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Centennial Anniversary of First Flight Starts in 2002

© Pattie Stechschulte

On the brisk morning of December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made history by recording the first manned flight with a powered aircraft on the sand dunes near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. That historical event inspired a century of scientific invention that has eventually led to unmanned missions to the planet Mars and beyond just some 90 short years later.

"The Wright brothers' discovery continues to change the world we live in. This celebration will pay tribute to their accomplishments and those who have pioneered flight for the past 100 years," said Sherry Forster, executive director, U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission.

The Commission was created by the U.S. Congress in 1999 to be the body to plan the centennial celebration of the first flight in Dayton, Ohio, Kitty Hawk, N.C., and throughout the rest of the nation.

As we are fast approach the 100-year anniversary of the first flight, the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission has announced a national plan to celebrate starting next December. The year-long campaign, "Born of Dreams; Inspired by Freedom," will include plane races, cross-country Wright Flyer tours, blimp events, international symposiums, special art displays, attempts at aviation world records, gas balloon races, an international aviation World's Fair and special museum exhibits. The public is encouraged to submit aviation events or suggestions that might be included in the celebration by submitting a request online.

The final exhibit of the celebration will be a recreation of the first flight on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on December 17, 2003, at 10:35 a.m.

"The Centennial celebration will offer activities for Americans of all ages," said Commission Chairman, General J.R. Dailey. "We want people all over this country to rekindle their fascination with flight and to look upon this Centennial as a celebration of our freedom to reach for our dreams."

In addition to the public events and tours, the federal commission is asking the U.S. Congress to encourage the participation of the armed forces in the celebration and to fund an aviation theme study to document sites throughout the country that were instrumental in developing the role of flight. Congress is also considering issuing a commemorative stamp from the U.S. Postal Service and a set of three commemorative coins from the U.S. Mint.

The states of Ohio, the home state of the Wright Brothers, and North Carolina include flight centennial themes on the 50 State Quarter Programs currently being minted.

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