Did you know that before Wilbur and Orville Wright designed airplanes, the innovative brothers owned a bicycle rental and repair shop? They bought their first bicycles in 1892, and according to a Smithsonian exhibit, “Wilbur preferred long country rides, while Orville enjoyed racing and considered himself a ‘scorcher’ on the track.” Their interest in locomotion and mechanics would fuel the design of the first powered aircraft, with the first successful airplane making four brief trial flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. To commemorate their achievements, a non-profit organization called The Wright Flyer Project was established. Its mission is to analyze and generate data “which describe the characteristics of the first successful piloted airplane.” Both the Dakota Territory Air Museum and the Fargo Air Museum contributed to the project by building replica Wright Flyers. Volunteers obtained blueprints of the original Wright Flyer from the Smithsonian, and planning, construction, and assembly took over 5,000 hours. The result of their dedication and hard work lies before you. It was unveiled just weeks before the 100th anniversary of powered flight which took place on December 17th, 2003.