Good day all!
There were several projects that I know of to fly a reproduction of the
Wright's 1903 "Flyer" back in the centenary year.
However all those that I know of failed to leave the ground.
As an historian of Aviation and Technology generally, I would
be very intersted if someone knowledgeable on this group could help me
with a rundown of the various projects and what the end result was in
each case.
We had a pioneer called Richard Pearse who made a rather uncontrolled
flight in the South Island around July 1903. However I have for a long
time been of the opinion that the Wright's did not have a fully
succesful powered plane until their 1905 model as their original engine
was too underpowered and too heavy.
One remembers their problems with so called "tip drag" in 1904.
Pearse made a very original double acting twin cylinder motor that put
out about 35 HP and was much lighter.
Basically my idea is that the Wright's had an well designed underpowered
glider in 1903 that could fly under ideal conditions without turning.
Pearse had an aerodynamically crude plane that flew mainly by virtue of
his engine power. But neither had the whole story.
Of course it still means that my namesakes produced the world's first
fully controllable airplane. It is just that the results of 2003
projects might support my thesis that the 1903 model wasn't it.
Cliff Wright New Zealand.