1077 Member Spotlight

In the Spotlight:    In November of 2003 Mark Dusenberry became only the third man in history to fly the world's 1st practical airplane, the 1905 Wright Flyer. The first two were, of course, Orville & Wilbur Wright. We humbly acknowledge his hard work and dedication to the accurate building of this beautiful and historic aircraft. Mark and his soon-to-be-famous Wright Flyer have been making more news lately. Some are aware that the Flyer has been a central prop in a major film documentary. Filming took place at Huffman Prairie, site of the testing of the original '05 Flyer by Orrville and Wilbur. Mark spent two weeks in front of the camera and was able to get in several flights at the historical site. The documentary is expected to premier sometime next year. While getting things ready, Mark asked the FAA to give the Flyer experimental aircraft status. After performing an administrative dance as only the government can choreograph, a special certificate was issued and gives Mark the freedom to legally fly the craft at Huffman Prairie and on his own farm. Mark received the certification from the FAA inspector flown in specially to perform the inspection. It is noteworthy that the inspector could only find one bolt that would need to be replaced. It can only be assumed that we will continue to hear more from Mark and his project in the near future. Following are some photos of Mark's Flyer. It was a big hit at our Aviation Awareness Day last September.
Featured on NASA's Wright website!