Feng Ru 1, the first plane designed and built by the "Father of Chinese Aviation" Feng Ru, has been restored and donated to the China Science and Technology Museum, to mark the 110th anniversary of China's aviation industry.
On Sept. 21, 1909, a biplane with four starting wheels tucked beneath took to the skies in Oakland, California, six years after Orville and Wilbur Wright's first flight.
It was the first successful Chinese flight with a self-made plane and the nation's first manned and powered flight, said Cai Eryu, general manager of the Culture Center at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
The AVIC organized experts to carry out the restoration work.
According to Cai, Feng Ru 1 had a wingspan of 7.62 meters, a length of 7.43 meters and a height of 2.45 meters.
In order to help people understand aircraft manufacturing from more than a century ago, a 1:4 scale model was made using the material and production process of the era with the fuselage, wing spar, wing rib and propeller in wood and motor in metal, replicating the aerodynamic design as closely as possible, he said.
It is the first time in more than 100 years to successfully restore Feng Ru 1. Improvements will follow in accordance with the latest documentary research, said Cai.
As the first aircraft designed and constructed by the Chinese, Feng Ru 1's flight marks a leap forward in China's aviation history, and its restoration is of historical significance, according to Yin Hao, curator of the China Science and Technology Museum.
