Packer Engineering: Engineers with Answers

Dedication at Museum of Science and Industry

Wednesday, December 17, 2003, 100 years to the day after the Wright Brother's first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry held a party to commemorate the flight and new display of The Spirit of Glen Ellyn, an exact replica of the Wright Brothers' aircraft. Packer Engineering, Wright Redux of Glen Ellyn, and a team of volunteers from 50 other mid-western companies, produced a eplica of the 1903 Flyer that actually flew. The Museum suspended the plane from the ceiling of a 3rd floor rotunda, between a modern helicopter and a German WWII fighter. At the top of the escalator, a visitor looks directly into the eyes of Wilbur Wright at the controls of the beautifully displayed flyer.

The museum was decorated with hundreds of lighted Christmas trees from around the world. The atmosphere was festive as the President and CEO of the museum, David Mosena, led the 200+ guests in a toast to congratulate the people whose success in the Flyer Project culminated in this evening's gala affair. Mr. Mosena said, "It is the mission of the museum to inspire the inventive genius in everyone." The genius in these 52 companies has already been inspired. The flyer "is installed tonight as a part of the museum's permanent flight collection. Thank you very much to Packer Engineering and the Wright Redux."

John Nowicki did a masterful job on a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the history of the project. He then introduced Maggie White, the Executive Director of The Western Society of Engineers, who presented a bronze plaque to the museum with the names of the companies who participated. Mark Miller of the Wright Redux thanked everyone in the room for their help, especially the Museum and Dr. Packer, "who took the flyer from being a high school science project to become an icon of the beginning of the second century of powered flight." Mr. Miller's original partner, Tom Norton, took the podium briefly and said, "You guys did it. Congratulations", a reiteration of words once delivered to the Wright Brothers.