Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By BILL ADAIR, Times Staff WriterA group trying to fly a replica of the Wright brothers' plane on the anniversary of their first flight is done in by the weather.
KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - When the Wright brothers flew 100 years ago, they got a boost from Mother Nature, a 27 mph wind that helped lift their plane into the air.
But when a group of pilots and engineers tried to re-create the historic flight Wednesday, Mother Nature was no help.
The wind was so weak that a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer got only six inches off the ground for about one second. It skidded off its track and splashed into a mud puddle.
The Wright Experience, the pilot/engineer group that built the plane, tried again a few hours later, but the wind was even weaker. The flight was canceled.
"I would have liked to see the airplane fly," said Ken Hyde, executive director of the Wright Experience. "I don't have much control over the weather."
Hyde said he was buoyed by the success of two recent test flights in which the airplane flew about 100 feet. Footage of those flights was televised Wednesday night on the Discovery Channel, which paid Hyde for exclusive rights.
"I do not feel today that we failed," Hyde said. "I think you will see that the airplane has flown."
The unsuccessful flight Wednesday was a reminder that the 1903 airplane was not very airworthy. It took the Wrights until 1905 to improve their creation so it could fly dependably. They were granted a patent for the "O&W Wright Flying Machine" in May 1906.
The 100th anniversary of the first flight on Wednesday began with a torrential rain that transformed the sandy national park into a swamp. More than 30,000 people endured the storm and several hours of speeches by everyone from the mayor of Kitty Hawk to the president of the United States.
President Bush told the crowd that it was a day to "remember one small machine - and the giants who flew it."
But without the wind, that small machine couldn't muster the strength to fly.
Hyde's ground crew had difficulty starting the engine. They hand-cranked the propellers more than 10 times before the engine finally roared to life.
The crowd cheered. A flock of gulls that had been resting in the muddy field suddenly took off. The birds flew away from the plane but then circled back, apparently curious to see the source of the noise.
On the ground, pilot Kevin Kochersberger tested the elevators - the flat panels that direct the plane to go up and down - and the wing-warping system to make sure the controls worked properly. They did.
The plane seemed ready.
A big American flag flapped in the wind. But on the airfield, Hyde's crew measured only 9 mph, far below the 27 mph the Wrights had. To compensate, Hyde's crew lengthened the rail used for the takeoff roll. That would give the plane more opportunity to build up speed.
The plane began to roll.
The 14-horsepower engine struggled in the damp weather, unable to get the strength it needed. If there had been a good headwind, that would not have mattered. But with a weak engine and even weaker winds, the replica was not going to fly.
Kochersberger moved the elevator to go up, but the plane barely lifted off. The tail appeared to scrape the track. The right wing hit the mud and the plane skidded to a halt.
The impact caused minor damage to a wire on the plane. It was repaired while everyone waited for the winds to build.
The winds got stronger but shifted the wrong direction. They came over some trees and would cause turbulence for the fragile plane.
Finally, the winds shifted again and came from a favorable direction. But as Hyde's crew wheeled the plane onto the field, the winds died.
They decided to try anyway. The engine started promptly and sounded healthy. But there was so little wind that Hyde decided to scrub the flight. They turned off the engine and pulled the plane inside a big tent.
Thousands of people who had waited in the rain and mud were disappointed.
"That's it?" said someone in the audience.
Hyde said he had no plans to fly the plane again. It will be displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.
He said he was satisfied because "we have created an awareness of the Wright brothers" and succeeded with the test flights.
"I'm not disappointed at all."