AUTHENTIC
1903 WRIGHT FLYER REPRODUCTION STOPS IN
EAA's Countdown to
Kitty Hawk Pavilion Helps Ford Motor Company
Celebrate 100 Years of Transportation Innovation
DEARBORN, Mich. - (June 12, 2003) - An authentic 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction, owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wis., has “landed” in Dearborn to serve as the centerpiece of a 20,000 square-foot exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of transportation innovations at Ford Motor Company’s THE ROAD IS OURS 100th Anniversary Celebration. The reproduction, which was transported in a specially designed semi-trailer truck, will not fly publicly until it recreates the Wright brothers’ first powered flight 100 years later at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003 in Kitty Hawk, N.C.
After this ceremonial flight, which is the backbone of the First Flight Centennial Celebration Dec. 13-17, 2003, the Wright Flyer reproduction will reside at The Henry Ford’s Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn as part of its new “Heroes of the Sky” exhibit. The Ford anniversary celebration is the second of seven stops for EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk presented by Ford Motor Company pavilion, which culminates its national tour in Kitty Hawk.
The connection between Ford Motor Company and aviation history is well documented. In 1903, Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company, beginning a century-long mission to bring affordable transportation to the masses. That same year, Orville and Wilbur Wright succeeded with the first manned, powered flight. The Fords and Wrights were mutual admirers of each other’s work.
The Ford and Wright families will come together again this week when Edsel B. Ford II, great-grandson of Henry Ford, and Amanda Wright Lane, great-grandniece of the Wright brothers, share stories of their ancestors’ innovation and determination to change transportation history.
The two will make brief comments in EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion during a media briefing at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 14. Additional details on the Ford family’s contributions to aviation are available at http://media.ford.com
Jan Valentic, vice president, Global Marketing, Ford Motor Company, said, “1903 was a pivotal year for transportation between Henry Ford and the Wright brothers. Ford and the Wrights shared a passion for innovation, imagination and the future. These three men had arguably the greatest impact on transportation, as we know it, today. For that we celebrate both 100th anniversaries.”
EAA President and U.S. Centennial of Flight Commissioner Tom Poberezny, said, “Together EAA, Ford Motor Company, ‘Microsoft Flight Simulator’ and Eclipse Aviation are leading a very special centennial year celebration that continues through Dearborn and runs through the re-enactment of the Wright brothers’ first flight 100 years to the minute. We hope everyone who visits the pavilion comes away with an appreciation of the significance of the Wrights’ first flight.”
The centerpiece of the pavilion is EAA’s 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction, built by Ken Hyde of The Wright Experience in Warrenton, Va. Other major components of the pavilion include:
- Exhibits on the history of Henry Ford and the Wright brothers.
- Digital reproductions of Wright brothers’ documents from the Library of Congress archives.
- The 2003 Lincoln Aviator Kitty Hawk Edition, which honors the Wright brothers.
- “Microsoft Flight Simulator” cradles of the 1903 Wright Flyer, which allow visitors to actually try their hand at flying the historic aircraft, and kiosk to fly the Ford Tri-Motor.
- A theater and live presentation area where actors will assume the roles of the Wright brothers in a specially-written “What’s Wright With Flight!” play and Darrell Collins of the National Park Service will deliver his stirring “Miracle at Kitty Hawk” presentation. (Schedules will be posted daily.)
- Interactive and Web-based exhibits, including a contest to select Eclipse Aviation’s “Greatest Aviation Innovations of the First 100 Years.” This will allow attendees to vote for aviation’s greatest innovations online or at the Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion. Voters will be eligible to win deluxe travel packages to the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk and witness the re-enactment of the first powered flight on Dec. 17, 2003.
About EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk Presented by Ford Motor Company
EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk is a centennial celebration of the Wright brothers’ first powered flight - an innovation that forever changed our world. Led by EAA, presented by Ford Motor Company and supported by Microsoft Flight Simulator and Eclipse Aviation, this yearlong series of inspirational events honors the innovation and determination it takes to make world-changing dreams a reality. Countdown to Kitty Hawk features an interactive touring pavilion and the world’s most-accurate 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction that will exclusively re-enact the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2003 - exactly 100 years later.
