Will Dedicate Replica September 8 During Floyd Bennett Field
Fly-In
It's described by the Experimental Aircraft Association as "a
collaborative effort reflecting the true spirit of EAA." Next
month, New York State chapter members will share their plans-built,
full-scale replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer with visitors to the
Gateway National Recreation Area’s Floyd Bennett Field in
Brooklyn.
The aircraft project will be formally dedicated at a public
ceremony on September 8 at the historic facility, which was New
York City’s first municipal airport. The replica was
delivered to Floyd Bennett Field and reassembled by chapter 594 and
528 members earlier this month.
As EAA Chapter
594’s Michaelene "Mickey" Carpenter explained, the project
involved members from numerous EAA chapters. "EAA members from Long
Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties, and all over
the state contributed," she said. "For various reasons, it took a
long time to build, but it’s now completed and scheduled to
be donated so millions of New York residents and visitors can see
and discover the story of the Wright brothers."
The project was first conceived in 2001 as a tribute to the
100-year anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first powered
flight. Plans were received from the Interior Department, which
obtained them from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
However, they were not to full scale -- so Northrop Grumman,
Bethpage, Long Island, generated full-size ones for the wing ribs,
wing tip bow, pilot support ribs, and the engine support structure.
The full-scale drawings were then distributed to the aircraft
builders and a list of major components was generated.
Alan and Selig Rosenberg of J&A Lumber Co., Ronkonkoma, NY,
donated all the wood for the project. Volunteer master wood
craftsman Fred Mahnken cut and color-coded all the wood, and
volunteers from EAA chapters 528 and 594 in Long Island built all
the wing ribs.
Chapters 69 in Warwick, 500 in Massena, and 353 in Kingsbury,
donated the funds to purchase 200 yards of unbleached
muslin--Carpenter was able to procure material almost to the exact
specifications used by Orville and Wilbur.
Students at the Western Suffolk County Board of Cooperative
Education Services in Farmingdale, constructed the rear rudders and
outriggers, while EAA Chapter 528 (Suffolk County) provided the
forward rudder, or canard.
EAA members in Tonawanda (near Buffalo) built the two
propellers, which were flown to Brookhaven Airport in Long Island
by Jon Olstad in his Cessna 182RG (shown below). Other Long
Island chapter members machined the drive sprockets and other parts
for the propeller assembly. Meanwhile, volunteers from the Historic
Aircraft Restoration Project at Floyd Bennett Field created a
mock-up of the engine.
Chapter 594 built a special hangar at Paderos Airport in East
Moriches, Long Island, where the various parts built throughout the
state were assembled. That project was led by the chapter’s
Henry deLaRosa. EAAer Bill Signs, pilot from the Friendship
Flights, also donated to the project.
Project participants are listed on a special commemorative
bronze plaque created by Russell Lay of Concordia Industries,
Garden City. The plaque will be on permanent display with the
airplane.
The dedication ceremony will occur during the second annual
Floyd Bennett Field Fly-In, scheduled to feature about 40 military
and vintage aircraft. Another attraction at Floyd Bennett Field is
a British Airways Concorde supersonic jet, which is normally on
display on board the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier that's currently
undergoing restoration.