USU flyer has the Wright stuff

Utah State University students and faculty members had the Wright stuff Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight — even as an attempt to re-create that historic event flopped at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Under bright Brigham City skies at precisely 10:35 a.m., the twin pusher propellers of a tiny box-kite of an aircraft revved up and pilot Wayne Larsen headed the plane down the runway. Two American flags streamed from upright struts as USU's replica lifted from the ground. It flew close to the runway and touched down after 17 seconds. Hundreds of spectators applauded and whistled.

The time of day echoed that of the first flight by Wilbur and Orville Wright at Kill Devil Hills, not far from Kitty Hawk.

"I've watched this airplane take off (before), and it still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck" — because of excitement, not fear, said Bill Larsen, the pilot's brother.

Meanwhile, on a rainy day when the winds on North Carolina's Outer Banks were uncharacteristically calm, a delicate wood-and-muslin replica of the Wrights' airplane failed to get off the ground and splashed into a mud puddle.

The plane twisted awkwardly before stopping with its right wing pushed into the sand, leaving a snapped crosswire and broken fitting.

"Well, if this were easy, I guess everyone would do it," said Tom Poberenzy, president of the Experimental Aircraft Association, a group of aviation enthusiasts who had a hand in building the painstakingly accurate reproduction.

A team of engineers tinkered with the plane and waited in vain for the breeze to pick up before they finally gave up trying to match the feat of the two self-educated bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio.

As a crowd estimated at 35,000 groaned, pilot Kevin Kochersberger dropped his head in disappointment.

President Bush, who had spoken at the anniversary festivities earlier in the day, had already left and was not on hand to see things go wrong.

'Updated' replica

The USU Wright Flyer, an updated replica of the first powered aircraft, was built with modern composite materials — and a Harley-Davidson engine. It was redesigned slightly to make it more aerodynamic and includes seats for a pilot and a co-pilot, unlike the original design, where a single pilot lay prone on the lower wing.

Still, it looks amazingly like the first successful airplane.

The contraption the Wrights built in their bicycle workshop back in Ohio took flight four times that day 100 years ago; the first lasted 12 seconds, the final one was 59 seconds long and covered 852 feet.

The Brigham City flight had been scheduled to match the duration of the first successful hop, made with Orville at the controls.