Microsoft to simulate the first flight

Software giant Microsoft and EAA, the leading organization in recreational aviation, have announced that they will present a computer model of the Wright brothers' 1903 Flyer as part of the upcoming Centennial of Flight celebration. The simulated aircraft will be part of EAA's 24,000-square-foot Countdown to Kitty Hawk touring pavilion, which will be presented by the Ford Motor Company in 2003.

"Through intensive scientific study and research, the Wright brothers unlocked the secrets to sustained, powered, controlled flight and changed forever the way humankind travels and interacts," said Bruce Williams, business development manager for Microsoft Flight Simulator. "We're pleased to work with the premier recreational aviation organization, EAA, and to use our expertise and knowledge of aviation to re-create flight in the 1903 Wright Flyer. Through this simulation, pilots will be able to travel back 100 years and experience the challenge and excitement of flying the first successful powered airplane."

To ensure the accuracy of the computer model, the Microsoft Flight Simulator development team is basing the simulation on EAA's 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction that is scheduled to fly at the exact moment of the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic flight on December 17, 2003, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The model will let the pilot fly the 1903 Flyer just as the Wright brothers did--lying on their stomach and using hand levers and a shifting hip mechanism to control the aircraft. Those movements will control the 1903 Flyer simulation just as a computer joystick operates the flight controls on other aircraft in Flight Simulator.

"The simulation of the 1903 Wright Flyer will demonstrate the peculiar skills that Orville and Wilbur used to fly such an amazing aircraft," Williams said. "We hope it will be an eye-opening experience that will build greater respect for the Wright brothers among visitors to EAA's touring pavilion."

For more information about the upcoming event, visit the official Countdown to Kitty Hawk Web site. To learn more about the Flight Simulator games, take a look at our full review of the latest game in the series.