Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
Oct. 28, 2003

Organizers of the First Flight Centennial Celebration announced today that international superstar John Travolta has agreed to appear during the First Flight Centennial Celebration in December at Wright Brothers National Memorial. Travolta will serve as master of ceremonies for the program on December 17. The First Flight Centennial Celebration culminates a yearlong commemoration honoring the Wright brothers and a century of powered flight. "John Travolta has served as an ambassador for flight around the world," said Lawrence A. Belli, superintendent, Outer Banks Group, National Park Service. "It is fitting that he will join us in honoring the Wright brothers achievements 100 years later."

Travolta, a licensed jet pilot who serves as Australian-based international airline Qantas' Ambassador-at-Large, will also fly his Boeing 707 as part of the day's ceremonial fly-over. He has logged close to 5,000 hours since earning his wings in 1974.

"I was thrilled to kick-off the national celebration last December," said Travolta. "It is an even bigger honor to be asked to participate in the activities of the day 100 years later on the very ground where it all began."

The First Flight Centennial Celebration will begin on Dec. 12, 2003. The six-day event is designed to commemorate the last century of flight; celebrate the achievements of aviators throughout history; and inspire the next generation of aviators to further the Wright brothers' dream.

"John Travolta's enthusiasm for aviation is infectious," said North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources Lisbeth "Libba" Evans. "We are honored that he has agreed to participate in this historic commemoration at the birthplace of aviation, Wright Brothers National Memorial." President George W. Bush has been invited to participate in the day's activities. Numerous aviation and aerospace pioneers will be in attendance.

Following his breakout role in the 1970s television series "Welcome Back, Kotter," Travolta launched a successful film career with such projects as Carrie, Saturday Night Fever (his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor), Grease, Urban Cowboy, Blowout and Look Who's Talking. He earned his second Oscar nomination for the 1994 crime thriller Pulp Fiction, bringing him to a new level of stardom behind such films as Get Shorty (which garnered a Golden Globe win among four other nominations), Broken Arrow, Phenomenon, Michael, Face Off, Primary Colors, A Civil Action, Battlefield Earth, The General's Daughter, Swordfish and Basic.

In addition to aviation-related activities, daily musical entertainment will be provided at 1 p.m. on the Main Stage. The line-up of entertainment includes The Beach Boys (December 13); The Temptations (December 14); country music singer Aaron Tippin (December 15); and Lee Greenwood (December 16).

Tickets are still available for purchase for December 13-16 at $10 per day until the 35,000-ticket limit has been reached for each of those days. Tickets for December 17 are sold out. Tickets are currently available between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time by going online at http://www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com, or by calling 1-800-973-7327, or (301) 722-1257 for callers outside of the United States.

All of the most recent information on the First Flight Centennial Celebration can be accessed at the Centennial Web site on http://www.firstflightcentennial.org.

Contact:

Erin Porter Centennial Planning Office
252.441.6291, ext. 224
erinporternps@aol.com