Editing Da Vinci Project (section)

==History and status==
The project was established in 1996. It is named after [[Leonardo da Vinci]], who, among innumerable other inventions, was the first recorded person to design an aircraft. The project was staffed entirely by volunteers.<ref name="space.com-race">{{cite web | url=http://www.space.com/192-great-space-race-spaceshipone-wild-fire-gold.html | title=The Next Great Space Race: SpaceShipOne and Wild Fire to Go For the Gold | publisher=Purch | date=27 July 2004 | access-date=September 20, 2012 | author=David, Leonard}}</ref>

The project unveiled a mockup of their spacecraft, Wild Fire, on August 5, 2004 at a hangar at [[Toronto/Downsview Airport|Downsview Airport]] in [[Toronto]]. At this point, it was considered a contender for the [[Ansari X Prize]], and [[Scaled Composites Tier One|Tier One]] had just given notice of their planned competitive flights.  When announcing the unveiling, the da Vinci Project also appealed for funds to fly Wild Fire.  An agreement was reached with [[GoldenPalace.com]], and the project subsequently gave the required 60-day notice that they would make the Ansari X Prize competitive flights.<ref name="space.com-race" /> GoldenPalace.com, known for its marketing gimmicks, was to place a soccer ball kicked out of the stadium by [[David Beckham]] during the 2004 Euro World Cup inside the space craft.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/06/beckham_ball_lost_in_space/ | title=Beckham penalty outrage ball heads for space: bid for infamous sphere | publisher=[[The Register]] | date=6 August 2004 | access-date=September 20, 2012 | author=Leyden, John}}</ref>

The da Vinci Project initially announced that it would fly first on October 2, 2004, launching from [[Kindersley, Saskatchewan]].  This was only three days after the first expected X Prize flight, by [[Scaled Composites]], on September 29, 2004.  However, on September 23, 2004 the da Vinci project announced that they would not be ready.<ref name="bbc" /> Scaled Composites won the X Prize on October 4, 2004.