[TVal]

Read an interesting article on the up coming Dec. 17th 100th anniversary of their flight. There are several organizations attempting to build a duplicate of the Wright Bros plane that flew at Kitty Hawk. Despight our advanced technology, computers and aviation advances, everybody is having trouble replicating their plane.
Several have crashed and been damaged. None have flown as far as the final flights 100 years ago. Admitting embarrassment and acknowledging that Orvil & Wilber were a couple of geniues, one organizer admitted to spending several million dollars and a few years in an effort to duplicate what the Bros. did in a year and for about $20 grand. Not bad for a couple of bicycle mechanics. Here's to you O & W. :beerchug:
Tim

 

[TVal]

Just heard on the news, The attempt today to duplicate the flight with the multi million dollar replica failed. Back to the drawing board.
Tim

 

[TopGun]

I think the big problem is that they all over think the theory of flight. Everyone that is attempting to recreate the original flight has experienced flight as we know it today and I feel that they are taking today's theory's and applying them to 1903 technology.

Just my thought on the very expensive f*#& ups.

 

[houdini]

The problem with the re-enactment was two fold. There was mud and puddles, increasing resistance on the undercarriage and, additionally, a lack of wind.
But never the less, it was interesting to see modern technology try to deal with recreating the flight and the flyer.
An original flyer hangs in the Smithsonian so they had a model to go by.
The winds at the time of the original launch were fairly strong. The craft was basically a glider with power and the wind was a very big help. Not yesterday.

 

[HookUp]

I think you got it ....

The winds at the time of the original launch were fairly strong

The origional flight was done in high winds, and the Wright brothers used that to their advantage. The flight yesterday was in 6mph winds.

I've read an origional account of the flight and it's clearly mentioned the effects of the winds and gliding.

Which lead experts to the question was the first flight really under gasoline power? - or wind?

 

[houdini]

Glider flight was old hat! Even Michelangelo played with gliders. No, we're talking the first "powered" flight. The engine was something that was as unique as the rest of the flyer.
They've flown it in test flights before yesterday. It was just the lack of wind and the mud that did them in yesterday.