For more information please contact Nicole Wahlberg, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Evergreen Aviation Museum, 503-434-4006 or email nicole.wahlberg@ sprucegoose.org.

FOR RELEASE

June 30, 2006

Oregon Man Brings Da Vinci’s Vision to Life

New Orthnicopter Arrives at Evergreen Aviation Museum

MCMINNVILLE, Ore – Fri., Jun. 30, 2006— For moviegoers this month, the long-awaited debut of The Da Vinci Code offers a fascinating glimpse into Renaissance life and the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci. Thanks to the efforts of a Bend, Ore. man, however, visitors at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Ore. now have the chance to see an example of Da Vinci’s genius close to home.

Ken Spence has taken a lifelong passion for aviation and the work of Leonardo Da Vinci by constructing a full-scale flying machine from one of Da Vinci’s most complex engineering drawings.

Thanks to a grant from Bend Research Inc., the fully operable flying machine is on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum, where visitors have the chance to inspect the intricate creation, which has a wingspan of 23 feet.

According to Spence, the flying machine is a labor of love, requiring a year of effort and painstaking research. For years, Spence has wanted to recreate one of the flying machines that Da Vinci sketched in notebooks centuries before the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers took to the skies. The re-creation builds upon Spence’s years of experience in creating aviation reproductions for museums, businesses, and scientific laboratories.

The process, he said, was not straightforward, requiring detective work, ingenuity, and a touch of modern technology to bring Da Vinci’s sketches to life.

To turn vision in to reality, Spence delved into the dozens of the Da Vinci books he’s collected over the years. He sought inspiration from Da Vinci’s notebooks, which were written in reversed writing that could be read by holding them up to a mirror, as Da Vinci Code aficionados know. “I guess that was his method of patent protection,” Spence said with a grin.

To get the scale of the parts correct, Spence laid out the drawing on a grid and used a touch of modern technology¾SolidWorks¾a three-dimensional computer-aided drafting system to determine dimensions and refine his design. For aspects of the drawing that weren’t fleshed out, Spence dug deeper¾poring over the details of other Da Vinci drawings to determine how the great inventor might have solved the problems he faced.

Spence was authentic in the use of materials, which Da Vinci specified in his notes. Hand-tied rope, wood (embellished with carving typical of the late 16th century), leather, and steam-bent cane were used to fashion the exhibit, along with a few modern touches. For instance, Spence imbedded wire rope into the hemp that makes the machine operable, so an electronic drive could be added later, if desired, to make the wings move while the machine is on display¾power that in real life would be supplied by the pilot.

The complex flying machine represents the culmination of Da Vinci’s passion for flight, which spanned more than 20 years.

“Leonardo was the first scientist to seriously study flight. He did this with his usual intensity, focusing on the physical properties of birds in flight as well as numerous dissections,” Spence said.

The flying machine¾which Spence believes is the most complex of Da Vinci’s flight drawings ever reproduced¾brings together the complex articulation of bird wing bones (in this case, a bat’s) with an ingenious human‑powered mechanism that employs such innovations as a lengthening lead screw.

The project is a tribute Spence said, to Da Vinci’s intellect. The flying machine¾“the most interesting mechanically” of the inventor’s flight sketches¾is remarkable for its time and a tribute to Da Vinci’s unique vision in a time that predated the process of scientific inquiry. Spence hopes the exhibit will pique museum‑goers’ interest in Da Vinci and the marvel of flight.

The Evergreen Aviation Museum is best known as the home of the world’s largest wooden airplane, the Spruce Goose, SR-71 Blackbird, the Titan II SLV Missile and the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat. In addition, there are more than 80 historic aircraft and exhibits on display, along with artwork, traveling displays, the Spruce Goose Café and the newly remodeled Rotors, Wings & Things store. The Evergreen Aviation Museum’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily except when it is closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter. The Museum is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, across the highway from the McMinnville Airport and about three miles southeast of McMinnville, Ore., on Highway 18. Regular visitor admission is required. Call (503) 434-4180 for more information, and visit www.sprucegoose.org.

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About Ken Spence

Ken Spence has more than 30 years experience as a creative development consultant for aviation-related models and museum exhibits. His work has included creation of the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, California, which included the reproduction of several full-scale historic aircraft and models. Among the displays is a 45-foot-long model of the Avitor, a heavier-than-air steam-powered aircraft that was constructed in 1868.

Spence has also

· worked extensively in product development for Hiller Aviation for Stanley Hiller, a pioneer in the helicopter and aviation industries;

· helped with restoration and display of the Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville;

· contributed to the development of a robotic system used to assemble the International Space Station in space;

· helped to develop a miniature flying camera;

· developed wind-tunnel and desktop models of the Hypersoar plane for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and

· developed and built the drive mechanism for solar panels on the Hubble space telescope.

Spence is the owner of Vaporcor LLC, which is focused on the development of advanced aviation technology.