April 27, 2003
Up, up and away
By Mark Randall
The Herald Journal
If Orville and Wilbur Wright could be here to see it, they would be smiling from ear to ear.
That's the way Dave Widauf sees it anyway.
Widauf, a Utah State University engineering professor, can't stop smiling either every time he gets near the futuristic state-of-the-art replica of the Wright Flyer built by USU engineering faculty and students.
"I think they would be jumping up and down for joy," Widauf said.
Widauf came up with the idea and oversaw the project to build the full-scale flyer replica as a way to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic first flight.
More than 100 students, educators and volunteers designed and built the modified flyer using space-age composite materials, putting in an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 man-hours to make it a reality.
Kevlar and graphite replaced the muslin and spruce used in the original flyer. These two composites are manufactured in Utah and used in the space shuttle, next-generation rockets, and military aircraft.
"Our theme was if the Wright Brothers were alive today, how would they have built the airplane," Widauf said. "We haven't built a replica -- we've built a modern make-over of that. I think we've done it. It looks like a Wright Brothers airplane."
The public got a chance to see the flyer up close for the first time on Saturday at the Logan-Cache Airport. The plane was on display for public viewing and those eager for a chance to sit in it and be a part of history. Despite some shaky weather, the flyer did manage to take off later in the day for the watching crowd.
"I think it's just marvelous that they put it together," said resident Ron Campbell. "I look at it and think about how much the Wright Brothers knew about flying. The fact that they ever got anything off the ground was an absolute miracle."
"I think it's fascinating to see 100 years here," added William Mason. "The mere fact that they were able to figure it out and fly the original one is just fascinating. It really makes you appreciate what they did."
Mason said he would gladly grab the controls and take it for a whirl.
"I would do it in a heartbeat just to feel what they did and fly what they flew," Mason said.
The USU Wright Flyer had a successful maiden flight last month at the Wendover Airport, the same airstrip where aviation history of another sort was made over 50 years ago. Wendover Airport, just outside the Bonneville Salt Flats on the Utah-Nevada border, served as the testing ground for the Enola Gay, the historic bomber that dropped the two atomic bombs on Japan that ended World War II.
The first flight of the USU Wright Flyer lasted 22 seconds, traveling 800 feet compared to Orville's flight on Dec. 17, 1903 of 120 feet in 12 seconds.
Widauf said working on the plane and then watching it take flight for the first time really gave him a greater appreciation for what the Wright Brothers did 100 years ago.
"It is pure magic," Widauf said. "I've thought of those guys as a couple of bicycle mechanics; and after you see what they did and read the history of those two, they were really some of the first outstanding engineers."
Jerry Goodwin, a retired Utah State University Airplane and Powerplant program professor who helped design the engine application, said like the Wright Brothers, the team learned through trial and error.
"I just read a biography of the Wright Brothers, and the last thing it says is the reason they were successful is that they just kept doing it until it worked," Goodwin said. "Basically that's what we're doing. You design something and try it out; and if it doesn't work, you redesign it until you are finally successful."
In fact, although the replica has already flown successfully on a number of occasions, designers are still tweaking it. They added aluminum trim tabs on the front elevators to help relieve some of the weight of having to hold them up during flight by the pilot.
"We've found out that it flies like the real airplane with all the little quirks and idiosyncrasies," added Widauf.
The USU Wright Flyer is set to make some more history of its own. The flyer will travel to the Wright Brothers' hometown of Dayton, Ohio, where it will be showcased at the Inventing Flight Celebration. and will take off at Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the Wright Brothers conducted most of their early flight tests. Former astronaut and Utah Senator Jake Garn will fly the USU Wright Flyer replica at that celebration.
"We will be the first airplane to ever fly at Huffman Prairie since the Wright Brothers," Widauf said. "That's history."
