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Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington              March 3, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1979)

Kathy Barnstorff
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
(Phone: 757/864-9886)

Jennifer Mullen
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va.
(Phone: 757/683-3580)

RELEASE: 03-085

NASA ENGINEERS TEST WRIGHT STUFF

     It triggers the imagination. What would aviation pioneer Orville 
Wright think about a reproduction of his 1903 Wright Flyer being 
tested in a wind tunnel he used to visit?

An authentic, airworthy reproduction of the Wright brothers' first 
successful powered flying machine is undergoing aerodynamic testing at 
the Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST). The tunnel is owned by NASA's 
Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, Va., and operated by Old 
Dominion University (ODU) in Norfolk, Va. The LFST was built in 1930. 
It was NASA's first full-scale wind tunnel.

During this experiment, underwritten primarily by ODU, engineers will 
take to determine how the 1903 Wright Flyer replica can be safely 
flown and controlled. They'll use the information, not only to 
document the 40.5-foot-wingspan aircraft's flying characteristics, but 
also to create the first accurate flight-simulator to teach pilots how 
to fly the primitive aircraft.

"NASA Langley is proud to sponsor wind tunnel tests of this accurate, 
authentic reproduction of the Wright Flyer. The first man to fly, 
Orville Wright, was on the advisory committee that established NASA's 
Langley Research Center in 1917," said Ed Prior, deputy director of 
Langley's Office of Education. "Wright also visited Langley a number 
of times. In fact, we have at least one picture of Orville Wright
taken in the very same tunnel where the Wright Flyer reproduction is 
being tested," he said.

The wind tunnel tests are part of research being done by ODU and Ken 
Hyde of the Wright Experience of Warrenton, Va. The not-for-profit 
Discovery of Flight Foundation, also in Warrenton, to uncover and 
document how the Wright brothers managed to conquer the principles of 
controlled, powered flight in five short years, contracted the Wright
Experience. 

The Wright Flyer replica, built with help from the Ford Motor Co. and 
the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wis., will use 
two different motors during tests. One is a gasoline-powered 
reproduction of the primitive engine designed and built by the Wrights 
in 1903. The other is an electric motor donated by Teco Westinghouse
Corporation that can be controlled precisely during wind tunnel 
testing.

"Rediscovering the secrets of the Wright brothers to inspire a new 
generation is what motivates The Wright Experience," said Hyde. "Our 
journey will continue through December 17 this year with the flight of 
this 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction at Kitty Hawk. These wind tunnel 
tests will help us recreate the Wrights' historic accomplishment and
reduce the risk involved in the replica flight later this year," he 
said.

"We can't predict what the weather will be December 17, 2003, when the 
Wright Experience plans to fly the EAA Flyer reproduction," said 
Professor Robert Ash, Wright test- program manager for ODU. "We only 
know the original Flyer could be flown on a cold day into a 27 mph 
wind. The wind tunnel test results will give us the necessary 
knowledge to guide and train pilots for virtually all eventualities."

The Wright Experience and ODU have already built and tested 1901 and 
1902 Wright glider reproductions along with a suite of Wright 
propellers in their quest to "reverse engineer" the 1903 Wright Flyer 
and other early Wright aircraft. 

For more information about the Wright Experience on the Internet, 
visit:   http://www.wrightexperience.com

For more information about the LFST on the Internet, visit:
http://www.lfst.com/

For more information about NASA on the Internet, visit: www.nasa.gov

For more information about the Centennial of Flight 
commemoration on the Internet, visit:

www.centennialofflight.gov

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