The legendary Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, are famous for having made the first successful crewed heavier-than-air flight back in 1903. Their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, went down in history, and the pair subsequently went on to build a wide range of other planes following the formation of the Wright Company. One of these was the Model B, which first flew in 1910 and was mainly used by the US Army and Navy, with around 100 built.

While original Model B aircraft are very rare, the type’s legacy has been strengthened by the production of replicas. One of these is owned by Spencer Pumpelly, who is now looking to find a new buyer for the exact replica, which features an authentic Wright engine. In doing so, he has enlisted the help of his niece to run an ambitious marketing campaign on Instagram under the name ‘Wright Place Wright Time.’ Let’s check it out!

The Story Behind The Replica

Credit: Spencer Pumpelly

Simple Flying recently had the chance to interview Spencer Pumpelly, who offered a fascinating insight into the story behind this marvellous machine. He explained that the story began in 2003, when “a group called the Wright Experience built a replica of the original Wright flyer and was attempting to recreate the actual flight” 100 years after Wilbur and Orville first took to the skies. Pumpelly and his family all flew to watch the event.

Unfortunately, the flight was unsuccessful, but Pumpelly’s father subsequently contacted the group, which resulted in him helping them build a replica Wright Model B. This was a labor of love, as “it wasn’t until about 10 years later that they were able to actually create an airplane they could take off, fly around for over an hour at times, and then land.” Pumpelly himself now owns the replica, and is “looking for a good place for it to go.” He says:

“We don’t have anywhere we can keep it that is either going to allow it to be enjoyed by other people, whether that’s a private individual in a collection, or if it’s in a museum, or where other people can be inspired by it in the general public.”

Living History

While the aircraft itself is a replica, it does feature an original Wright Brothersengine. This, Pumpelly notes, shows that the plane has “got some actual living history,” and that it showcases “from what the Wright Brothers were able to accomplish, how bold and how smart they were at the same time.”

As an aviation enthusiast, Pumpelly would love nothing more than for this piece of history to continue to inspire other avgeeks. However, as this is something that he is unable to do himself, Pumpelly is ready to pass on the torch and “see this plane get a good home.” This is where the Instagram campaign comes in.

So far, the @wrightplane account has posted two videos in the ‘How Am I Supposed to Sell This Thing?’ series, with each amassing thousands of views. Pumpelly explains that “my niece, Ava, who’s in the video, is into PR, and she’s very good at doing that type of video.” He adds that “she’s a great spokesperson and very articulate and kind of knows the lingo of the different crowd that she’s marketing to as far as getting the word out” goes.

A Wide Range Of Possibilities

With Pumpelly’s videos having attracted hundreds of comments, there has been no shortage of interest in the replica: he says that the account has “connected us with some different people to reach out to, which we have started to do.” In terms of the next steps, Pumpelly is potentially looking to “hire a broker to help us with this process simply because they’re going to be more familiar with that market and the process of how the whole thing goes.”

In terms of whether it ends up at a museum or in a private collection, Pumpelly says that he is “torn between the two possibilities.” However, what he does know is that he would like to “see if the thing can fly,” regardless of its buyer. It will be interesting to see how the story, which you can follow on Instagram, develops!