(Re)building the Wright Flyer

Wilbur and Orville Wright beat long odds when their powered box kite pierced the skies 100 years ago and left gravity in the dust. . . The Wrights' design was good enough to get off the ground, but just barely. Modern engineers and pilots say it is inherently unstable at best, and downright dangerous in unpracticed hands.

The Federal Aviation Administration claims eight reproductions of the pioneering aircraft are under construction, with four others completed. However, those are just the ones that are complying with federal regulations. You can build any kind of airplane, but before it can fly, the FAA generally has to certify it is airworthy, and you must have a pilot's license. . .

Indeed, in the last year the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum has sold more than 3,000 sets of blueprints for the 1903 aircraft, at $50 apiece. Wright State University in Dayton also sells the plans. And neither is in any position to determine whether people want them for building aircraft or just for hanging on the wall.

Posted by David on March 23, 2003 3:34 PM