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Photos by Fritz
Rethage © 2003, All rights reserved. Permission required for commercial
reproduction.
Index for photos & mpeg
movies
"The Wright Stuff"
Teterboro Airport celebratating 100 years of aviation
Wright "B" Flyer re-enacts historic 1909
flight around Statue of Liberty on May 25, 2003
Teterboro, NJ -- On May 25, 2003 a replica of the Wright "B"
Flyer flew around the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor re-enacting Wilbur Wright's
famous 1909 flight on Memorial Day.
The Wright "B" Flyer arrived late on May 23 from Dayton, OH in a custom trailer,
that also serves as a museum. On May 24th, the Flyer was assembled at
Signature Flight Services Hangar 17. Because of the rain, only a test of the engine was
conducted that day.
On May 25th, there was a break in the weather allowing the Flyer to do a test flight.
The Flyer was put on display near the FAA Tower on Fred Wehran Drive while pilot
John Warlick and co-pilot Bill Sloan flew an orientation flight to the Hudson River and
Statue of Liberty with Steve Riethof (Aviation Hall of Fame).
At about 1:30 p.m. on a cloudy May 25, the re-enactment flight occurred. There was
FAA coordination with this event. The Flyer was then put on display until the rain forced
it back into the hangar. The Flyer was then disassembled and returned to to its home
base in Dayton.
Only four pilots are authorized to fly the Flyer. About 1,700 people have taken a ride on
the "B", which is usually a short flight down the runway at about 20 feet,
reenacting the first flight. The first flight of this replica was in 1980. The Flyer
has about 500 hours of flight time. Flying in a C5, the "B" has appeared in
Germany during the remembrance of the Berlin Airlift.
Members of the Wright "B" Flyer prefer to state that this is a
"look-a-like", and quick to point to the many differences such as steel frame,
not wood; radio; navigation lights; the original engine was a Model T and this uses a
helicopter engine, etc.
It took eight years to build. From a model, a high school drafting class created
about 90 pages of prints and documentation. About 600 people were involved in
building this Flyer. The Flyer is listed as an experimental aircraft.
The event was inspired by the National Park Service (Dayton), and is part of Dayton Ohio's
Centennial celebration -- "Inventing Flight". Coordination for this event
included the: Wright "B" Flyer Organization, Inventing Flight/Dayton 2003,
National Park Service/Dayton, FAA, Port Authority NY/NJ, NJ Aviation Hall of Fame,
Signature Flight Support, Paramus Flying Club, Civil Air Patrol, Continental Trucking
(Sidney, OH -Transported Trailer), Raintree County Images (Documentary Film Makers).
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Index
Here are about two hundred photos and movies
commemorating this historic aviation event
Photos and Stories
Taking off
custom trailer's side panels
Preparing to unload Wright "B' Flyer from custom trailer
Assembling front section
Crew before off-loading Wright "B" Flyer
Off-loading Wright "B" Flyer
Attaching the tail section
Attaching the flap
Putting sides back on custom trailer
Assembling and checking seat, pedals, controls, wires, radio, etc.
Installing propeller
Rolling Flyer out to test engine (May 24) & test flight (May
25)
Wright "B" Flyer details
[Engine][Propellers & Chain
Drive][Rigging & Wheels][Cockpit
& Controls]
Supporting operations
Various parked positions and on public display
Miscellaneous general photos
Onboard museum
Press Releases
Media Coverage
######
mpeg movies
Image size: 320 x 240 -- Cameras used:
Sony F505 & F717
[Movie] Engine test on
apron -- May 25 (500k)
[Movie] Engine test on
apron #1 -- May 25 (500k)
[Movie] Engine test on
apron #2 -- May 25 (500k)
[Movie] Rolling Wright
"B" onto apron for public viewing May 26 (800k)
[Movie] Rolling Wright
"B" onto apron before starting engines (500k)
[Movie] Taxiing from apron
to ramp (1.4 meg)
[Movie] Taxiing from apron
onto ramp for test flight (1.1 meg)
[Movie] Test flight from
Meadowlands (2.5 meg)
[Movie] Taxiing on the
ramp from test flight (700k)
[Movie] Taxiing from the
ramp to the apron (1 meg)
Editors note:
Cool effect: [Play] on
media player full screen and run continuously
Editors favorite: [Taxiing
back] on ramp w/Hasbrouck Heights as the horizon
######
Successful event thanks to:
Wright "B" Flyer Organization, Inventing Flight/Dayton 2003, National Park Service/Dayton, FAA, Port Authority NY/NJ, NJ
Aviation Hall of Fame, Signature
Flight Support, Paramus Flying Club, Civil Air
Patrol, Continental Trucking (Sidney, OH -Transported Trailer), Raintree County Images (Documentary Film
Makers)
######
Other Aviation Hall
of Fame Photos and Stories
Open Cockpit Day: April 26, 2003 [Story]
Santa Arrives by Helicopter:
December 14, 2002 [Photos]
Tri-State Aviation Expo 2002
[Kitty Hawk Flyer] [General] [Models]
[Trucks & Cars]
Wings & Wheels Expo at Teterboro Airport on June 2nd & 3rd, 2001
[General & Military][B-17 Yankee Lady][DC-4 Spirit of Freedom]
[Various aircraft] [Antique Cars]
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Photos by Fritz Rethage © 2003, All
rights reserved.
Permission required for commercial reproduction. |
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