The Wright Flyer Monument, (sculpture).

The Wright Flyer Monument, (sculpture).

Godwin, Larry, 1934- , sculptor.

Art Wurks, fabricator.

The Wright Flyer Monument, (sculpture).

Installed July 1990. Dedicated Nov. 9, 1990.

Digital Reference:

Figures: bronze; Plane: stainless steel; Foundation: concrete.

Sculpture: approx. H. 15 ft. x W. 37 1/2 ft.; Foundation: approx. W. 38 1/2 ft. x D. 16 1/2 ft. (2 tons).

L. Golu (sic) signed

The sculpture depicts the Wright Brothers' flight at Kill Devil Hill, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, as photographed by John T. Daniels. Just as in the photograph, Orville Wright is at the controls of a Wright Brothers' Model B Flyer and Wilbur Wright stands off to one side. Under the plane there are two extensions that support the plane and recreate the instant of lift-off. The plane has electronically powered propellers and other moving parts that are occasionally turned on. There is a designated "photo station" behind the sculpture that enables the viewer to see the scene from the same angle at which John T. Daniels photographed it.

History -- United States -- Aviation

Portrait male -- Wright, Orville -- Full length

Portrait male -- Wright, Wilbur -- Full length

Occupation -- Transportation -- Pilot

Architecture -- Vehicle -- Airplane

Landscape -- North Carolina -- Kitty Hawk

Outdoor Sculpture -- Florida -- Daytona Beach

Administered by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 South Clyde Morris Boulevard, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114

Located Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Jack R. Hunt Memorial Library, Daytona Beach, Florida

Commissioned by the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and erected by the Wright Flyer Committee. Cost was $110,000. Sculpture commemorates the University's long association with aviation and celebrates the University's 25th anniversary in Daytona Beach. The project was initiated by the Class of 1988 along with Shannon Murphy and Phil DeLange. who were also responsible for securing a $5,000 donation from the campus Student Government Association. The sculpture was patterned after pictures taken by photographer John T. Daniels who witnessed the Wright brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk. Larry Godwin originally wanted to create the plane with wood and canvas, much like the original, but the Daytona Beach air was considered too corrosive. The sculpture was dedicated during the University's Homecoming celebration in 1990, with the great-nephew of the Wright Brothers, Wilkinson Wright, assisting.

A nearby plaque reads: The Wright Flyer Monument/A Student - Inspired Project ...../Kitty Hawk, NC/11:35 A.M. on December 17, 1903/FIRST SUCC(sic) POWERED FLIGHT.

IAS files contain a copy of the dedication program; and newspaper articles from The Troy Progress, Dec. 27, 1989; The News-Journal, June 21, 1990; July 7, 1990; July 28, 1990; Aug. 10, 1990; Nov. 10, 1990 (with discussion of the dedication); the Sunday Montgomery Advertiser, April 1, 1990; a magazine article from Embry-Riddle Update (Sept./Oct. 1990): pg. 3-4; a fund-raising flyer soliciting donations; and a photocopy of the historic photograph taken at 1903 Kitty Hawk flight by John T. Daniels.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Florida survey, 1994.

The News-Journal, July 28, 1990.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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