Dayton, Ohio
April 28, 2003

The drama, exhilaration and peril of numerous daring and historic first flight events will be relived when an accomplished lineup of aviation figures recount their experiences during a program at the U.S. Air Force Museum May 8-9.

The Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Flight Test Safety Committee is sponsoring a Flight Test Safety Workshop featuring a number of speakers from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day in the museum's Carney Auditorium.

The event's theme is "First Flights," commemorating the 2003 Centennial of Flight and the Wright brothers' legacy.

Each day is separated into two sessions, with Thursday's morning session of speakers covering bombers and the afternoon session encompassing fighters. Friday's morning session will explore commercial, transport and rotary aircraft with the afternoon session involving experimental and historical aircraft.

After an 8:30 a.m. welcome Thursday, speakers will include Lt. Gen. Richard V. Reynolds, commander of Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, discussing his experience during a B-1A ejection. Following morning session speakers will include Rick Couch on the B-2 stealth bomber, Joe Cotton on the XB-70 and Bob Ettinger on the Global Hawk.

Tom Griffin of Doolittle Raiders' fame will serve as a special pre-lunch speaker at 11:45 a.m. The afternoon session on fighter first flight experiences will include Phil Oestricher on the F-16, Fred Madenwald on the F-18, Roy Martin on the role of test pilots in the X-47 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle first flight, and Terry Weber on both the X-36 and X-45A.

Friday's morning session about commercial, transport and rotary aircraft starts at 8:30 a.m. as well and will feature George London talking about the C-17 first flight, followed by John Cashman on the Boeing 777, Ralph Johnston on the C-5, Dennis Newton on the Learfan 21f00, and Tom MacDonald on the V-22.

The afternoon session on first flights of experimental and historical aircraft will highlight Henry Beaird on the XF-84H, Channing Morse on the NOTAR (no tail rotor), and Doug Shane of Scaled Composites on various first flights.

Each speaker tentatively has been allotted 45 minutes.

For more information on the program, contact Mitch Cary at (937) 255-2681.

The U.S. Air Force Museum is located on Springfield Pike, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). Admission and parking are free.

NOTE TO MEDIA: For more information, contact the U.S. Air Force Museum's Public Affairs Division at (937) 255-4704, ext. 332.

Contact:

Chris McGee
Public Affairs Division
(937) 255-4704, ext. 332