Pilot
Candidates
Three men and one woman are
candidates for recreating that historical moment. All candidates will
undergo a yearlong training program with Scott Crossfield, aviation legend
and renowned research pilot. Crossfield made aeronautical history in 1953
as the first person to reach Mach 2, twice the speed of sound at more than
1,320 miles per hour. In July 2003, two of the four pilot candidates will
be selected to reenact the roles of Orville and Wilbur Wright. The pilots
will fly EAA’s 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction at the centennial
celebration.
Who is qualified to fly the
Flyer?
How do you qualify to lie in the spot of honor on December 17, 2003? EAA
President Tom Poberezny, gave a hint of what makes a centennial Flyer
pilot: “Each of these candidates already represents the innovative
spirit of the Wright brothers through their dedication to creating or
discovering aviation firsts.” Selected by EAA, The Wright Experience,
and Ford Motor Company, the candidates are these four individuals:
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| Countdown
To Kitty Hawk pilot candidate Ken Hyde. Pilot Information |
Countdown
To Kitty Hawk pilot candidate Chris Johnson. Pilot Information |
Countdown
To Kitty Hawk pilot candidate Terry Queijo. Pilot Information |
Countdown
To Kitty Hawk pilot candidate Kevin Kochersberger. Pilot Information |
How do you train to fly the Flyer?
Certainly, learning to fly the Flyer will be like learning to fly all
over again. The four candidates have undergone training and flight testing
under the guidance of legendary research pilot Scott Crossfield. Working
for organizations including the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics (NACA)-the predecessor of NASA-Scott made aeronautical history
on November 20, 1953, as the first person to reach Mach 2, twice the speed
of sound. Scott also served as pilot, design consultant, and eventually
systems director and technical director for North American Aviation,
working on such projects as the X-15 rocket-powered research plane and the
Apollo command module.
Ken, Terry, Chris, and Kevin have worked with Scott, developing a training program that will include time in a 1902 Wright Glider flight simulator and flying an actual 1902 Wright Glider reproduction. In other words, the four pilots will have gone through roughly the same stages of learning and discovery and trial and error that the Wright brothers did, while incrementally adding to their knowledge base and skill sets.
Based on their skill and training results, Terry and Kevin were chosen to assume the roles of either Orville or Wilbur Wright to fly at the First Flight Centennial Celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 2003.
"They'll flip a coin, just as the brothers did a century ago," says Scott, "to see who will fly the airplane." Scott isn't sugar coating the flight: "It's going to be a very difficult task to learn how to fly an unstable aircraft because no one has had to do so for nearly 100 years. But," he added with the determination of a steely-eyed test pilot, "we will do it."
EAA, Ford Motor Company, and Scott announced the results of the pilot selection at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003, where EAA's completed 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction was on public display as the centerpiece of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk Pavilion.
During training, each candidate will keep a journal, and their entries will be posted online at benchmarks in the training process to allow Web visitors to read about the pilots' experiences. As the countdown continues, follow the progress of the pilots' training and learn about new and exciting developments leading up to the centennial of flight at www.countdowntokittyahawk.org.
