12.351.2003 - 100 years after the Wright brothers - a copycat bid to mimic their flight

A CENTURY ago it had seemed an impossible dream. Cynics scoffed that it would become reality "only if mathematicians and engineers work steadily for the next one to ten million years". Atop the blustery dunes of Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, 200,000 people will today gather to commemorate the fact that Orville and Wilbur Wright, pioneers of the first powered flight, proved the world wrong. The highlight of the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of Orville Wright’s flight into history will be the launch of a perfect replica of the aircraft in which he did it. Watched by dignitaries including the United States president, George Bush, and timed for take-off 100 years to the minute since Wright’s dramatic mission, it is due to cover the same 120ft, 12-second journey made in 1903. - View Article - Visit The Scotsman