 o
help tell the story of the Wright Brothers, the Wright Brothers
Aeroplane Company brings a
"portable museum" of the Wright Brothers to your school. This
isn't just another "look-don't-touch" display, however. We use
the artifacts in our museum to conduct exciting interactive demonstrations
that get your students up close and personal with the innovative minds of
the Wright brothers. Here's what we bring: |
Click on a
photo to enlarge it.
Getting up close and personal with the Wright stuff. |
- A full-size flying replica of the 1902 Wright Glider,
the granddaddy of all flying machines. This replica is specially
engineered to breakdown into small parts so we can fit it through an
ordinary door and set it up in a cafeteria, gymnasium, or foyer. As
far as we know, it's also the only portable Wright aircraft in the
world!
|
Our replica of the 1902 Wright Glider. |
- A replica of the 1899 Wright Kite, the Wright's first
aeronautical experiment. And a 2/3-scale model of the kite made from
modern materials if the kids would like to see how they could build
their own copies.
|
1899 kites -- full-size (right) and 2/3 scale
(left). |
- A replica of the 1878 Wright Bat, a rubber
band-powered aircraft the brothers built when they were in grade
school. This, too, is something that the kids can build.
|
Launching a Wright "Bat." |
- Within a month or two, we hope to complete a replica
of the 1901 Wright Wind Tunnel, complete with instruments so kids can
perform their own experiments.
|
A replica of the Wright Wind tunnel. |
| This portable museum comes with
its own "curator," aviation historian Nick Engler. Mr. Engler is
a pilot, aircraft builder, inventor, and the author of over 50 books. He
brings unique and entertaining insights into the lives of the Wright
Brothers - not just what they did, but how their minds worked. Depending
on your educational needs, he can conduct energetic, interactive
demonstrations that address proficiency requirements for social studies
and science. His exercises also foster creative thinking. And because
Nick's presentations contain many examples of the Wright's courage and
commitment, these sessions inspire good character development.
If you would like to learn more about Nick Engler's
qualifications, you can read his online biography at the NASA Quest web
site:
http://quest.nasa.gov/people/bios/aero/englern.html
|
Nick Engler conducted the research for the glider
repro and led the team that built it.
|
