SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER ACTIVITY REPORT
The minutes of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and the First Flight Centennial Federal Advisory Board joint meeting held September 9, 2003, are available on the Web at www.centennialofflight.gov/about/minutes.htm.
The Web trends data for the Commission Web site reported a doubling of hits from 1.4 million hits in August to almost 3 million hits in September.
The Commission has signed one new Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with the Arizona Wing, Commemorative Air Force. There is an MOA in the approval process with the Navy. There is a licensing agreement in the approval process with Banner Ideas, Ltd. for centennial flags.
Chris Meyer can be contacted at meyerc@optonline.net or 201-493-1757 (phone) or 201-951-2511 (cell).
It is with much sadness that we inform you that Dick Culpepper, Chair of the AIAA Evolution of Flight Committee, passed away on Tuesday, October 14.
ShoreFest, an event on the Centennial of Flight calendar that was scheduled for October 3-5 in Long Beach, CA, was cancelled by the city of Long Beach.
**Please continue to add your Centennial of Flight related events and activities to the Centennial calendar of events.**
Partnership Updates:
"The Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age," at the National Air and Space Museum celebrates the Centennial of Flight with artifacts, rarely seen photographs and interactives. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the original 1903 Wright Flyer, displayed at eye level for the first time since it was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1948. October 11, opening day, was also Family Day and included hands-on activities, actors in period costumes, demonstrations and more. For more about the exhibit, visit www.nasm.si.edu/galleries/gal209/wrights.htm.
The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS), produced by the central education department of the Smithsonian Institution, recently announced the launch of SmithsonianEducation.org. This state of the art Web site features cutting edge interactive activities for students, families and educators.
There is a new Director of the Air Force History Office, Mr. C. R. "Dick" Anderegg. He is a former USAF fighter pilot and squadron commander who retired as an O-6 in 1997 after 30 years of service. He flew more than 4,000 hours in USAF fighters, including F-4s and F-15s. His assignments have included instructor, pilot, commander of an F-15 squadron, and staff officer/executive officer at the Pentagon.
The new NASA Historian will be Dr. Steven Dick, formerly historian for the U.S. Naval Observatory. He has truly outstanding credentials and will start work November 2.
The FAA has supplied DIRECTV cable network the artwork from their FAA Centennial poster (from the AVED Web site) for the cover of "The Guide," a DIRECTV "Goes to School" Centennial edition. In December, DIRECTV will distribute to 3,000 schools, encompassing thousands of classrooms nationwide.
To commemorate NASA's birth on October 1, 1958, the NASA History Office has a new site, history.nasa.gov/45thann/html/45home.htm. This site contains links to photos, videos, documents, publications, biographies, and other information about the formation of NASA and its 45 years of activities. There is also a link to an interesting speech that T. Keith Glennan, NASA's first Administrator, gave to NACA employees in September 1958.
To date, the AIAA Wright Flyer Centennial Tour has reached more than 2 million people and has two tour stops to go. The plane left the L.A. County Fair Grounds and headed to the Edwards Air Force Base Open House October 25-26, 2003. From there, the plane will travel to the Northrop Grumman Centennial Celebrations, November 3-13, 2003, in El Segundo, California, before returning home to the FAA Flight deck in Hawthorne, California. For a recap of past tour stops and a look ahead at the next two tour stops, please visit www.flight100.org/activities/wrightflyer.html.
100 Years of Flight: A Chronicle of the Aerospace Industry, 1903-2003, by Frank Winter and F. Robert van der Linden is now available! This extensive collection, in a full-color, beautifully illustrated book, highlights the significant contributions in aerospace history over the past 100 years. With less than two months remaining until the official anniversary, AIAA is organizing the AIAA Learn to Fly Scholarships and plans to announce the 50 winners in December of this year. Look for their final report around January 2004.
There are several free public lectures happening this fall at the National Air and Space Museum. If you would like to attend, please contact Jean DeStephano at destefanoj@nasm.si.edu.
· Halloween Family Fun - Flight and Fright Night
Wednesday, October 29, 7:30 p.m.; costume contest at 7:00 p.m.,
Lockheed Martin IMAX® Theater
· Voyager at 90 AU, Wednesday, November 5, 8 p.m.,
Einstein Planetarium
· The General Electric Aviation Lecture Series From Mach 2 to Kitty Hawk, Lecture by A. Scott Crossfield, Thursday, November 20,
8 p.m., Lockheed Martin IMAX® Theater
Tote bags with the Commission logo will be given away at a November 6 event at the Air Force Academy.
NASA received approval for its Space Station Trailers, the MAEL and the SSME to appear at the First Flight Centennial Celebration at Wright Brothers National Memorial. Pam Verniel at NASA Langley has some rooms available at the Hampton Inn. Please have the people that sign up to volunteer as staffers for the NASA Exhibit go on the Web site, oea.larc.nasa.gov/centennial/index.cfm, to register.
The New Adventures in Flight gallery at the Virginia Air and Space Center opens November 8, 2003.
NASA hosted a retirement ceremony for the XV-15 tiltrotor and its transfer to the National Air and Space Museum.
The date for Mutual Concerns 2004 will be Saturday, March 27 – Tuesday, March 30, 2004, at the Crystal City Hilton at Ronald Reagan National Airport in
Arlington, VA. The conference will include a full day at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center for sessions and touring.
The School of Intelligence Studies, Joint Military Intelligence College, Bolling AFB, has requested copies of Commission materials.
The schedule for the opening of the new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is as follows:
December 9, 2003 Aviation Veterans' Event (Open to all aviation veterans, ticket information available on the NASM Web site)
December 10, 2003 Gala (invitation only)
December 11, 2003 Ribbon Cutting (invitation only)
December 15, 2003 Open to the Public
Staff from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum have many speaking engagements throughout the centennial year on the Wright brothers or aspects of the invention of the airplane. October/November presentations include:
October 16: C.R. Smith Museum, Dallas, TX
October 25: Lighter-Than-Air Society, Akron, Ohio
November 5: Sigma Series Lecture, Virginia Air and Space Museum
November 28: Ohio Libraries Council, Columbus, Ohio
Dr. Roger Launius has been elected as the incoming president of the Society for History in the Federal Government. One of the activities that has been planned for the upcoming 2003-2004 period is the annual Richard Hewlett Dinner on October 30, 2003, in Washington, D.C. They will have an outstanding speaker, Dr. Brent Glass, Director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Also, 2004 represents the Society's 25th anniversary and the theme for this meeting will be "The History of the History of the Federal Government."
Outreach Activity:
From November 5 – December 21, the Arizona Centennial of Flight Exhibition will be held at the Arizona Center. The exhibition spotlights Arizona’s aviation leaders (including Barry Goldwater), the role women played in World War II aviation, contributions made by Hispanic Americans, the development of flight gear and equipment, and photographic histories of Luke Field (now Luke Air Force Base) and Falcon Field, both of which were central to the training of combat pilots in World War II. A collection of aviation art, including items commemorating historic aviation events in Arizona, will also be featured.
NOVA sheds new light on the “Wright” way to fly by testing exact replicas of Wright brothers’ aircraft and presents Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine on Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS (www.pbs.org/nova/wright).
The National Geographic Channel (NGC) will mark the centennial of the Wright brothers’ historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, with "5 Nights of Flight," December 15-19, 2003. The following "5 Nights of Flight" programs will air at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, with encore presentations at 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT.
· "Test Pilots" (World Premiere) December 15, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Encore 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT). "Test Pilots" takes a rare inside look at the world of test pilots, exploring the risks and rewards of this courageous and death- defying profession. From inside the cockpit, witness the fearlessness of the men and women who rely on their daring and skill to reach milestones in aviation history.
· "Air Force One" (Network Premiere) December 16, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Encore 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT). Go behind the doors and inside the cockpit of the most famous plane in America -- and one of the most secret. This film provides viewers with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access onboard Air Force One.
· "High Flyers" December 17, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Encore 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT). Follow daredevil barnstormers on a stomach-churning flight into the clouds, witness a reenactment of a daring 1912 bi-plane flight, and visit the world of amateur rocket-builders as they launch an ingenious home-grown space race.
· "The Rocket Ranch" December 18, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Encore 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT). Visit the Rocket Ranch where a dedicated team of men and women service a single customer, the United States Space Shuttle. The special will also take a look at NASA's latest creation, Helios, a solar-powered, unmanned flying wing that's revolutionizing the world of aviation.
· "Charles Lindbergh: The Lone Eagle" December 19, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Encore 12 a.m. ET / 9 p.m. PT). It was a flight that changed the world. When Charles Lindbergh flew solo from New York to Paris in May of 1927, he linked two continents, and in so doing, became the most famous man on Earth -- or above it. Using an exact replica of Lindbergh's plane, the "Spirit of St. Louis," the film reenacts the tension-filled flight.
"The Canadian Campaign celebrating the Centennial of Flight, ALTITUDE IS
EVERYTHING, was extraordinarily successful,” said National Chairman Don
Pearsons. All of the planned events went well, including the 35,000 Kilometer Hot Air Balloon Tour, the Youth Aviation Books, the poster contest (2,000+ entries) and the Snowbirds "100 Towns for 100 Years Program.” There is an ongoing Essay Contest and the Grand Finale at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa which will be linked by satellite to Kitty Hawk on the morning of December 17th. The black-tie gala that evening will have luminaries from Canadian aerospace and families of early pioneers including JAD McCurdy, Alexander Graham Bell and Billy Bishop in attendance, and will be emceed by Leslie Nielsen.
Cathy Allen, College Park Aviation Museum, is working with other museums and CRT to find a way to provide coverage of the December 17 event so that it can be shown in their museums and facilities that day. CRT has been in ongoing discussions with C-SPAN and NASA TV about covering the event.
The AIA UPDATE in September 2003 featured “Milestones of the First Century of Flight – It Happened in September,” as well as “Celebrating Flight: 100 Years of Congressional Support for the U.S. Aerospace Industry.”
The West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ, will be using the Commission logo on brochures and literature explaining two centennial events and a centennial exhibition they are having.
In late October, the WWII 86th FBS ASSN is having a 4-day reunion in Dayton. The group last met in 1983. They will be using the Commission logo on their nametags.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s national public broadcaster, is doing a radio program on the centennial of flight and has requested to interview NASA individuals for the part of the program dealing with the second century of flight. Another part of the program will include a visit to the National Air and Space Museum and an interview with Dr. Tom Crouch.
The Sacramento International Airport will be using the Commission logo in its Airport Beacon newsletter.
The California Science Center will celebrate 100 years of flight with a two-day festival integrating science and the performing arts featuring specially commissioned works commemorating the theme of flight. The festival is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 15-16, 2003.
The Space Foundation has been chosen to be the official host of the centennial of flight celebration for Colorado. They will be using the Commission logo on a program they are printing for teachers and students.
The Commission logo was used on the program for GSA’s Federal Aviation Awards Ceremony.
The Commission logo was used in the monthly magazine “Entertainment Fort Smith” on a feature article regarding the Fort Smith Air Show hosted by the 188th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard in Arkansas. The Thunderbirds and Golden Knight are appearing at the air show.
The World Kite Museum in Long Beach, WA, is featuring an exhibit called “How the Kite Invented the Airplane.” The exhibit includes an exact replica of the 1899 Wright brothers’ kite (wingspan 53 inches) that was featured in the Rockefeller Center exhibit.
The Stuart Air Show will be using the Commission logo on a newspaper insert. Its theme will be “100 Years and Climbing.”
Trafalgar Square Publishing is distributing the third volume in a series of aviation art and history books called Wright to Fly, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of powered flight.
The theme of the annual District Convention of the Toastmasters International, District 25, was Catch the Dream. They emphasized the enormous work of the Wright brothers as examples of dreamers who were also first-timers who persisted in the systematic pursuit of their dreams until they were fully accomplished. Commission materials were provided.
The Commission logo will be used in the autumn newsletter for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, MI.
The Commission logo is being used on a flyer for a series of programs celebrating the 100th anniversary of flight at the Hart Area Public Library in Hart, MI.
Who shot down the Red Baron? NOVA investigates the fame and mysterious fate of the World War I Ace of Aces and presents Who Killed the Red Baron? on
Tuesday, October 7, 2003, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS (www.pbs.org/nova/redbaron).
Press Releases:
A number of press releases have been issued recently and are available on the COFC Web site. Releases are posted on the home page as well as in the media section.
October 17, 2003 – Tickets for First Flight Centennial Celebration Become Hot Items
October 17, 2003 – Grammy Award Winner Lee Greenwood to Appear at First Flight Centennial Celebration
October 10, 2003 – NASA Names New Historian
October 8, 2003 – First Flight Centennial Tickets Sold Out for December 17
October 7, 2003 – Commemoration of 1902 Gliders to be Held at Wright Brothers National Memorial
October 7, 2003 – Aerospace America Contracts with the Oklahoma Commission
October 7, 2003 – Authentic 1903 Wright Flyer Reproduction Coming to Orlando for National Business Aviation Association Convention
October 6, 2003 – The SR-71 “Blackbird” is the October Family Day Topic at the U.S. Air Force Museum
October 2, 2003 – New York Times Best-Selling Author Speaks About the Influence of Airpower at the U.S. Air Force Museum
October 1, 2003 – First Flight Centennial Tickets Nearly Sold Out for December 17
October 1, 2003 – Brad Tillson to be Saluted for Volunteerism
October 1, 2003 – Life-Size Sculpture to Depict Wright Brothers First Flight
October 1, 2003 – Rolls-Royce Underwrites Opening Gala for the New Smithsonian Museum
September 26, 2003 – Centennial of Flight Student Essay Contest Announced
September 26, 2003 – Curtis-Wright/Wiley Post Hangar to be Dedicated at Annual Airshow
September 26, 2003 – Students Forecast if Weather has the “Wright” Stuff
September 25, 2003 – U.S. Air Force Band of Flight Performs Concert for “Fly Me To The Future” Art Exhibit at the Air Force Museum
September 25, 2003 – First Flight Centennial Ticket Sales Continue to Ascend
September 25, 2003 – “Fly Me To The Future” Art Exhibit Opens at the U.S. Air Force Museum
September 24, 2003 – Historic Aircraft on the National Air Tour 2003 Complete a 4,000-mile Journey and a Chapter in Aviation History
September 23, 2003 – Teams to Pull Fighter Jet to Help Charities Fly High
September 23, 2003 – First Flight Centennial Celebration Planning Stays on Schedule
September 22, 2003 – Nation’s Top Kiteflying Competition Coming to U.S. Air Force Museum
September 22, 2003 – New Flight Web Games Offer Learning and Fun
September 17, 2003 – The Discovery Channel Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ First Flight
August 29, 2003 – Library of Congress Display Marks the Centennial of Flight
Web site:
A wealth of new features have been added to the Commission Web site this month, including The 2003 Flight Forecast Contest. As of October 17, 270 teachers have registered, representing 43 states and about 15,000 students. The interest is greatest in grades 1 through 8, with only limited registration from grades 9-12 so far. Please encourage educators you might know to visit the COFC site and register their students for the program.
Partners’ press releases have been added to the Web site. Please continue to send your press releases, and pictures if you have them, via e-mail to CRT to post on the site.
A History Channel producer contacted the COFC about information in the essays on the Web site.
The Singapore Science Centre will be using images from the Commission Web site.
The Aeroclub El Salvador will be using essays from the Commission Web site in its magazine.
The Oregon Historical Society will be using material from the Commission Web site in a major permanent exhibit that is being designed entitled “Oregon My Oregon.”
The Helsinki-Malmi Airport in Finland has requested to link to our Web site. They have recently been selected onto the list of 100 Most Endangered Cultural Sites by the World Monuments Watch Programme.
Educational Outreach Activities:
The Commission staff has been contacted by an extraordinary number of schools, including home schools, museums and libraries requesting copies of our educational resources and the exhibit. Examples include: Kingston Elementary, Cherry Hill, NJ; St. Andrews Church, Lebanon, PA; Ballston Spa Middle School, Ballston Spa, NY; EAA Chapter 167, Napa, CA; Crab Orchard Elementary School, Crab Orchard, KY; Deer Creek School, Nevada City, CA; A&M Consolidated Middle School, College Station, TX; Godwin Heights Public Schools, Wyoming, MI; 171st Airlift Squadron, Selfridge ANGB, MI; Dick Dowling Elementary School, Port Arthur, TX; Wilbur Wright Middle School, Cleveland, OH; First Coast Technical Institute, Adult Education, St. Augustine, FL; San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego, CA; Lesterville RIV Schools, Ranch Campus, Lesterville, MO; Community R-VI School, Laddonia, MO; Holland Hall School, Tulsa, OK; Enrico Fermi High School, Enfield, CT; Annunciation School, Aurora, IL; Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum, Kitchener, Ontario; Maria L. McDougall School, Guanica, Puerto Rico; Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Vienna, VA; Pleasantdale Middle School, Burr Ridge, IL; Clifton Elementary School, Atlanta, GA; Ridgecrest Elementary, Puyallup, WA; New Bethlehem Elementary School, New Bethlehem, PA; Arkansas Air Museum, Fayetteville, AR; Gomer Intermediate School, Gomer, OH; Seymour Public Library, Auburn, NY; Wauconda Middle School, Wauconda, IL; Temecula Library, Temecule, CA; Valley Academy, El Centro, CA; Harrington Middle School, Mt. Laurel, NJ; Conte West Hills School, New Haven, CT; Bunche Middle School, Compton, CA; St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Fort Pierce, FL; Northside Christian Academy, Charlotte, NC; Lewis Anna Woodbury Elementary, Fort Meade, FL; Rosehill Elementary, Lenexa, KS; Perryville Middle School, Perryville, MD; Woodville Intermediate School, Woodville, TX; Gallman Elementary School, Newberry, SC; Huntington Elementary School, Huntington, TX; The Wyndcroft School, Pottstown, PA; Science-Engineering Library, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; North County Regional Library, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Chandler Creek Elementary, Greer, SC; Cub Scouts, Newton Grove, NC; Lebanon Borough Elementary, Lebanon, NJ; Emma L. Arleth School, Parlin, NJ; Banyan Air Service, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Childrens Clinic of Wyomissing, Wyomissing, PA; Colonial High School, Orlando, FL; Logos Christian Academy, Fallon, NV; Worley Junior High, Westwego, LA; Grace Brethren, Long Beach, CA; Prescott High School, Prescott, AZ; South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY; Dept. of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Holy Spirit Boys’ National School, Dublin, Ireland; Penn Wynne Elementary School, Wynnewood, PA; Fairview School, San Angelo, TX; Community Services Division, Cleburne, TX; South Mountain Elementary School, Mechanicsburg, PA; Steel Valley Middle School, Munhall, PA; Renard Academy, Rex, GA; St. Johns Middle School, St. Johns, MI; Cub Scouts, Corpus Christi, TX; Librarian, Wilbur Wright College, Chicago, IL; College Park Elementary, La Porte, TX; Midvale Elementary, Midvale, OH; Rockridge Academy, Asheboro, NC; John F. Kennedy Elementary, West Berlin, NJ; 4-H Club, Garner, NC; Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA: Pleasantdale Middle School, Burr Ridge, IL; Clyde Public Library, Clyde, OH; Westchester Middle School, Westchester, IL; Calvan Academy, Woodland, CA; La Purisima School, Orange, CA; Franklin Middle School, Greeley, CO; Glenn Loomis Elementary School, Traverse City, MI; Pius Library, St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO; and Madison Heights Elementary School, Phoenix, AZ.
Determining the Centennial of Flight and NASA participation at Kitty Hawk, NC December 12-17. Working to identify exhibit layouts, educational venues, speakers, panelists, ISS downlinks and staffing requirements for the 100th anniversary of flight celebration.
Supported the Joint Executive Board Meeting of the Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings Youth Activity Project by providing COFC/NASA educational materials that college students will use in classrooms around the country.
Attended the National Coalition for Aviation Education Meeting. The group is working on compiling an outline of available resources from each of the 52 member groups.
Met with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to discuss future educational partnerships.
Assisting in the development of the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy Dinner Program on December 12th at National Airport. John Glenn has been selected as this year’s recipient.
The Pink Palace Natural History and Science Museum in Memphis is conducting a 10-week class on “The Centennial of flight” for 30 students, 4th – 6th grades. Commission educational materials will be used.
The Education Officer of the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, Australia, has requested Commission materials for 5-12 year olds.
Commission materials were used at the Boy Scouts of America, Central New Jersey Council, Mercer Area District Camporee at the “History of Flight” Information Station.
Commission materials will be used in the displays of the eight school libraries in Cheshire County, NH.
The St. Christopher School in Portsmouth, VA, has an annual fundraising dinner and this year’s theme is “First in Flight” in honor of the Wright brothers.
The Space Advisory in Australia is a public organization that actively works to educate the public, schools and universities about the benefits of space and flight technology, development and exploration. We provided materials for their Space and Flight Resource Room.
Requests for Information, Exhibits, etc.:
The Orange County Pacific Symphony, California’s 3rd largest orchestra, is celebrating their 25th anniversary season. They are celebrating the 100th anniversary of flight with two concerts entitled “Fanfare of Flight.” Composer Peter Lieuwen will write a piece of music to celebrate this event. If you have ideas of funding assistance or ways this could be integrated into some other centennial activities, please contact Robert Flanigan at 714-876-2363 or rflanigan@pso.org.
The George D. Lisby Elementary School in Hillsdale, MD, is having a month-long "Centennial of Flight Celebration." During the month, the kids will be reading aviation/space related books, doing Web site based lessons, art projects and even music through the century. An educator is coming from NASA/Goddard to do educational programs. The celebration will culminate in a visit from an astronaut. They would like to do a presentation with images representing various stages of the development of aviation starting with Leonardo da Vinci, Montgolfiers, Wrights, Space Shuttle, moving to the International Space Station, and are looking for a presentation that they could buy or download. The contact is Loretta Cook, P.O. Box 141, Perryman, MD 21130, 410-272-3757, cookr5@comcast.net.
The Millville Public Library would like any centennial promotional materials as it has dedicated December to the history of flight. The contact is Mary Jane Shipman, Millville Public Library, 210 Buck Street, Millville, NJ 08332.
A General Aviation Club is holding a Fly-In on November 1 and would like literature that promotes general aviation. The contact is Joe Keating, President, at pilot@altitudeadjusters.org.
Since May 2003, the Commission has responded to requests from the following countries: Alexandria, Egypt; Izmir, Turkey; Vienna, Austria; Republic of Singapore; Hong Kong; Ireland, Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, and Brussels, Belgium.
Completed Activities/ Events:
“Beyond the Wright Brothers: Dayton’s Aviation Heritage” took place October 9 – 10 at Wright State University. The symposium was provided by Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.
On October 10, 2003, a monument honoring the Antelope Valley's contributions to aerospace was unveiled. The monument, which labels the Antelope Valley as "Aerospace Valley," recognizes Chuck Yeager's 1947 flight in the X-1 that broke the sound barrier for the first time; Knight's record-setting flight in the X-15 rocket plane; and the making of the B-2 and B-1B bombers, the F-117 stealth fighter, and the space shuttle fleet. The monument’s plaque reads, "These and other first-flight milestones have made the Antelope Valley the world's premier aerospace location. This monument is dedicated to the craftsmen, engineers, technicians and pilots who have made aerospace advances in the Antelope Valley possible. 1903 – Celebrating the Centennial of Flight – 2003.”
On October 9, FAA headquarters employees had the opportunity to view the FAA's Centennial of Flight exhibit that was on display at the Rockefeller Center in New York and will later move to Kitty Hawk, N.C., for the actual centennial celebration on December 17. The FAA exhibit along with exhibits and displays from industry and other government agencies were brought to FAA headquarters for the Back to School event the FAA was hosting for 500 elementary and high school students as part of a Centennial of Flight observance.
On September 26, the FAA Centennial of Flight Awareness Event featured Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting the formation of a space-tourism industry through a $10,000,000 prize. He is a successful entrepreneur and pioneer in the commercial space arena and shared his vision on XPRIZE: A Generation of Private Spaceships.
On September 25, the Library of Congress announced the release of the
online collection of the Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers available at
the American Memory Web site, memory.loc.gov/ammem/wrighthtml/.
The online presentation of The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers at the
Library of Congress, comprising about 10,121 library items or approximately 49,084 digital images, documents the lives of Wilbur and Orville Wright and highlights their pioneering work which led to them making the world's first powered, controlled and sustained flight. Among the Wright Papers acquired by the Library of Congress were 303 glass plate negatives, most taken by the Wright brothers themselves between 1896 and 1911, to document successes and failures with their new flying machines. The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers and the Octave Chanute Papers are housed in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress. The glass plate negatives are housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library.
The 2003 Moffett Field Air Expo took place on September 13-14, 2003. The air show received considerable local news media coverage.