Wright Brothers National Memorial hosts virtual-only celebration event
First Flight Society Announces 2020 Class of Honorary Members
The First Flight Society announces 5 new Honorary Members: Colonel Gail Halvorsen, Brigadier General Charles McGee, Lieutenant Colonel Richard “Dick” Rutan, Sean D. Tucker, and Patty Wagstaff.
Colonel Halvorsen, General McGee and Colonel Dick Rutan have all been previously inducted into the
Paul E Garber Shrine. Halvorsen was nicknamed “the Candy Bomber” for air dropping candy to German
children during the Berlin Airlift. McGee was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen who flew fighter
escort for Allied bombers. Rutan is a fighter pilot, test pilot, and record-breaking aviator who in
1986 piloted the Voyager aircraft on the first non-stop around-the-world flight with co-pilot Jeana
Yeager. Halvorsen turned 100 in October and McGee celebrated 101 on December 7th.
Sean Tucker and Patty Wagstaff are celebrated Aerobatic pilots, who still perform. Tucker has won
numerous air show championship competitions throughout his career and was inducted into the
National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008. Wagstaff […]
Make Plans to Celebrate the 117th Anniversary of Powered Flight.
Save the date! December 17th, 2020 is the 117th anniversary of powered flight. The First Flight Society will be honoring Frank Caldwell as the 2020 Paul E Garber Shrine inductee.
Like every other event held this year, this will be different than previous years. There will be a large Virtual element to this years celebration. More details will be coming soon.
The Paul E Garber honoree is selected annually by a high-level panel appointed by the First Flight Society, from among numerous nominations submitted from around the world as well as compiled lists of qualified candidates. A portrait of Frank Caldwell will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2020, celebrating the 117th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.
Mr. Caldwell’s many contributions to aviation in propeller technology highlighted by his winning with Hamilton Standard the 1933 Collier Trophy for design of the controllable-pitch propeller. His design innovations led […]
Make Plans to Attend National Aviation Day August 19th, 2020
Make plans to join First Flight Society for our National Aviation Day Event on August 19th. We will be celebrating National Aviation Day and Orville Wright’s birthday at the Dare County Regional Airport (MQI). There will be representatives from First Flight Society and several other Aviation and Outer Banks organizations, as well as educational displays. Exhibitors include Kitty Hawk Kites, Elizabeth City State University, and the Military Aviation Museum. The Military Aviation Museum will be bringing one of their World War II warbirds!
Free and fun for the whole family. Event hours will be 10:00 AM-4:00 PM.
The Dare County Airport is located at:
410 Airport Road
Manteo, NC 27954
Look out for more details here and through email and social media as we get closer.
Please RSVP on our Facebook event page.
Watch Our Interview with Wilbur Wright
Watch our interview with Wilbur Wright recorded on April 16, 2020 for Wilbur’s 153rd birthday.
Lifetime member Alfred Poor interviewed Wilbur live on Facebook and YouTube. Wilbur is portrayed by First Flight Society Board Member Paul Carr.
If you enjoyed this video please support the First Flight Society by becoming a member or making a donation.
Join Us Online for Wilbur’s Birthday Celebration!
Join us online to celebrate Wilbur Wright’s birthday! We are going to celebrate Wilbur Wright’s 153rd birthday online. Lifetime member Alfred Poor will be interviewing Wilbur live on Facebook and YouTube on April 16th at 2:00 PM eastern.
Wilbur will be portrayed by First Flight Society Board Member Paul Carr.
Captain Paul Carr appears as The Spirit of Wilbur Wright and offers a personal story of his life growing up in Dayton, Ohio, the positive influences of his parents, and how the close relationship with his brother Orville combined to forge the path that led to their historical achievements. Beginning with childhood sledding, printing presses, bicycles and kites, audiences will hear and see how the brothers overcame personal tragedy, applied common sense to scientific research, and persevered through failure, danger, and disappointment to solve man’s age-old dream to fly. Along the way you will hear about North Carolinians who shared in […]
Canceled–The Second Annual FFS Golf Tournament is Saturday, May 16th, 2020
Saturday, May 16th, 2020
FIRST FLIGHT SOCIETY ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020
Starts at 9:00 AM
SEA SCAPE GOLF LINKS KITTY HAWK, NC
300 W. Eckner Street, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
$75/PLAYER / $300 PER 4-MAN TEAM
INCLUDES GREEN FEE, CART, & POST MATCH MEAL AT SANDTRAP TAVERN
CAPTAIN’S CHOICE
4-PLAYER SCRAMBLE
Registration: B.J. Gourley, First Flight Society – 252.441.1903
Questions: Charlie Davidson – 252.548.9141
Registration and Sponsorship forms are available to download below:
Golf Tourney Registration Form
Our Calendar of Events for 2020
Here is the First Flight Society Calendar of Events for 2020:
April 16, 2020 Wilbur Wright Birthday Celebration
May 16, 2020 First Flight/Girls Golf Golf Tournament
August 19, 2020 National Aviation Day/Orville Wright Birthday Celebration
December 16-17, 2020 117th Anniversary of Powered Flight
More details to follow as the events get closer.
December 17th Celebration Itinerary
WELCOME TO THE
116TH ANNIVERSARY OF POWERED FLIGHT
Celebrating
The Legacy of Orville and Wilbur Wright
Honoring
The 70th Anniversary of the World War II Berlin Airlift
June 1948 – September 1949
December 17, 2019
Wright Brothers National Memorial Park
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
TODAY’S PROGRAM
9:00 a.m. Park Gates Open to Visitors
PRELUDE BAND CONCERT
First Flight High School Band, Bob Ebert, Director
9:30 a.m. ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM
WELCOME & GUEST RECOGNITION Arthur Lamothe, President, First Flight Society, Inc.
PRESENTATION OF COLORS Camden High School ROTC
NATIONAL ANTHEM Walter Swan, Director – ECSU Choir
FLYOVER TRIBUTE TO U.S. Navy C-40, U.S. Air Force […]
The 116th Wright Brothers Anniversary of Powered Flight and More.
ON DECEMBER 17, 2019 THE FIRST FLIGHT SOCIETY HONORS A 99-YEAR-OLD WWII VETERAN, THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT AND THE 116TH ANNIVERSARY OF POWERED FLIGHT.
JOIN US AT WRIGHT BROTHERS NATIONAL MONUMENT IN KILL DEVIL HILLS, NC.
The First Flight Society annually honors those individuals and groups that have achieved significant “firsts” in aviation and includes them in our Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine exhibit at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This year’s honorees are 99-year-old Colonel Gail Halvorsen, USAF (Ret) “the Candy Bomber” and the Berlin Airlift (June 27, 1948 to May 12, 1949) commemorating the 70th Anniversary of that historic event.
On the morning of December 17, 2019 we will honor the Berlin Airlift 70th Anniversary with ceremonies on the Wright Brothers National Memorial grounds at Kitty Hawk, NC. The 116th Anniversary Celebration of the […]