Society News

/Society News
3 05, 2023

Walter and Olive Ann Beech Selected as 2023 Paul E Garber Shrine Honorees

Walter and Olive Ann Beech Selected as 2023 Paul E Garber Shrine Honorees

The First Flight Society announced today that Walter and Olive Ann Beech have been
named the 2023 Honorees to be inducted into the Dr. Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine located in the
Museum and Visitors Center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,
USA.


This honor 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. The induction ceremony will be held on Wright Brothers Day, December 17, 2023,
with a celebration banquet held on December 16, 2023 in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of the Beechs will be
unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2023, celebrating the […]

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21 04, 2023

Call for Nominations

Call for Nominations for the 2024 Paul E Garber First Flight Shrine.

Download Nomination Form

Honorees for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine are selected annually by a National Advisory Committee from a list of nominees submitted to the First Flight Society and public that is passed to the Committee for consideration.  The committee accepts a letter of nomination accompanied by supporting documentation. 

The nominee(s) may but does not have to be a “first” but rather “…a person, living or dead, who since December 17, 1903, either personally or with the assistance of others, have made such outstanding accomplishments in support of flight […]

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18 03, 2023

Win a Stallion 51 WWII Flight Experience!

Enter today for your chance to experience a WWII Flight Experience in both a T-6 Texan trainer and P-51 Mustang Fighter!

This is your chance to experience flight in both the trainer and operational aircraft as some of our First Flight Society Honorees such as the “Red Tail” Tuskegee Airmen General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., USAF and Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, USAF, did as well as such other famous First Flight Society Honorees as Col. Jacqueline Cochran, USAF (Former WASP), Maj. Gen. Robert White, USAF, and Brig. Gen. Charles Yeager, USAF! The Stallion 51 Corporation offers a rare and exhilarating hands-on flight experience in both the T-6 Texan and P-51 Mustang. The winner can schedule the experience up to 12 months after winning and the prize award includes $800 towards […]

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8 03, 2023

Introducing the 2023 First Flight Society Board of Directors

The First Flight Society announces its Board of Directors for 2023. Most of the directors are from North Carolina.

The newly elected Executive Committee consists of:

President-Mike Fonseca

Vice President-Paul Wright Jameson

Finance Committee Chair- H Taylor Sugg

Marketing/Membership Committee Chair-William “Bill” Douglas

Education Committee Chair-Judith Fearing

Events Committee Chair-Tony Bruno

The rest of the 2023 board consists of:

Peter Bruemmer, Paul Carr, Sara Lou Copeland, Danny Couch, M. Roy Daniels, III, Dr Charles Davidson, Orestes Gooden, Todd Huvard, Penny Leary Smith, William Nelson, Doug Seay, Mike Smith, K Lynn Tadlock and Peregrine White. Lynn Tadlock is new to the board this year.

The FFS plans an annual celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on Wright Brothers Day, December 17th to […]

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3 03, 2023

Wilbur Wright Day Luncheon with Special Guest Speaker on Friday, April 14th

Join us for our Second Annual Wilbur Wright Day Celebration on April 14th, 2023

The Celebration will include a keynote speaker, a luncheon and a silent auction.

The event runs from 11AM-2PM and features Dr. Peter L. Jakab, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

The luncheon is open to the public and there will be a fee for the lunch.

Sponsors and partners will be recognized as part of the event. The event is free for First Flight Society Lifetime members, while individual members will get lunch at a discount. An additional highlight will be a silent auction to […]

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20 11, 2022

First Flight Society Announces 2022 Class of Honorary Members

Zara Rutherford
Zara Rutherford
Nicole Malachowski
Nicole Malachowski
Jerry Yagen
Jerry Yagen

KITTY HAWK, N.C. – Nov. 19, 2022 – The First Flight Society announces 4 new Honorary
Members for 2022: Record holder Zara Rutherford, military pilot Nicole Malachowski, airplane collector
Jerry Yagen and artist Gregory Kavalec.


Zara Rutherford became the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world and the first person to
circumnavigate the earth in a microlight aircraft. She was just 19 years old when she began a 5-month
journey that started in Kortrijk, Belgium, in August 2021, and ended back there in January 2022.


Nicole Malachowski was the first female pilot selected […]

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16 08, 2022

Win a Once in a Lifetime Experience to fly in a WWII P-51 Fighter!

Enter today for your chance to fly in a WWII P-51 Fighter!

This is your chance to fly in the same type of aircraft as some of our First Flight Society Honorees such as Brig. Gen. Charles Yeager, USAF, the “Red Tail” Tuskegee airmen, including Gen. Benjamin Davis, USAF (the 2022 Honoree), and Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, USAF, as well as such other famous National Shrine Honorees as Col. Jacqueline Cochran, USAF (Former WASP), and Maj. Gen. Robert White, USAF. The First Flight Society is offering an exhilarating P-51 flight experienc in “Red Nose” operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Airbase Georgia. The winner can schedule the experience up to 12 months after winning and the prize award includes $700 towards your expenses to travel to Peachtree City, GA for the experience. […]

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11 07, 2022

Your Chance To Win a 2022 Jeep Wrangler 392 with a 6.4L HEMI V8 engine!

The Rubicon 392 is the ONLY WRANGLER with a 6.4L HEMI® V8 engine. This Jeep is highly sought after, and we have one on hand to give away to one lucky winner! This Rubicon comes in Silver Zynith Clear coat exterior and a Black interior with Leather trimmed bucket seats, 8-speed automatic transmission and LT285/70R17C OWL off-road tires. These cars typically sell for a premium over the $79,380 list price. You can no longer order a 2022 392 in any form.


The Sweepstakes began on June 30, 2022 and ends at 10:00am EST on December 17, 2022 (“Sweepstakes
Period”). Entries received outside this time will be ineligible and will be discarded. The Sweepstakes for the prize or prizes will be conducted by the Organization at 12:00pm EST on December 17, 2022 at Wright Brothers National Memorial, 1000 N Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27949. The […]

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