ORLANDO, FL – The newest addition to Wright “B” Flyer Inc.’s fleet of historic lookalike aircraft made its public debut at 3:00 on Tuesday at booth 3104 at the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) 61st Annual Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL.
Amanda Wright Lane, great grandniece of aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright and trustee of Wright “B” Flyer, Inc., was on hand to talk about the new flyer dubbed the “Silver Bird.”
Nicknamed for its metal skeleton, the Silver Bird will remain on static display inside the Orange County Convention Center for the duration of this year’s show.
“This was the plane that really introduced the country to aviation,” says Wright Lane. “It not only circled the Statue of Liberty, but was flown at air shows across the country and gave people their first glimpse of what was possible with aviation.”
More than 30 volunteers helped to build the Silver Bird for over a year. “They want other generations to understand the love of flying, and they spend hours each day on the flyer to hopefully pass that thrill on to the next generation,” says Wright Lane.
NBAA contributed to the shipping costs and provided floor space for the Dayton nonprofit to proudly display the Silver Bird inside the convention center.
Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane (which their mechanic, Charles Taylor, kept in the air) in their West Dayton bicycle shop at the turn of the 20th Century and formed the Wright Company in 1909 to produce military and civilian airplanes. The “B” model was the first one the Wright Company produced in quantity, with more than 100 built from 1910 on.
The Silver Bird is a flyable airplane that can be shipped anywhere in the world for exhibitions, and it is expected to make its first test flight in early 2009.
