Mark

Miller

Mark Miller, a long-time resident of the Village of Glen Ellyn, is recognized for launching a project to build and then fly a full-scale replica of the 1903 Wright Brothers Flyer during the centennial celebration of the American feat that changed the course of history. As co-founder and president of the Glen Ellyn-based Wright-Redux Association, Mr. Miller assembled a team of volunteers with the skills, commitment, and dedication to achieve the goal of first-to-fly an authentic replica. Researching turn-of-the-century archives for forgotten blueprints and missing clues to the actual construction plan, Mark and fellow Association members began construction of the replica in 1999. Working through trial and error, the goal was to successfully re-create the birth of flight on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers? historic achievement on December 17, 1903. Fitted with an authentic replica of the original twelve-horsepower Flyer engine, the reproduction was the first of several under construction in the United States to be finished, successfully flown, and certified by the Federal Aviation Association. The effort was highlighted in a History Channel special chronicling those of the competing teams. Their Wright Flyer replica honors the American heritage of flight and now hangs on permanent display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.