Together with the Discovery of Flight Foundation, the Wright Experience is an organization dedicated to re-engineering and replicating the methods used by Orville and Wilbur Wright to construct their groundbreaking powered aircraft. As part of their mission of discovery and education, they tasked Think Design to create a display case to tell the story of how the Wright’s built their propellers.

On exhibit at the Virginia Air and Space Center, one side of the display walks viewers through the step by step process used by the Wrights to hand carve their wooden propellers.  On the opposite side, the tools that the Wrights used are featured, while on the third side illustrations provide a basic overview of the aeronautical theory developed by the Wrights.

The design of the case was intended to evoke a sense of the era in which the brothers worked and borrows parabolic arc shapes found in airfoil profiles. The use of solid walnut beams and veneer echo the materials available to the Wrights, while plexiglass panels provide front and back views of the scale recreation of the prop.

Project Role: Lead Designer, Production Assistant

Year: 2002