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August 23, 2002
USU will unveil its new replica of Wright Flyer

Arrin Brunson
The Herald Journal

Cache Valley residents are invited to participate in an event that has captured the attention of The History Channel, The Learning Channel and even a celebrity or two.

Utah State University's Wright Flyer replica is finished and ready for take-off from the Logan/Cache Airport. The public is invited to attend the unveiling ceremony and all of the festivities that will take place Saturday at the local airport, 900 W. 2500 North, North Logan.

The free event will begin at 9 a.m. with the unveiling ceremony commencing at 10 a.m. Former senator and astronaut Jake Garn will give the keynote address. Other participants include USU President Kermit Hall, WWII fighter ace Maj. Alder Rigby, and WWII Doolittle Raider Lt. Col. Chase Nielsen.

The U.S. Air Force will showcase the event with an F-16 fly-over around noon. A U.S. Air Force F-16 will park next to the USU Wright Flyer to show the advancements that have occurred since the Wright Brothers' invention of powered flight.

Other festivities include aircraft on display, glider flights for purchase, activities for kids, and a variety of food booths.

The celebration of powered flight will give residents a chance to reflect on the past and compare it to the future. In honor of the 100-year anniversary of powered flight, USU teamed with the Space Dynamics Lab and the U.S. Air Force to build the USU Wright Flyer. The full-scale flyer is a futuristic replica of the original Wright Brothers aircraft. University students designed and built the flyer using space-age materials, as if the Wright Brothers were designing their plane today.

If enough funds are raised, the flyer will tour Utah and then travel to the Inventing Flight Celebration in Dayton, Ohio, in the summer of 2003.