The newest addition to Wright "B" Flyer Inc.'s fleet of historic
lookalike aircraft made its public debut at last month's NBAA 61st
Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL.
Amanda Wright Lane -- great-grandniece of aviation pioneers
Orville and Wilbur Wright, and trustee of Wright "B" Flyer, Inc. --
was on hand to talk about the new flyer dubbed the "Silver Bird,"
nicknamed for its metal skeleton. The roughly 7/8-scale aircraft
was on static display inside the Orange County Convention
Center for the duration of this year's show.
"This was the plane that really introduced the country to
aviation," Wright Lane said. "It not only circled the Statue of
Liberty, but was flown at air shows across the country and gave
people their first glimpse of what was possible with aviation." In
all, 33 volunteers -- ranging from ages 11 into their 90s -- helped
to build the Silver Bird for over a year. "They want other
generations to understand the love of flying, and they spend hours
each day on the flyer to hopefully pass that thrill on to the next
generation," Wright Lane said.
NBAA contributed to the shipping costs, and provided floor space
for the Dayton, OH nonprofit to display the Silver Bird inside the
convention center. Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane
in their West Dayton bicycle shop at the turn of the 20th Century
and formed the Wright Company in 1909 to produce military and
civilian airplanes. The "B" model was the first one they produced
in quantity, with more than 100 built from 1910 on.
The Silver Bird is a flyable airplane that can be shipped
anywhere in the world for exhibitions. It is expected to make its
first test flight in early 2009.
Having a replica of one of the first aircraft ever on the NBAA
show floor -- an event known more of its multi-million dollar
bizjets, than attempts to appeal to grassroots aviation -- isn't as
incongruous as it may seem at first glance. Wright Lane notes the
plane won an early design competition for the US Army Signal Corps,
to provide an aircraft suitable for pilot training and
reconnaissance. That competition, among other requirements, called
for the aircraft to fly at least 40 mph, and be able to "land
safely."
The Model B was later flown at a series of exhibitions across
the country, in part to attract buyers for the design. One only
need look across the NBAA show floor to see that legacy remains
alive and well.