After its historic flight in 1903, the Flyer was shipped to various museums before it came to rest in the Smithsonian Institution. [Credit: Gary Todd/Wikimedia Commons]
Key Takeaways:
The 1903 Wright Flyer displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is confirmed by the curator to be the original aircraft, despite frequent visitor inquiries about its authenticity.
Confusion regarding its authenticity stems from the existence of numerous replicas and the original's well-preserved appearance, maintained through meticulous conservation efforts.
The aircraft's fabric has been replaced multiple times since its 1903 flight, notably by Orville Wright in 1928 and again by the Smithsonian in 1985, each time using historically accurate methods and materials.
“Is it the real one?” That is the most frequently asked question when people see the 1903 Wright Flyer on display in the Wright brothers gallery at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
According to Dorothy Cochrane, the museum’s curator of the aeronautics department, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
