Wright Brothers' Flying Machine

Tracing the steps of Orville and Wilbur Wright, the fathers of aviation, from their first unmanned gliders to their flying exhibitions and early airplane factories, this in-depth Nova special takes a unique tack by also following a team of modern pilots, aviation historians, and aircraft builders as they recreate the experiments and the mechanics that led to the world's first powered flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Fascinating historical and technical minutiae (a homemade wind tunnel and the Wrights' knowledge of bicycle balance aided their breakthrough) compliment the enthusiastic present-day attempts to build (with an original antique Wright engine), understand (with the help of custom flight-simulator software), and fly (with Nova's cameras onboard) exact replicas of the brothers' early machines. An engrossing modern take on an essential, pivotal piece of aviation history, this is a fine complement to the recent Kitty Hawk: The Wright Brothers' Journey of Invention (VL-3/04). The DVD version includes printable materials for teachers. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Blackwelder)