New Wright “B” Flyer Lookalike Ready to Fly

One-of-a-kind airplane made to showcase Dayton’s aviation heritage worldwide

DAYTON, Ohio – A one-of-a-kind airplane designed to showcase Dayton’s aviation heritage around the world has been off the ground and is ready for a formal flight test program to begin next spring, the all-volunteer group that built it announced today.

Since October, volunteer test pilots have put Wright “B” Flyer No. 002 through a series of low- and high-speed taxi tests at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, where Wright “B” Flyer Inc. has its hangar and museum.

Pilots also have made 76 brief hops in which the airplane rose several feet into the air but remained above the runway.

Wright “B” Flyer timed the announcement to coincide with the 107th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first powered flights in Kitty Hawk, N.C. Dayton brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane in their West Dayton bicycle shop.

Dubbed the “Silver Bird” because of its silver-painted steel frame, the airplane is built to modern standards but resembles the Wrights’ first production flyer, the Model B. It has been in development since 2007, when the organization decided it needed a Model B lookalike that was easy to ship, assemble and fly at international events.

The organization’s flagship Model B, the familiar “Brown Bird,” has been flown at events across the United States and shipped as far as Berlin, Germany, for displays. But tearing it down, shipping it, and making it flyable again is expensive and takes a large crew of skilled volunteers.

In contrast, a few people can load the Silver Bird into a standard cargo container for economical shipment anywhere in the world, then unload it and be ready to fly in a few hours.

“This airplane extends our reach in promoting our aviation heritage and Ohio’s aerospace business. We used to have regional markets. We have a global market today, and there’s no place in the world we can’t take this airplane,” said John Bosch, chairman of Wright “B” Flyer’s board of trustees.

The Brown Bird will continue to fly at local events and make orientation flights for Wright “B” Flyer’s Honorary Aviator members.

The Silver Bird sports a modern engine, modern controls and modern materials, but its drive system is unique – a modern version of the century-old Wright system that used chains and sprockets to turn two propellers with a single engine.

The drive system proved to be one of the most challenging parts of the project, requiring numerous design changes and adjustments before it ran smoothly. The pilots decided to test it thoroughly with scores of low hops prior to a full-fledged flight.

“These runway test flights have provided a high degree of confidence in the drive system and, after a few refinements to the aircraft and a few more tests runs, it should be ready for the first up-and-away official test flight in the spring.” said Don Gum, director of the production project and one of the test pilots.

“This plane is a great marketing tool for the National Aviation Heritage Area as it has the portability to allow people anywhere in the world to experience the accomplishments of the Wright brothers and the airplanes they built here in Dayton,” said Tony Sculimbrene, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance.

NAHA is the federally chartered management entity for the eight-county Heritage Area surrounding Dayton, and Wright “B” Flyer is a NAHA partner.

Wright “B” Flyer hopes to begin flight-testing in early spring. Gum said it could take as little as two to three months, but the program’s pace depends on technical issues, weather, and the volunteer pilots’ personal schedules.

In the meantime, Ohioans can support Wright “B” Flyer by purchasing “Leader in

Flight" license plates for their cars and trucks from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Fifteen dollars of the $25 fee goes to Wright B Flyer. Organizations and companies can support it with cash and in-kind donations, and the organization always needs volunteers.

Both the Silver Bird and Brown Bird are on display in Wright “B” Flyer’s Hangar and Museum on Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport, 10550 Springboro Pike in Miami Twp.

It’s open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays excepting holidays.

Admission is free. 

Wright B Flyer’s “Silver Bird,” a modern, easy-to-ship lookalike of the Wright brothers’ first production airplane, becomes airborne during a November test hop at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. Photo by Timothy R. Gaffney

(Editors: If you did not receive photos, they are available by e-mailing Tim Gaffney at tgaffney@timothyrgaffney.com, or by calling 937-219-8277.)

 

Silver Bird at a Glance

Crew: pilot & co-pilot or observer

Powerplant: Lycoming HIO 360 piston engine, rated at 205 hp

Propellers: 2 chain-driven, counter-rotating, two-blade pusher propellers

Wingspan: 33 ft 6 in

Height: 7 ft 8 in

Length: 26 ft

Empty weight: 1,876 lbs

Gross weight: 2,650 lbs

Takeoff speed (demonstrated): 55 mph

Cruise speed (expected): 70

Max speed (expected): 75 mph

Range (expected): 200 mi.

Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the World’s First Air Cargo a Complete Success; Wright B Flyer Completes Commemorative Flight From Dayton to Columbus Ohio

DAYTON, Ohio, Oct. 2, 2010 – Officials from the National Aviation Heritage Alliance and the Wright B Flyer Inc. enjoyed a successful event when the Wright brothers lookalike touched down at Rickenbacker Airport at noon on Saturday, October 2^nd 2010 right on schedule.

The flight marked 100 years since the first flight took place in 1910 when the Wright brothers-built airplane piloted by a young, but skillful, aviator Philip O. Parmelee delivered a cargo of silk cloth to a Columbus merchant, Max Morehouse.

Columbus skyline looms ahead as the Wright “B” Flyer nears its destination, Rickenbacker International Airport. Photo Credit: Timothy R. Gaffney

The descendents of both families were at the gate waiting for the Wright B Flyer and its crew, Mitch Cary and Rich Stepler. The pilots had started their journey at Wright Patterson AFB Ohio circling the hallowed testing ground for the Wright brothers at Huffman Prairie prior to heading east to Madison County Airport and then into Rickenbacker.

“We were a little chilly but overall had good weather, good tailwinds and made great time into our mid-point stop,” said pilot Cary. The Wright B Flyer was met at that airport by a crowd of aviation enthusiasts. They were treated to a close-up look of the aircraft and a chance to talk to the pilots.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m. the pilots took off for their final destination in Columbus. Just as they had done at their starting point, the pilots circled Rickenbacker Airport prior to landing and taxing to the gate.

There the crew unloaded the cargo they had carried on the flight, which included items that represent the aerospace industry of the 21^st century. While Parmelee carried silk cloth in 1910, today’s flight brought a different type of material, ceramic composite cloth along with three, concept micro-unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).

David Whitaker, representing one of the flight’s sponsors, Columbus Regional Airport Authority told the crowd “ Rickenbacker Airport is a modern air hub in an industry that owes its start to the genius of the Wrights and the skilled flying of Parmelee.”

A round of applause by the crowd greeted the pilots as they entered the terminal and presented the cargo to Wright family members, Amanda Wright Lane, her brother Steve Wright and Parmelee family members Lecia Lamphere and her brother Philip McKeachie.

Wright “B” Flyer pilots Mitch Cary and Richard Stepler fly over the countryside near Yellow Springs as they from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to Madison County Airport in the re-enactment of the first cargo flight. Photo Credit: Timothy R. Gaffney

“It was a moving experience to see the plane come to the gate as it gave me and my family a real appreciation what Uncle Phil had done a hundred years ago,” said Lamphere. Tony Perfilio, chair of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance recognized the significant contributions of the Wright B ground crew and sponsors Lane Aviation and Rickenbacker Airport.

Closing the ceremony was Joe Sciabica, Executive Director of the Unites States Air Force Research Lab. Sciabica’s organization had provided the cargo for today’s flight. “The Wright’s were great scientists, they understood the challenges they faced and they weren’t afraid of failure and on that they built their success. Today, we continue that same great tradition in Ohio and only our dreams limit what we can achieve in flight in the next 100 years.”

Follow Commemorative Wright Brothers Event in the Air and on Twitter; First Air Cargo Flight Re-enactment Planned

The public is invited to follow the Wright B Flyer as it takes off from Wright Patterson AFB and travels east to Columbus Ohio, replicating the world’s first air cargo flight.

The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA), in partnership with the Wright B Flyer, Inc. will celebrate the 100th anniversary of air cargo on Saturday Oct. 2, with a commemorative flight that retraces the original route in a lookalike of the original airplane, a Wright Model B. In 1910, Phil Parmelee, a pilot working for the Wright brothers flew the world’s first cargo flight for a Columbus businessman, transporting 200 pounds of silk cloth to Max Morehouse’s dry goods store.

The commemorative flight will begin at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, which encompasses the Wright brothers’ Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the original flight began, and end at Rickenbacker Airport near Columbus, a modern air freight hub that provides Ohio businesses with national and international service. Wright B Flyer Inc’s lookalike is scheduled to depart promptly at 10 a.m. from Wright Patterson, heading east to Columbus.

Mitch Cary, President of Wright B Flyer Inc and the expected pilot of the upcoming flight noted the event is intended to celebrate the significant accomplishments of Phil Parmelee in addition the start of the air cargo business. “Phil Parmelee flew this historic flight with little experience and training having flown for the first time just two months prior to making the flight. He was responsible for a number of firsts and endurance flights in those early days of aviation. And unlike our planned flight, where we will have two pilots to share flying duties, Phil flew his flight alone” said Cary. “And while the temperature forecasted for our flight on Saturday is expected to produce a chilly ride for us, it will be several degrees warmer than it was for Phil, making his accomplishment even more significant.”

There will be two prime locations to see the plane. First, just after take-off at 10 a.m. at Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where the plane will circle the Field prior to heading east and at the Madison County airport located in London, Ohio where a midpoint refueling stop will be made by the pilots. It is expected the plane will land at Madison County at approximately 10:30 a.m. and depart for the final leg of the flight 30 minutes later. The plane is expected to land at Rickenbacker airport around 11:30 a.m.

It may also be possible for the plane to be seen in flight as it follows a route south of the Interstate 70 corridor. The pilots anticipate using US 40 and 42 as the principal landmarks on the ground to guide their journey to Columbus. To help find the plane as it flies to its destination, visitors can find the map of the flight on www.AviationDayton.com. For those who are fans of Twitter, the Alliance plans to “tweet” landmark locations to help the public spot the plane in the air. That information will be found at http://twitter.com/AviationHeritag. The “hash tag” for those who follow Twitter is “#cargoflight”.

“This marks the first time the Alliance has incorporated the use of social media into one of our aviation heritage programs and we encourage the public to report on their observations of the flight via Twitter,” said Tim Gaffney, NAHA trustee and media relations coordinator for the flight.

Another aspect of how the commemorative flight connects to the 21st century is in the cargo being carried by the Wright B Flyer. In place of silk, the plane will transport ceramic fiber fabric, a composite panel and micro-Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV), all products that represent the work of the Air Force Research Laboratory, which is headquartered at Wright Patterson AFB.

The Wright B will be met at Rickenbacker by Wright and Parmelee family descendents. The cargo will be presented to Amanda Wright Lane, great grandniece of the Wright brothers and Philip McKeachie and his sister, Lecia Lamphere, grandnephew and grandniece of Phil Parmellee, the pilot of the 1910 flight. A private reception will follow, welcoming the pilots and ground crew of the Wright B Flyer, Inc.

Principal sponsor of the centennial flight is the Columbus Regional Airport Authority which oversees the operations of Port Columbus, Rickenbacker and Bolton Field airports delivering high-quality, cost-effective and coordinated aviation and logistics services for Central Ohio. Lane Aviation, also a sponsor, provides charter services, fueling, hangaring, sales, and maintenance for general aviation aircraft at both Rickenbacker and Port Columbus.

The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) is a private, not for profit corporation operating as the management entity of the Congressionally designated National Aviation Heritage Area, one of 49 national heritage areas in the United States. NAHA’s vision is for Dayton to become the recognized global center of aviation heritage and premier destination for aviation heritage tourism, sustaining the legacy of the Wright brothers. The National Aviation Heritage Area encompasses an eight county area (Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Champaign, Shelby, and Auglaize counties.)

Air Cargo Industry Has Roots in Dayton; First Air Cargo Flight Re-enactment Planned

While most people know the Wright brothers invented the airplane, few may know they were involved in the birth of the air cargo industry.

In 1910, using one of their airplanes assigned to the Wright Exhibition team, and with one of their newly trained pilots, they accepted an order from an Ohio businessman and successfully transported the world’s cargo by air. Those 200 pounds of silk cloth, traveling less than 100 miles, launched an industry that spans the globe moving billions of pounds of air freight per year.

The National Aviation Heritage Alliance, in partnership with the Wright B Flyer, Inc. will celebrate the 100th anniversary of air cargo on Saturday, Oct. 2, with a commemorative flight that retraces the original route in a lookalike of the original airplane, a Wright Model B.
 

Photo caption: Philip McKeachie of St. Johns, Mich., grand nephew of Phil Parmelee, took an orientation flight Tuesday, Sept. 21, on Wright B Flyer Inc.'s lookalike of the airplane in which Parmelee made the world's first cargo flight in 1910. "It brought tears to my eyes," McKeachie said.  Wright B Flyer Inc. is a nonprofit heritage organization in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Timothy R. Gaffney)

The commemorative flight will begin at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, which encompasses the Wright brothers’ Huffman Prairie Flying Field where the original flight began, and end at Rickenbacker Airport near Columbus, a modern air freight hub that provides Ohio businesses with national and international service. Wright B Flyer Inc.’s modern lookalike airplane will make the 68 mile flight, departing promptly at 10 a.m. from Wright Patterson, heading east to Columbus.

Mitch Cary, President of Wright B Flyer Inc and the expected pilot of the upcoming flight, noted the event is intended to celebrate the significant accomplishments of Phil Parmelee in addition the start of the air cargo business.

“Phil Parmelee flew this historic flight with little experience and training, having flown for the first time just two months prior to making the flight. He was responsible for a number of firsts and endurance flights in those early days of aviation. And unlike our planned flight, where we will have two pilots to share flying duties, Phil flew his flight alone,” Cary said.

Parmelee was working for the Wright brothers when he was assigned the 1910 flight. A Columbus merchant, Max Morehouse, recognized the public interest in “flying machines” and struck a deal with the Wrights to transport 200pounds of silk from Dayton to his dry goods store.

The Wrights, recognizing the value of their invention, charged Morehouse $5,000 to deliver the cloth. Today’s equivalent value of the freight charge would exceed $120,000. In the final agreement between the brothers and Morehouse, Parmelee was to put on a demonstration of the airplane at his arrival. As it turned out, Morehouse more than recovered his money for the flight by selling small pieces of the silk attached to a postcard that celebrated what was the world’s first cargo delivered by airplane.

Descendents of the Wright and Parmelee families will witness the commemorative flight. Amanda Wright Lane and her brother Stephen Wright, along with Lecia Lamphere and her brother Philip McKeachie are expected to be at the start of the flight and to offer remarks upon completion in Columbus.

Amanda Wright Lane said, “The flight was just one part of Uncles Orv and Wilbur’s effort to promote aviation. While they recognized their airplane might not be able to carry heavy loads, they knew the speed of flying was important in delivering certain types of cargo.”

Philip McKeatchie of St. Johns, Mich. and his sister Lecia Lamphere of Scotts, MIch., have preserved the story of their great uncle’s famous flight. “Uncle Phil was told by Orville Wright as he tacked a map to the wing strut just prior to take-off, ‘watch the map and do your best’. In spite of cold temperatures and flying alone, he did his best, and made history with what was not just the first air cargo flight but what was the first commercial flight in the world of aviation. It is very exciting to witness this 100th anniversary of such an historic flight,” McKeatchie said.

Another unique aspect of the commemorative flight will be the cargo being transported by the Wright B Flyer. Plans call for piece of ceramic composite cloth and a micro Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) to be delivered to Columbus serving as a symbol of the Dayton region’s connection to aviation and aerospace innovations. Just as the Wright brothers were responsible for the technology that made flying possible, Daytonians working in places like the Air Force Research Laboratory are developing the technology associated with 21st century aviation and aerospace activities. “I believe that in another hundred years, we will see a headline that speaks to the Unmanned Air Vehicle industry and its roots in Dayton just as we see today with the air cargo industry,” said Tony Perfilio, the incoming chair of the National Aviation Heritage Alliance.

The public can watch the start of the flight at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park’s Huffman Prairie Flying Field. Plans call for the pilot to circle Huffman Prairie as this was where the 1910 flight originated. The Wright B will make a short stop at the Madison County Airport in London Ohio sometime between 10:30 and 10:45 am. The airport is another location where the public can get a close up view of the Wright look-alike as it lands and takes off again to complete the last leg into Columbus Ohio. Upon landing, the Flyer will take its place on display with the modern jetliners that haul air cargo from around the world to Rickenbacker Airport. A private reception will follow, welcoming the pilots and ground crew of the Wright B Flyer Inc.

To help the public track the flight, the National Aviation Heritage Alliance has set up a Twitter account and will be sending “tweets” as the Flyer makes its way to Columbus. The plane will be traveling within the Interstate 70/ US 40 corridor and by giving out its location against known landmarks, it is hoped this will help the public spot the plane in the sky.

Principal sponsor of the centennial flight is the Columbus Regional Airport Authority which oversees the operations of Port Columbus, Rickenbacker and Bolton Field airports delivering high-quality, cost-effective and coordinated aviation and logistics services for Central Ohio. Lane Aviation, also a sponsor, provides charter services, fueling, hangaring, sales, and maintenance for general aviation aircraft at both Rickenbacker and Port Columbus.

The National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) is a private, not for profit corporation operating as the management entity of the Congressionally designated National Aviation Heritage Area, one of 49 national heritage areas in the United States. NAHA’s vision is for Dayton to become the recognized global center of aviation heritage and premier destination for aviation heritage tourism, sustaining the legacy of the Wright brothers. The National Aviation Heritage Area encompasses an eight county area (Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Clark, Warren, Champaign, Shelby, and Auglaize counties.)

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