The 115th Anniversary of the accomplishment of manned powered flight by the Brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright, will be celebrated at the Wright Brother National Memorial on Monday, December 17, 2018 with gates opening at 8:00 AM. The event is sponsored by the First Flight Society, the oldest organization honoring the Wright Brothers, in partnership with the National Park Service.
This year’s program honors Katherine Johnson. A key figure in the history of manned space flight, Katherine Johnson participated for 33 years in the NASA space programs based in Hampton, Virginia. Her work as a mathematician in the early years of the NASA manned space program has been celebrated in writing and cinema. In 2017 NASA dedicated the Katherine Johnson Computational Research Facility at Langley in her honor.
Dr. David Bowles, Director of the NASA Langley […]
115th Anniversary of Powered Flight – Our biggest celebration December 16 & 17, 2018. Wright Brothers National Memorial Park admission is free on December 17 and the Anniversary program begins at 9:00 a.m. THIS IS A MONDAY, so plan early so you don’t miss it! No longer a hidden figure in the history of NASA and Aviation, Mrs. Katherine Johnson will be inducted into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Society Shrine on December 17th!
Here is the front page of the latest edition of The Flyer, the official publication of the First Flight Society. Haven’t gotten yours yet? There is a simple way to remedy that. A membership in the First Flight Society will get this sent right to your door!
Readers of The Flyer were the first to know that this year’s Paul E Garber First Flight Shrine Honoree is Katherine G Johnson. If you’ve read the book or seen the movie Hidden Figures, you now exactly who this amazing lady is. Mrs Johnson will be inducted into the First Flight Shrine during the annual Wright Brothers Celebration in Kill Devil Hills this December 17th.
Did you know that without the First Flight Society there would be no Wright Brothers National Memorial? There also wouldn’t be an annual celebration on December 17th of each year.
The First Flight Society was born in 1927 under the parenting of W.O. Saunders, the publisher of the Elizabeth City newspaper, The Independent. It started life as the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, a group of 46 like minded businessman, who came together to promote the building of a memorial to the Wright Brothers’ first flight in 1903.
The first celebration of the first flight was the 25th anniversary on December 17th, 1928.
Please join us and help support our mission of honoring the Wright Brothers. Its as easy as clicking on this link!
Wright Brothers National Memorial announced today that it will offer six days without entrance fees in 2018.
The 2018 entrance fee free days are:
“2018 is guaranteed to be an exciting year at Wright Brothers National Memorial,” said National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac. “Entrance fees will be waived on six fee free days, staff will continue working with our valuable partners to hold inspiring National Aviation Day and first flight anniversary events, and there will a grand reopening of the park’s visitor center next year.”
Bring your family and friends to Wright Brothers National Memorial, site of the first powered flight, and learn more about this great nation’s aviation […]
On Sunday, December 17, 2017, the First Flight Society and the National Park Service (NPS) will continue the tradition of honoring the accomplishments of Wilbur and Orville Wright at the 114th anniversary celebration of the first heavier-than-air, controlled, powered flight. The event takes place at the tent area south of the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center parking area and park entrance fees will be waived for the day.
Scheduled events for the day include:
8:30 a.m. – The observance begins with a patriotic musical prelude by the Northeastern High School Band from Elizabeth City, NC.
8:45 a.m. – The formal program will commemorate the Wrights’ achievement. Arthur Lamothe, President of the First Flight Society, will open the program; the Civil Air Patrol, NC and VA Wings will present the colors; Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology will lead the pledge of allegiance; Graham Outten will lead the National Anthem; and […]
Jerrie Mock, the first woman to complete a solo flight around the world, will be the 2015 inductee in the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine. The induction is part of ceremonies to be held on December 17th at Wright Brothers National Memorial. In 1964, at age 38, and the mother of three, Ms. Mock flew a single engine Cessna 180 christened the “Spirit of Columbus”, nicknamed “Charlie”, a total of 23,000 miles in 29 days, to become another “first” in the world of aviation.
Geraldine “Jerrie” Fredritz Mock was born on November 22, 1925 in Newark, Ohio. Her interest in flying started at the early age of seven when she had her first airplane ride, and declared she was going to be a pilot. She was eleven when Amelia Earhart launched her around the world flight, and every day […]