As part of this year’s centennial commemoration of manned flight, Messier-Dowty is sponsoring a Wright Flyer 1 replica constructed by 18 engineering students at the Ecole Supérieure des Techniques Aéronautiques et de Construction Automobile (ESTACA) located in Levallois-Perret (NW of Paris). The full-scale replica is on display at this year’s Paris Air Show, in the U.S. pavilion, Hall 3, Stand F4-2. Construction of the replica began in December 2002 and took just six months. Not surprisingly, the only component that deviates from the one used by the Wright brothers is the motor. Although the students chose one that looks similar to the original, the new motor (47 kg and 35 horsepower versus 80 kg and 12 horsepower) does benefit from a century of technological advance. The students hope to pay homage to the pioneers of aviation by flying their replica on December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight.