Historic US flight attempt fails

[Salem6]

A US attempt to recreate the world's first powered human flight in North Carolina has failed.

The replica of the Kitty Hawk plane, flown 100 years ago by the Wright brothers, broke apart before take-off.


The Flyer helped make the world a smaller place

Bad weather had prevented the re-enactment taking place at the precise moment of the centenary.

It is 100 years since Orville Wright made a flight lasting 12 seconds which carried him just over 30 metres.

To commemorate the centenary of the Wright brothers' achievement, events have taken place all across the globe, from India to Hungary to the UK.

'Great US journey'

US President George W Bush - who briefly attended the centenary ceremony - said that, in memory of the Wright brothers' achievement, the US would continue to set precedents in the world of flight.

FIRST FLIGHT

The Flyer weighed 341kg - including the pilot
It was 6.4m long with a 12.3m wingspan
The right wing was four inches longer than the left one to counter the engine weight
A Boeing 747 is 225ft long - 100ft longer than the first flight

"A great American journey that began in Kitty Hawk continues in ways unimaginable to the Wright brothers," he told the assembled crowd.

"By our skills and daring we will continue to lead the world in flight."

A host of great aviators and astronauts attended the commemoration, as is actor John Travolta, himself a pilot, who is acting as master of ceremonies.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men to walk on the moon, along with John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, and Chuck Yeager, the first person to shatter the sound barrier, were also present.

"Whatever we were able to do we were able to do because we stood on the shoulders of others," Mr Glenn earlier told a crowd of thousands at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The aviators are among the 100 all-time heroes of aviation selected by the First Flight Centennial Commission - the state agency helping to run the six-day centennial celebration.

Global celebrations

Across the world similar ceremonies commemorating the Wright brothers' achievement were held.

An aerodrome in Bedfordshire, England, held an air display of vintage planes including a 1910 Bristol Boxkite, said to be the closest aircraft in Britain to the Flyer.

The British Airline Pilots' Association marked the event by launching an annual award for Outstanding Airmanship among civilian pilots.

A museum in Bangalore, India, displayed a full-scale model of the Flyer to schoolchildren.

And more than 100 small airplanes earlier flew around the perimeter of Budapest in Hungary to honour the centenary, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Controversy

Wilbur and Orville Wright lived in an age when it was still possible for two bicycle shop owners with a penchant for tinkering in their garden shed to achieve a scientific breakthrough.

On 17 December, 1903, their Flyer never rose more than a few feet off the ground.

Nonetheless, it was the first time man had achieved a controlled, powered flight in a machine that was heavier than air.

But there has been controversy over the Wright brothers' achievements.

Many Brazilians say that their aviation hero Alberto Santos Dumont, who on October 1906 he flew a small plane for 60 metres before a crowd of journalists and aviation officials, should receive the accolades showered on the Wright brothers.

They argue the Wright brothers' record was witnessed only by a handful of people and not corroborated by officials.


Video:-

The BBC's Ian Pannell
"Through war and peace, the aeroplane has become a fixed symbol of modern life"
news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/39647000/rm/_39647649_wright13_pannell_vi.ram

Watch archive reports
www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/events03/sci/flight/smil/nb_site.ram

[Salem6]

Introduction
A century on from the Wright Brothers' first flight, the aeroplane fulfils all sorts of roles that they could never have dreamed of.

Cropdusters, for example, can help protect vast acreages of farmland efficiently - although the dangers of contamination mean they are not always appreciated by neighbours.



Police
Police use a variety of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to help them fight crime and manage traffic.

Most forces in the UK use them for surveillance, pursuit and traffic duties.

Hampshire Police tested this striking Optica observation plane in the 1980s, but scrapped it after a crash in 1985.



Fire
The speed with which fire can spread means aircraft have become an essential tool in tackling forest blazes.

While crews on the ground use tried and trusted techniques to break and divert fire trails, planes can drop others ahead to control their path.

But they also enable enormous quantities of water and chemicals to be dropped from low altitudes.



Ambulance
Air ambulances have become familiar sights at road accidents, helping medics bypass traffic jams and patients to get to hospital quickly.

The AA was among the first to have its own - two fixed-wing Cessnas.

It used them in the 1970s to repatriate its Five-Star Insurance members taken ill abroad but scrapped them when insurance firms flew their own.



Aid drops
The plane has not eradicated famine and drought - but it has helped bring vital aid in time to save lives.

Giant cargo carriers are a familiar sight at disaster spots and war zones, dropping supplies from other nations and charities - often while under fire.

Some argue the problem is less delivery and more recognition of a need for help.



Fun
At the heart of man's desire to fly is the feeling of freedom and exhilaration.

It drove many of the pioneers of the past century and will continue to excite future generations.

Powered flight has brought good and bad.

But it has always been man's dream... and probably always will be.

[Salem6]

Introduction
This week marks the centenary of flight. Since 1903 there have been many attempts to challenge and improve basic aircraft design.

Early flying machines mimicked the action of birds, while in modern times aviation visionaries have experimented with flying discs and jetpacks.




Flying saucer
The Anglo-Canadian 'Avrocar' was an attempt to build a working flying disc. It was hoped that the craft would ascend vertically and reach speeds of 1,500 mph.

Taken on by the US, scientists tinkered with the sleek design for years but were unable to solve severe stability problems, and it never flew more than 2.5 metres above the ground.



The sky car
Dr Paul Moller has been developing 'sky cars' since the 1960s.

This prototype flew a few metres above the ground in 1974. His latest models have more powerful engines and a conventional fuselage type design.

His Moller International company hopes to have the world's first flying car on the market within 10 years.



Flying without wings
Some ambitious aviators have imagined flight without aircraft. This 'jet pack' built by US company Bell Aerosystems in 1953.

Designed by company employee, Wendell Moore, the 'Rocket Belt' was powered by a hydrogen peroxide reaction rocket engine. It was test-flown to a height of 15ft, but only contained enough fuel for a few seconds operation.



Early 'flying wing'
The 'flying wing' design eliminates the conventional fuselage offering reduced drag and greater lift.

The Fieseler F-3 aircraft, designed built in Germany in the early 1930s, was one of the first practical delta-winged planes to fly.



The 'flying pancake'
The flat-body of the 1947 Vought XF5-U1 allowed it to remain flying at low speeds, making it ideal for taking off from and landing on aircraft carriers.

But the development of faster jet aircraft meant the plane never progressed beyond prototype stage.



Flying wing bomber
In the late 1940s, the US tested a series of flying wing bombers, culminating in the Northrop YB-49.

This vast 8-engined aircraft had a wingspan of 52 metres. It performed well at high altitudes, but suffered from stability problems.

The programme was cancelled in 1949, but the design was revived 40 years later in the B-2 Stealth bomber.



Straight up
The Ryan X-13 Vertijet was one of the first aircraft which could take off and land vertically (VTOL).

Although never developed beyond experimental stages, the plane was very successful and paved the way for the world's first operational VTOL plane, the Harrier.



The flaming pencil
The Douglas X-3 'Stiletto' was designed to test the effects of sustained flight at more than twice the speed of sound.

It gave scientists valuable insight into the stability of aircraft flying at very high speeds.



Proteus
Proteus is an experimental Nasa aircraft designed for extremely high altitude, long duration flights.

It carries a 5-metre antenna system to relay broadband data over major cities.

Scientists believe it could also be used for atmospheric research, reconnaissance, commercial imaging, and even to launch small satellites.

[Salem6]

Take-off
From the earliest days, man has dreamt of flying. From drawings on stone pyramids and Icarus' demise in Greek mythology to Leonardo da Vinci's prescient drawings of flying machines, we have been preoccupied by flight.

Then at the dawn of the 20th century, man's dream became reality. Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright finally got off the ground in machines that were heavier than air.

Their first flight in 1903 (left) covered just a few feet and lasted only a few seconds. Little could they have known how significantly their invention was to change the world.



Across the sea
An indication of how the world was shrinking came on 25 July, 1909, when Frenchman Louis Bleriot landed on a golf course near Dover (top), having become the first man to fly across the English Channel in a plane.

Inspired by watching the Wright Brothers fly in Le Mans, he created a monoplane that was to become a template for future designs.

Two decades later, Charles Lindbergh took aviation to new heights, flying solo non-stop across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris. The Spirit of St Louis (bottom) completed the journey in less than 34 hours, braving fog and sleet.



Sex equality
Two women were at the forefront of the pioneering age of aviation, defying the doubters to achieve their places in history.

Amy Johnson (top) flew from England to Australia in 1930, the first woman to complete the journey solo. Her epic flight in her Gypsy Moth lasted 19 days.

Two years later America's Amelia Earhart, who had already become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, became the first female to do the journey solo. Johnson died in an air crash in 1941; Earhart was never found after her plane disappeared in 1937.



Disaster
Airships had become an established method of long-distance travel before a horrific accident brought their golden age to an abrupt end.

Their speed had made them an attractive alternative to liners for transatlantic crossings. But on 6 May, 1937, the world's largest airship, the 800ft German LZ129 Hindenburg, crashed to earth in flames in New Jersey after exploding.

The crash, as it neared the end of a 60-hour flight from Germany, killed 36 people. Regular passenger services died with them.



Helicopters
His may not have been the first helicopter to leave the ground, but Igor Sikorsky's place in aviation history was ensured when his VS-300 (left) hovered for a few seconds above Connecticut in 1939.

The aircraft set a series of records, and helped his company establish its reputation for helicopter mass-production.

He had left his home in Kiev in 1919 for the "land of opportunity". Within 20 years, he had built and piloted the world's first successful single-rotor helicopter. He went on to set new standards in speed, altitude and endurance.



Battle of Britain
At the end of World War I, Orville Wright confided to a friend: "The aeroplane has made war so terrible that I do not believe any country will again care to start a war."

But just over 20 years later, Britain and Germany were engaged in a battle that proved a turning point not only in World War II but also in the use of planes as a killing machine.

Led by the fast and graceful Spitfire and the sturdy, but agile, Hurricane (left), the RAF successfully thwarted German attempts to invade Britain. More than 2,000 aircraft were lost over the summer and autumn of 1940.



Passenger travel
Aviation owes a huge debt to Sir Frank Whittle's jet engine, which transformed air travel, bringing flying to the masses.

Fast, efficient airliners that could carry hundreds of paying passengers and vast cargoes created a new industry - and at the forefront was the Boeing 707 (left).

It first flew in 1954, and in 1957 began regular passenger services, competing with the rival Comet and quickly becoming a transatlantic icon.

More than 1,000 were sold, including a version that flew successive US Presidents until 1990.



Military innovations
Vertical take-off and landing was a significant breakthrough in aviation refinement.

First developed in the 1950s, the Harrier jump-jet (top) flew for real in 1966, entering RAF service three years later.

Its manoeuvrability and ability to take off from aircraft carriers made it a key weapon in the Falklands war in 1982.

A decade on, the US Air Force employed the B-2 Stealth bomber and F117 Fighter (below), which could penetrate sophisticated air defences at a range of altitudes and over immense distances.



Supersonic
Man's desire to travel ever faster was met by Concorde - the world's first supersonic passenger airliner, which first flew in 1969.

With delta-shaped wings to enable it to fly at supersonic and subsonic speeds and an engine design that used afterburners to provide the required thrust, it was an engineering miracle.

But although it could land passengers in New York three-and-a-half hours after leaving London - less than half the subsonic journey time - its life was limited by the cold reality of economics.

Audio:-

Concorde's first flight
news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/cta/events03/uk/concorde/maidenflight.ram



The future
A century on from the first powered flight, man's vision of flying in the future is as vivid as ever.

Demand for air travel will continue to grow, but skies are becoming more crowded - and there is a growing realisation that the Earth's resources are finite. The double-decker Airbus A380 (top), due to go into service in 2006, can carry far more people, reducing the number of journeys.

In contrast, hypersonic scramjets (bottom), which are already being tested, could eventually reach Sydney from London in 90 minutes. But it could be well into the second century of flight before they become reality...