Dayton, Ohio
December 19, 2002

Inventing Flight: Dayton2003 and the Wright “B” Flyer, Inc. along with the United States Air Force announced today that they will jointly participate in the upcoming Tournament of Rosesâ Parade. Dayton’s Wright “B” Flyer will be transported to Pasadena, California where it will fly over the parade on New Year’s Day. The joint appearance by Inventing Flight and the Wright “B” Flyer came about thanks to a request from the U.S. Air Force. The parade will kick off with a fly-over of a B2 Stealth Bomber and two F-117 Stealth aircraft.

Produced in 1910 and 1911, the Wright Model B is considered to be the first production airplane and was first flown by Orville Wright over Huffman Prairie (Dayton, OH) in July of 1910. The aircraft represents the first time that Wilbur and Orville used a rear stabilizer, now considered a traditional “tail”. This is the first and only aircraft that the Wright Brothers sold to the U.S. military, marking the beginning of what has now become the United States Air Force. On November 7, 1910, a Wright Model B carried silk from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio – sixty-five miles away – which is considered the world’s first airfreight shipment.

The parade will begin at 11:00am (EST) on New Year’s Day. The Wright “B” Flyer is scheduled to appear within the first hour of the event. Network television coverage is estimated to reach 60 million people in the U.S. and millions more through international broadcasts of the Rose Parade. Members of the Wright family from Ohio have already announced their participation in the parade.

“As we kick-off the 100th year of powered flight, we are extremely excited for Dayton and for the Wright “B” Flyer to be a part of this great American tradition, the Tournament of Roses Parade,” said Inventing Flight Co-President William J. Roess.

John Warlick, President of the Wright “B” organization and one of the Wright “B” pilots, stated, “I can’t think of a better way to honor the Wright Brothers’ achievement than to fly over this wonderful parade.” Wright “B” Flyer, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to the preservation and re-enactment of the historic achievements of aviation. The group began construction of its Wright B Flyer in 1976 and flew it for the first time in 1982.

Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003 was founded in 1989 to promote aviation, the Wright Brothers and especially Dayton, Ohio’s role in the birth and future of aviation. Drawing from the rich history of the Wright Brothers, Inventing Flight will launch a once-in-a-lifetime centennial of flight experience that will instill enthusiasm for innovation and new ideas.

Contact:

Dave Burnap
937/913-2841
dkb@dkburnap.com