On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright lay on his belly as the engine of the bi-winged plane revved up. The plane sputtered, and gathered speed, and Orville Wright became the pilot of the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight.

Bengalurians will be able to relive that moment in history, at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) from February 7. As a part of their ongoing Golden Jubilee celebrations, Wright Brothers’ Flyer Simulator has been installed. Now, interested visitors to the museum can pay a fee of Rs. 50 to experience what Orville Wright experienced long ago. Visitors will be made to lie on their belly under the life-sized replica of the original Wright Flyer with the controller in hand. “The replica of the Wright Flyer is the only one in Asia. We are attempting to make the experience as real as possible. Sensors have been placed to simulate turbulence,” said K.G. Kumar, Director of the Museum.

Wright Brothers’ Flyer Simulator and Science show hall along with a travelling exhibition “Disasters: preparing for the worst” (which will be on display until March 10) will be inaugurated at 11 a.m. on Saturday by Shyam Chetty, Director, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru.

Sanju Bhaskar, Chief Curator of the museum, said: “These efforts are aimed at generating inquisitiveness among schoolchildren.”

Visitors will be made to lie on their belly under the life-sized replica of the original Wright Flyer with the controller in hand to experience what Orville Wright did in 1903.

Courtesy: The Hindu & Photo Sampat Kumar