parents, and an original pencil drawing of their toy
helicopter by Orvil Wright.
Spinning Tops to Whirling Props: The Wright Brothers Progress
in Aviation is slated to open in March 2003.
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