The Spirit of Glen Ellyn is one of the most accurate reproductions of the first Wright flyer in existence. In 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first flyer in North Carolina, the first powered, controlled, and sustained flight in human aviation. While that first flight only lasted 12 seconds and only covered 120 feet in flight, it was a groundbreaking achievement in aviation history and the development of modern flight.In the late 1990s, a student by the name of Peter Norton, built his own successful version of the flyer with the help of his father, Tom, and carpenter Mark Miller. Afterwards, a team called the Wright Redux Association studied Peter's work together with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's documentation, and spent four years perfecting their reproduction Wright Flyer, finishing in time for the 100th anniversary of powered flight.On October 14, 2003, the Spirit of Glen Ellyn took off from an airfield in Bolingbrook, Illinois, traveling approximately 60 feet at a maximum altitude of 35 feet. The Wright Brothers' original airplane design flew once more. The Spirit of Glen Ellyn became the first Wright Flyer reproduction to successfully fly during 2003, the centennial year of the original Wright brothers flight of 1903.