Bush honors anniversary of first flight
Effort to re-enact flight falls short
Wednesday, December 17, 2003 Posted: 1:21 PM EST (1821 GMT)
KILL DEVIL HILLS, North Carolina (CNN) -- The Wright brothers would have sympathized.
One hundred years after the brothers' first flight, a meticulous reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer made a valiant attempt to take to the air on Wednesday.
Much like many of the brothers' early efforts, the plane could not get airborne. It struggled down a narrow track and unceremoniously came to a halt in a mud puddle.
Crowds cheered as the twin engines of the wood-and-muslin fragile aircraft came to life. But the re-enactment of the historic 12-second, 120-foot flight was not to be.
continued at cnn.com