USU Wright Flyer returns home
After 10,000 man-hours were invested in the project, and nearly as many miles were traveled displaying it, the Utah State University Wright Flyer arrived home.
Students at USU designed and built the replica of the 1905 Wright brother’s plane in two years, and were recently invited to attend the Centennial of Flight Celebration in Dayton, Ohio.
In Ohio, the team was able to show off their plane and meet President George W. Bush, said James Call, a sophomore majoring in aviation technology maintenance.
The plane has been unofficially dubbed the 21st century flyer, said Jill Stout, a senior aviation technology maintenance major and member of USU’s Air Force ROTC. However, the plane is most commonly referred to as the USU Wright Flyer, she said.
Call said the president walked by at the Ohio celebration and team members were able to shake his hand. A picture of Call and the president appeared on a CNN broadcast about the event as well, she said.
Even former Utah senator and space shuttle astronaut Jake Garn got involved in the festivities as he took the pilot seat for one flight, Call said.
While in Ohio, students flew the replica over Huffman Prairie where the Wright brothers made many of their historic test flights, said David Widauf, professor in the College of Engineering and flyer project director.
“We’re the first people to fly in Huffman Prairie since the Wright brothers in the 1900s,” Widauf said.
Being part of the centennial celebration in Ohio was an honor and experience the team won’t soon forget, Stout said.
“I just couldn’t believe we were there,” she said.
Call said just being a part of the whole event and a part of what the Wright brothers did was the best part of the entire experience.
Students started this project to honor what the Wright brothers had accomplished, Stout said. They were invited to the centennial celebrations in Ohio after they had completed the plane, she said.
The reward for all the team members’ hard work has come mostly after seeing the plane finished, said Nick Alley, a graduate student in mechanical and aerospace engineering and project manager of the design team.
“You spend so much time looking at a design on paper and then to see that it works, it’s like having a kid,” he said.
The replica is based on the Wright brothers’ design, but has significant differences that make it fly better than the original, Call said. The USU Wright Flyer is made of composite materials that are more durable and lighter.
The USU Wright Flyers’ longest flight was probably only 15 minutes, but could stay in the air for several hours, Stout said. Flying the aircraft is physically taxing as a constant 10 pounds of pressure must be maintained on the control stick, Stout said.
There are other replicas of the Wright Flyer, but so far USU has the only successful sustained flight, Widauf said.
“We’re flying circles around everyone else – literally,” Widauf said.
The USU Wright Flyer will be part of a two-hour History Channel special on Dec. 9, Stout said.
More information on the team and the Wright Flyer can be found at www.usuwrightflyer.org.
-gmk@cc.usu.edu