News & Events

First Flight Society Selects William P Lear as 2025 Paul E Garber First Flight Shrine Honoree

The First Flight Society announced today that William P Lear has been named the 2025 Honoree 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, 2025, with a celebration banquet scheduled on December 16, 2025, in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of Lear will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2025, celebrating the 122nd Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.

William Powell Lear (June 26, 1902 – May 14, 1978) was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding Learjet, a manufacturer of business jets.

The shrine was established in 1966 to honor individuals and groups for achieving significant “firsts” in aviation development since 1903. Charles Lindbergh, Mary Feik, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures), Gail Halvorsen, Sally K. Ride, Walter and Olive Ann Beech, and most recently Charles McGee among others.

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 operations that they are generally recognized nationally and internationally for their achievements and contributions to aerospace activities.”

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. For 2026 the committee accepted letters of nomination accompanied by supporting documentation and narrows down the finalists. The Board of the First Flight Society votes to select the final honoree. Nominations for 2026 closed on March 31st.

For more information about the Paul E Garber Shrine visit https://firstflight.org/first-flight-shrine/

Celebrate Wilbur Wright’s Birthday With The First Flight Society On Wednesday, April 16th!

KITTY HAWK, N.C. – March 27, 2025 – PRLog — The First Flight Society will celebrate the 4th annual

Wilbur Wright Day event, a luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn Outer Banks/Kitty Hawk on Wednesday,

April 16th, 2025. The event runs from 11AM-2PM featuring the subject Celebrating Wilbur Wright’s

Choice of Kitty Hawk and the Impact of That Choice on the Development of the Outer Banks.

Speakers include Captain Paul Carr as the Spirit of Wilbur Wright, National Park Interpreter Adonis

Osekre, and Dare County Vice Chairman Steve House. Carr and House are both board members of the

First Flight Society.

Sponsors and partners will be recognized as part of the event. An additional highlight will be a silent

auction to raise money for First Flight Society programs. The auction includes signed items from FFS

Honorary Members and sponsor donations. Please contact FFS if you would like to be a sponsor.

The luncheon is open to the public and there will be a fee for the lunch. Tickets are available now at

https://tinyurl.com/WWD-Luncheon

#WilburWrightDay is April 16th with the luncheon on his 158th birthday. Wilbur Wright was born on

April 16, 1867, near Millville, Indiana, the middle child in a family of five children. Additional information

about #WilburWrightDay can be found at https://www.wilburwrightday.org.

Celebrate National Aviation Day with First Flight Society on August 19, 2023

NAD 2021

The First Flight Society announced the 5th annual National Aviation Day at Dare County Regional Airport on August 19th, 2023. The event runs from 10AM-3PM and features Airplane Displays, Exhibitors, and Food Trucks. The mission of the celebration is to provide a fun and educational experience promoting, honoring, and celebrating the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers and helping educate the world about aviation. NAD is a free event aimed at all ages.

NAD is also Orville Wright’s birthday. Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt was the creator of National Aviation Day, deciding for the first time in 1939 that the nation should celebrate the growth and advancements being made in aviation.

Our keynote speaker will be historian Larry Tise.

Dare County Regional airport (MQI) is located at 410 Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954.

Additional information can be found at www.nationalaviationday.org.

The Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, later named First Flight Society, began as a group of local businessmen who successfully petitioned the US Congress to fund and build a monument to the Wright Brothers’ 1903 achievement.

The FFS plans an annual celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17th to memorialize the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC.

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 120th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.


Walter Herschel Beech (January 30, 1891 – November 29, 1950) was an American aviator and early
aviation entrepreneur who co-founded the Beech Aircraft Company in 1932 with his wife, Olive Ann
Beech, and a team of three others. Olive Ann Mellor Beech (September 25, 1903 – July 6, 1993) was an
American aerospace businesswoman who was not only co-founder, but later president, and chairwoman of the Beech Aircraft Corporation. She earned more awards, honorary appointments, and special citations than any other woman in aviation history and was . often referred to as the “First Lady of Aviation”.


William Douglas, Chairman of the First Flight Society’s National Advisory Committee, served
as Chair of the Dr. Paul E. Garber Shrine Selection Panel and managed the selection process.
For more information about the Paul E Garber Shrine visit https://firstflight.org/first-flight-shrine/

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 operations that they are generally recognized nationally and internationally for their achievements and contributions to aerospace activities.” 

Enclosed is the Nomination Form for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine, which should be mailed with any supporting documents to:  First Flight Society, Post Office Box 1903, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949.   Nominations may also be emailed to: admin@firstflight.org.

Nominations are due May 31st. Questions can be addressed to the NAC Chair, Charlie Davidson at NAC@firstflight.org

Please help us save postage expense by providing an email address we can use to communicate important and membership information to you.

Download Nomination Form

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 your expenses to travel to the Orlando, Florida area for the experience.

Enter Sweepstakes

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 memorialize the work of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC. First Flight Society also celebrates Wilbur Wright Day on April 16th and National Aviation Day on August 19th which is also Orville Wright’s birthday.

Without the First Flight Society there would not be a Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, later named First Flight Society, began as a group of local businessmen who successfully petitioned the US Congress to fund and build a monument to the Wright Brothers’ 1903 achievement. The FFS celebrates its 96th year in 2023.

First Flight Society has the Vision that One day people everywhere will be inspired by the dauntless resolution and tireless work of the Wright Brothers. Their Mission is that We tell the story of the Wright Brothers through community events, education, and the commemoration of the world’s very first powered flight, in Kitty Hawk, NC

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 raise money for First Flight Society programs. The auction will include signed items from FFS Honorary Members.

Buy Luncheon Tickets

Dr. Jakab is responsible for the NASM exhibit The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age, a major gallery featuring the original 1903 Wright Flyer.

His publications include the books Visions of a Flying Machine: The Wright Brothers and the Process of Invention (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1990); The Published Writings of Wilbur and Orville Wright (Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000), and The Wright Brothers and The Invention of the Aerial Age (National Geographic Society, 2003), the companion book to the exhibition.

The emcee of the luncheon is Paul Carr as “The Spirit of Wilbur Wright”. FFS President Mike Fonseca will do a short presentation about the future of the Society. Dr. Jakab will also be signing books after his presentation. Wilbur Wright Day is April 16th but this year the luncheon will be on the 14th. Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, near Millville, Indiana, the middle child in a family of five children

Buy Luncheon Tickets

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