FOR SALE

THE WORLD'S ONLY COMPLETE COLLECTION OF EXPERIMENTAL WRIGHT AIRCRAFT (1899 TO 1905), PLUS FLIGHT SIMULATORS, INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS, HISTORIC ARTIFACTS AND OTHER MATERIALS THAT TELL THE STORY OF THE INVENTION OF THE AIRPLANE IN A UNIQUE WALK-THROUGH TIMELINE.

he Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company spent the last seven years building and flying all of the Wright brothers experimental aircraft -- the gliders and Flyers they built between 1899 and 1905 in their quest for a practical flying machine. There is no other collection like this in the world that shows the evolution of an important invention, from the inkling of an idea to a method of transportation that changed to world. And there is no other story that inspires and empowers young people as much as the story of the Wright brothers. We're looking for a museum or institution that appreciates this story of imagination, courage, and persistence -- and the unique collection of aircraft and artifacts that we have gathered to tell it.

This is the Birth of Aviation Exhibit that premiered at the Dayton Air Show in 2003 and that we have been touring around the country since then. Actually, it is more than an exhibit -- it is a small business. Properly managed, it could become a profit center for your institution and pay for itself over time. (Important note: Any outstanding exhibition contracts that we have must be honored as a condition of a sale.)

Aircraft
Our collection includes these full-size operational replicas of Wright aircraft:

• 1899 Wright Kite, with which the brothers tested a revolutionary idea for controlling an airplane.
• 1900 Wright Glider, their first attempt to build a manned aircraft.
• 1901 Wright Glider, which convinced of the need for basic scientific research in aerodynamics.
• 1902 Wright Glider, the first airplane with 3-axis control, and the basis of the Wright's grandfather patent.
• 1903 Wright Flyer 1, the first aircraft to make a sustained, controlled, powered flight.
• 1905 Wright Flyer 3, the world's first practical airplane.

Each of these aircraft incorporate a small part of an original Wright airplane in their construction to give them historic value. Additionally, we have 1/2-scale replicas of other important pioneer  aircraft from the 1890s that helped inspire the Wright brothers. All of these aircraft have "star power" -- they have been featured in four major documentaries so far, including the 2-hour PBS special, Kitty Hawk: A Journey of Invention.

Flight Sims & Other Cool Stuff
But it isn't just the aircraft that make this collection such a unique opportunity. We're also selling all the flight simulators, interactive displays, historic artifacts, interpretive materials, and audio/video programs that make this a world-class exhibit.
 

• Flight simulators, one for each of the man-carrying aircraft listed above. These allow visitors to fly each of the gliders and Flyers in the timeline, and experience the same frustrations and triumphs as the Wright brothers.

• Interactive Displays  that we developed on principles of positive feedback or "flow," and teach the basics of aeronautics, with special attention to aerodynamic control -- the Wrights' most important contribution.

• Historic Artifacts or replicas of those artifacts to better tell the Wright story. These include 1900-era printing equipment, Wright bicycles, their scientific instruments, the Wright Wind Tunnel and balances, and a working 1903 Wright engine. Included in this is a vintage drill press that was used to make the Wright engine and a piece of cloth from the original 1903 Wright Flyer I.

• Interpretive Materials that illustrate the story of the invention of the airplane and show how the Wrights' ideas evolved year by year. This includes 52 four-foot by -nine-foot banners that also serve as dividers and walls to keep visitors moving in the proper direction along the timeline.

• Audio/Video Programs collectively titled Machines of the Wright Brothers. There are eight short videos in the series, each explaining one of the Wright aircraft or other important developments such as the Wright wind tunnel and their lightweight engine. We also have old-time videos of the Wright flying and contemporary videos of of WBAC pilots in the air.

A Turnkey Project
In short, this isn't just a collection of airplanes and artifacts which, after you purchased them, would require further effort and expense to transform them into a professional interactive exhibit.  This is already a showpiece whose quality and content have been praised by some of the most respected men and women in aviation, as our references and testimonial prove. Furthermore, as part of the purchase price, we would be pleased to work with your staff to adapt the exhibit to your museum's design motif and the available space.

Space Requirements
How much space does the exhibit require? It was originally designed to fill a space of about 12,000 square feet. If you want to display all the full-scale Wright replicas at eye level and preserve the walk-through timeline (a "Journey of Invention") that we have designed, you will need a comparable space. However, we have displayed the entire collection in as little as 8,000 square feet by hanging some of the airplanes. Because we tour this exhibit, we designed it to adapt to a wide variety of museum spaces.

Cost
Now for the 64-thousand-dollar question -- how much does all this cost? -- and we will deftly side-step it by asking serious buyers to contact our agent through our e-mail address, orville@wright-brothers,org. If you would like to see if this exhibit is a good fit for your museum, we will gladly bring the exhibit to you on tour, then subtract the cost of the tour from the purchase price. If you are interested in purchasing just a portion of exhibit, we're sorry but we aren't willing to break up the set. These replica aircraft were built during their 100-year anniversaries by young people to celebrate the Centennial of Flight. They were flown as a set for several critically-acclaimed films. Our exercise in aviation archaeology marks the first time that anyone has built and successfully flown all the experimental aircraft of the Wright brothers since the Wilbur and Orville themselves, and we are preparing an exciting book that records this adventure. All of these things give these airplanes and artifacts additional value as a collection. However, if you would like historically accurate flying replicas of any of these aircraft for your museum, we would be glad to build them for you at a surprisingly modest cost.

Sneak Preview
If you have never seen the Birth of Aviation Exhibit, we have two short streaming videos to show you. The first, filmed at the Dayton Air Show in 2005, shows not only the airplanes and artifacts in the exhibit, but visitors reactions to them. Good stuff.

Birth of Aviation Exhibit 2005 Streaming .wmv video, 4.4 min. If you have a dial-up connection, click HERE. (Plays a 160x120 video.) If you have a broadband connection, click HERE. (Plays a  320 x 240 video.)

The second is a somewhat quirky film we made of the exhibit in 2003 as we got ready to launch our tour. We have made significant additions and improvements to the exhibit since this time -- notably a full set of flight simulators -- but this film does give you a good look at the airplanes, artifacts, and interpretive signage without the crowds blocking your view.

Birth of Aviation Exhibit 2003 Streaming .wmv video, 22.5 min. If you have a dial-up connection, click HERE. (Plays a 160x120 video.) If you have a broadband connection, click HERE. (Plays a  320 x 240 video.)

Our replica of the 1899 Wright "Kite," built in 1999.

The 1900 Wright Glider, built in 2000.

The 1901Wright Glider, built in 2001.

The 1902 Wright Glider, built in 2002 and flown by test pilots and instructors pilots from the US Air Force, US Navy, and US Army.

The 1903 Wright Flyer 1, built by children from Ohio and North Carolina in 2003 and flown by commercial and military pilots.

The 1905 Wright Flyer III, built in 2004 and 2005 by children from Dayton, Ohio, now being flight-tested.

A working replica of the 1903 Wright engine. To hear it run, click HERE.

Orville and Wilbur try their hand at our 1902 Wright Glider Flight Simulator.

Our Bernoulli Demonstrator teaches the principles of lift and control in a simple, entrancing game of skill.

In cooperation with David Garrigus Production, with have created eight short videos that explain "The Machines of the Wright Brothers" at different stations along the timeline.

The large interpretive banners that we have created not only show the story of the Wright brothers, they guide people along the timeline.