The group of 15 who gathered at Kitty Hawk from December 14 – 20, at the rental property Whit’s End in Nag’s Head, NC, can give eyewitness accounts of how hard the Wright brothers had to work to get their Flyer airborne on Dec. 17, 1903. Some of you may know that the “event of the century”—or, rather, its re-enactment—did not happen on Dec. 17, 2003. The wind was just not cooperating, and the poor, brave pilot (“brave” because, after all, he was trying to perform this feat before a crowd of some 30,000 “experts”― imagine the pressure!!) was able only to dip the right wing into the mud at the end of the rail. But we persisted, this crowd of pilots and historians and not-so-happy and not-so-dry kids … we persisted in the rain and wind and dropping temperatures, waiting for the next try, hours later. Just when the wind had had enough, and died out almost completely, the Flyer re-emerged from its hangar for another try. Nothing. It needed wind, and there wasn’t any.
But the groups of Scioto Valley 99ers report they had a wonderful time all the same. There were fly-bys to beat all fly-bys (including one by Air Force One!), aerobatics by the very best in the world, hundreds of skydivers (literally), many static displays, tents with programs by WASPs, NASA, AOPA, and the FAA, and more heroes in one place than any of us could have imagined. And that was just during the day! The evenings always started with a fabulous dinner by one of the 8 Scioto Valley 99ers and continued through to the end with stimulating conversation (jokes), intelligent pastimes (card playing), and incredible physical feats (in the hot tub). We even nearly had to call for an exorcism, but the “Evil One” finally lost her power without divine intervention.
Present at the Event of the Century were: Amy and Pete Yersavich, Jo-Ann and Jim Prater, Marilynn Miller, Wendy Yost, Mary and Kevin Biller and son Nathan, Abbie Rice and friend Barbara, Terri Vrbancic and Tracy Hahn, Paula Rumbaugh and Hal Noltimier.
Here are just a few of the many dozens of pictures snapped by Terri Vrbancic, Tracy Hahn, Mary Biller, and Jo-Ann or Jim Prater.
December 14, 2003
Hilarity in the living room of the beach-front house. Not everyone was here at the time, but it's a group photo, anyway.
Front row: Tracy Hahn, Hal Noltimier, Paula Rumbaugh, Amy
Yersavich, and Marilynn Miller.
Back Row: Jo-Ann and Jim Prater, Wendy Yost, Pete Yersavich, and Terri Verbancic.
December 14, 2003
Here's a typical (not!) scene of the guys taking care of
all the kitchen details.
Nice going, ladies. How did you manage that?
December 16, 2003
This historical marker, erected by the State of North Carolina, points visitors toward the spot near the foot of Kill Devil Hill, where the brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first successful powered flights on December 17, 1903.
December 15, 2003
With the Wright Brothers Monument surrounded by throngs of revelers on Kill Devil Hill in the background, Paula and Wendy have a closer look at that helicopter from the University of North Carolina.
December 15, 2003
Here's a closer look at the Wright Brothers Monument.
It's a simple column pointing skyward, commemorating the determination of the Wright Brothers to achieve their elusive goal of sustained, powered, heavier-than-air flight.
This was a must-see item for the throngs attending this celebration.
December 15, 2003
Here was a presentation by many of the notable remaining WASPs from World War II. From left to right are Ethel Finley 43-5 (class 5 of 1943), Florence “Shutsy” Reynolds 44-5, Caro Bailey-Bosca 43-7, Scotty Gough 44-7, Ann Carl 43-5, and Dawn Seymour 43-5.
December 16, 2003
Fittingly, one hundred skydivers were selected to begin an airshow commemorating the first one hundred years of powered flight.
December 16, 2003
Who can choose a single picture to represent an airshow? It's just impossible. This picture is only a small token to remind us of the many precision demonstrations the crowd was treated to on those days leading up to the big Centennial Day.
December 17, 2003
As Paula wrote in the introduction, the weather thwarted plans to launch the Wright Flyer Replica exactly 100 years to the minute after the Wright Brothers' first successful powered flight. Torrential rains overnight had converted the famous site into a location almost more fitted to amphibious operations. However, we pilots always live with the fact that we do not control the weather. All the attendees came away with the satisfaction of participating in a celebration of important historic events, even though the weather had forced last-minute adjustments to the planned schedule.
January 7, 2004
The Flyer holds true to its promise, at last! N193WF airborne near Dayton.
Subsequently, in January, Kay Hoelting was able to capture this snapshot of the Wright Flyer Replica, airborne near the Dayton, Ohio airport, with Connie Tobias of Dayton at the controls. Connie became the first woman in history to "maintain controlled, sustained flight in a 1903 Wright Flyer original replica", as the 99 News Magazine said it in their May/June, 2004 issue. Connie, a captain with US Airways, flew150 feet in a little more than 11 seconds, at an altitude of about 8 feet.