The Wright Flyer on 12/17/2003

If wishes were wind, the Wright Flyer built by Ken Hyde and flown by Kevin Kochersberger would still be soaring across the country. It wouldn't have needed an engine, or props, or even Bernoulli's law.

34,200 people came to Kill Devil Hill on a rainy Wednesday morning to watch history re-made. They left with soggy shoes, perhaps tinged with disappointment, but many realized that not every flight of an experimental aircraft will do what the designer, or pilot, or crowd would want.

They cheered wildly when the Flyer was rolled from it's hangar, and again when the engine was started. They applauded and screamed at the end of the first attempt around 12:30pm. The die-hard airplane romantics and history buffs stayed through another rainstorm and cold front, and rollout and engine start, but the notorious wind of Carolina's outer banks had, for once, failed.

Ken Hyde told reporters in a post flight news conference "I'm not disappointed at all…I'm proud of the team, they've taken pride in everything we've done. This has been very rewarding. The electricity and enthusiasm of the people has been unbelievable."
Kevin Kochersberger pretty much echoed those thoughts: "I was honored to be a part of the project. This has been an inspiration on how to solve problems, and gives you a greater appreciation of what the Wright Brothers really did."

As to the actual flight attempts on Wednesday, pilot Kochersberger said it brought "Strong emotion. These flights are measured in seconds, and we analyze videotape to see how well they work. As you move down the track, the pilot is doing three things at once. You're watching for a mark on the track that indicates where you should rotate your canard. As you break ground, you have to correct your pitch, keep the wings level, and know that you can't climb too quickly, so you're dropping the canard. Today… we were shy on wind and engine power."
Various estimates peg the humidity as sharing some of the blame. Ken Hyde said "The high humidity cost us between 25 and 50 rpm on the props…the wind just died as we launched." As for the 3:30 attempt "The people did get to see it run."

EAA President Tom Poberezny said "Try to see this in context…today launches the second century of flight. I just heard about Burt Rutan's flight of Spaceship One, hitting Mach One and 68,000 feet."

At the end of it all, Ken Hyde was asked if he planned to come back to Kitty Hawk next year. He said "I haven't thought about it yet… but it's a possibility."

FMI: www.wrightexperience.com