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Nearly 120 years ago two brothers from Ohio changed the world of aviation forever. When Orville and Wilbur Wright began working on aircraft in 1899 with a kite, no one anticipated within a number of years they would be performing the first powered flight at Kill Devil Hills, a flight that has inspired many aviators to this day. A century later, the Wright Experience rebuilt the incredible aircraft and even flew them for the centennial celebration of the Wright Brothers. Now, Access Aviation has listed these incredible reproduction aircraft on GlobalAir.com, presenting a rare opportunity to own a part of aviation history.
Each reproduction aircraft is listed on GlobalAir.com, for sale as a collection or to buy individually. Learn the history of the decades-long process of authentically recreating each of these models and how you can own your very own Wright Brothers reproduction aircraft.
Restoring an aviation legacy
Under contract with the Discovery of Flight Foundation, the Wright Experience spent years researching, reconstructing, testing and documenting authentic and full-scale reproductions of the Wright brothers' aircraft and engines. Meticulous work is done to recreate the research, drawings, documentation, components and full-scale aircraft that the Wright brothers transformed aviation with. Very little of the original work remains, adding to the complications of recreating the 20th-century plane. The foundation's team uses a process called reverse engineering, examining original parts, photographs and artifacts to remanufacture the authentic aircraft.Check out the listings on GlobalAir.com, presented by Access Aerospace
The Wright brother's design process was complex and evolutionary, each developed from a predecessor beginning with the 1899 kite. The Wright Experience tackled each restoration through a similar method, building all of the brothers' machines from the kite through to the Model B, the brothers' first production aircraft. Building a way through the Wright brothers' repertoire took skill and patience, working to research every intricate detail to bring the antiquated ideas to the modern age. For years, the Wright brothers worked in secret, away from potential imitators and keeping their technical expertise close.
Due to their immense secrecy, the early prototype development aircraft was destroyed, along with the construction documentation and drawings. The team must work with the grainy photographs that remain to build what the Wright brothers had worked so hard to keep secret. By using high-resolution scanned images of these photographs, Wright Experience engineers have begun to uncover some of the secrets the brothers kept hidden for decades. Most of the surviving Wright brothers' aircraft are reconstructions. The Wright Experience team has examined many of the aircraft to determine what is original and what is not, and additional artifacts and photographs from around the world are being acquired and examined.
The brothers took their ideas to another level with continued modifications and testing to improve each new design. Every prototype was carefully flight tested and the best surviving historical documentation records the flight performance and problems the brothers encountered. Through flight testing, the team can confirm design specifications but also gain a deeper understanding of the problem-solving process the brothers utilized on their early aviation journey. Data from flight and wind tunnel testing can be analyzed to determine the accuracy of the prototype. The final historically accurate reproduction is then produced as part of the permanent record.
Aircraft reconstruction timeline
Starting at the beginning, the Wright Experience's semi-chronological reconstruction process includes the 1899 kite that began it all. Each aircraft design developed by the Wright brothers was developed from the previous, starting with the kite. The kite was the first to employ wing warping, which is an early system for lateral roll control of fixed-wing aircraft. The Wright Experience constructed its kite in Virginia and flew it at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in October 1997. The kite's performance matched the written descriptions from Wilbur Wright's tests.Buy the 1901 Wright Glider on GlobalAir.com
The 1900 glider did not perform as the brothers had expected, seeing that it was only capable of lifting 75 pounds. One reproduction was tested at Kitty Hawk and the other is on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The 1901 glider was modified after the first trials, adding a third spar and trussed ribs. This glider gave Wilbur Wright glides of over 300 feet. One reproduction glider was built with the Wrights' modifications and was wind tunnel tested in 2001. This reproduction glider is on display at the College Park Aviation Museum. The 1902 reproduction glider was tested at the NASA/Langley Full Scale Wind Tunnel in 2002. In 2002 and 2003, it flew on the Outer Banks of North Carolina as part of pilot training for the 1903 flyer.Check out the listing for the 1902 Wright Glider reproductionBuy the 1903 Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk Flyer that flew in the centennial celebrations in 2003
The 1903 flyer was an extension of the 1902 glider, but that did not make the assembly any easier, with the work in Kitty Hawk becoming a frustrating ordeal. The December 1903 success forever changed aviation and the restored flyer is on display at the National Air and Science Museum in Washington D.C. The reproduced 1903 flyer was built and unveiled for the EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk Celebrations, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, Microsoft Flight Simulator and Eclipse Aviation. This reproduction was the first fully authentic 1903 flyer built since the original 100 years prior. The modern-made flyer completed wind-tunnel testing and was flown in November and December of 2003. The reproduction 1903 flyer was featured in the centennial celebrations on Dec. 17, 2003 at Kitty Hawk. A second was built for the National Park Service and sponsored by Harry Combs, and a third was built for the Seattle Museum of Flight.
The team will continue efforts, like the Wright brothers. The 1904 Huffman Prairie Flyer, which followed the successful 1903 flyer, was the first Wright plane to fly in a complete circle. The reproduction efforts for the 1904 flyer are in the research stage. The 1905 Dayton Flyer was known as the world's first practical aircraft and the reproduction efforts are in the research stage. The 1905 flyer was the first plane to make long-distance flights and eventually led to the Wright Military Flyers
The Wright Experience did not stop the work to replicate the impressive aircraft lineup the Wright brothers amassed in their aviation careers, going a bit out of order to reproduce the 1908 Model A. The Model A was used by the brothers for their first public flights in the U.S. and Europe. The reproduction 1908 Model A made its public debut at the National Memorial Day Parade on May 26, 2008 on Constitution Avenue in Washington D.C. and was next on display at Fort Myer for centennial celebrations of the inaugural 1908 flights. The 1908 reproduction is expected to be on display at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The 1909 Military Flyer was bought by the governments of the U.S., France, Italy and Germany. The reproduction 1909 Military Flyer was built in 2008 and is set to be displayed at the College Park Aviation Museum.Check out the listing for the 1909 Wright Brothers Military Flyer on GlobalAir.comBuy the 1910 Transitional Model A/B
Orville Wright took the 1910 Transitional Model A/B to Montgomery, Alabama in the winter of 1910 to be used as a trainer in the first U.S. civilian flying school. It was later flown by the Wright exhibition team across the country. The reproduction was built in 2010, 100 years after the first, and is on temporary display at the Wright Experience hangar in Warrenton, Virginia.
The 1910 Model R was nicknamed the Baby Grand. The Model R had a unique, V-8 engine and small wings. For a brief time in history, the Baby Grand was the fastest plane in the world. The plane was built for the 1910 air races at Belmont Park in New York but was destroyed in a crash before the big race. Soon after this experience, the Wright brothers decided to quit the racing business. The Wright Experience is recreating the engine and has researched the remainder of the aircraft, stating that the "engineering mastery behind the airplane has never been appreciated."
The final glider ever built by the Wright brothers, as well as the last aircraft they flew at Kitty Hawk, was the 1911 glider. Orville set soaring records in this model which stood for decades. The Wright Experience completed its reproduction in 2011.Check out the listing for the 1911 Kitty Hawk Glider
The 1911 Model B was the Wrights' most popular aircraft, and the first reproduction built by the Wright Experience. The first reproduction was built in 1992 for the Fort Rucker Army Aviation Museum in Fort Rucker, Alabama. One is on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport (IAD). The team built a static model in 1997 to display in the College Park Aviation Museum. A flyable reproduction was built with support from Northrop Grumman and Curtiss Wright. The flyable model went on to feature in the PBS NOVA film, Wright Brothers' Flying Machine, originally aired on Nov. 11, 2003.Check out the listing for the 1911 Model B
The 1911 Wright EX Vin Fiz was the first plane to fly across the U.S., piloted by Calbraith Perry Rodgers and sponsored by the grape soda manufacturer, Vin Fiz. The reproduction was built in 2011 and is on temporary display at the Wright Experience hangar in Warrenton, Virginia.Buy the 1911 Wright EX Vin Fiz
Powering the restoration
A necessary component in the aircraft reproductions are the engines. Like the aircraft, the engines changed over time, adapting to the skill of pilots as they developed and as the flyers improved. The brothers used their individual skills to develop and grow their aviation business, Orville lending his mechanical abilities and Wilbur in theory and design. Their original engine design came about after the brothers failed to find an engine manufacturer to produce a small number of high-performance engines to their specifications. The brothers initially began working with the machinist Charley Taylor, building a four-cylinder engine weighing under 200 pounds and capable of delivering at least eight horsepower. The 1903 engine performed beyond initial expectations, delivering 12 horsepower.Check out a listing for the 1911 Burgess-Wright Model F
Utilizing their own skillsets to the fullest, Wilbur continued experimenting with Engine No. 3 as Orville developed the Vertical Four engine in 1906. Engine No. 3 was used from 1904-1906 as a testing platform and improvements led the way to the next design, the Vertical Four engine. The modifications made to Engine No. 3 were the basis for the vertical design, used in aircraft like the 1908 Model A, the 1909 Military Flyer and the 1911 Model B. Some of the original engines made by the brothers are in the care of aviation groups like the Wright Experience and others in museums. Greg Cone, the Wright Experience's resident specialist in antique engines, restored the Wright Vertical Four engine #20 and it remains the only operating original Wright engine in the world.
A lasting impact
The Wright brothers shaped modern aviation and have inspired many in and around the industry over the last 120 years. The innovation and determination that drove the Wright brothers is what drives many in the industry, and is a legacy that the Wright Experience is trying to preserve. A crowd of 35,000 gathered in North Carolina's Outer Banks to watch the reproduction 1903 flyer recreate the famous first flight. Much like the inspirational brothers, the Wright Experience was met with challenges like wind. The winds were calm on Dec. 17, 2003 but unfortunately for pilot Kevin Kochersberger, it was too calm for takeoff. The crowd waited for a breeze that never came, watching as the $1.2 million plane rose about six inches before crashing into the sand and resulting in a snapped crosswire and broken fitting, according to Wired.
"Unfortunately, the conditions that Wilbur and Orville could wait for, we couldn't," Ken Hyde, who led the reproduction team, said to Wired. "I would have liked to have seen the aircraft fly, but I don't control the weather."
While some onlookers were disappointed, many were just excited to be in the presence of a replication of aviation history. The Wright brothers endured several crashes before and after the famous flight in 1903, some due to weather. While the reenactors at Kitty Hawk 20 years ago did not achieve the 10-mph wind needed to fly, the reproduction aircraft recreated a powerful moment in aviation history 100 years to the day. At the centennial ceremony in 2003, President Bush shared some words with the audience at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
"There must have been times when they had to fight their own doubts," President Bush said to Wired. "They pressed on, believing in the great work they had begun and in their own capacity to see it though. We would not know their names today if these men had been pessimists."