Paul E Garber Shrine Archives - First Flight Society

16 04, 2024

Charles McGee Selected as 2024 Paul E Garber Shrine Honoree.

Charles McGee Selected as 2024 Paul E Garber Shrine Honoree.

By: First Flight Society, Inc

KITTY HAWK, N.C. – April 16, 2024 – The First Flight Society announced today that Brigadier General Charles McGee has been named the 2024 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, 2024, with a celebration banquet held on December 16, 2024, in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of McGee will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2024, celebrating the 121st […]

18 12, 2023

Walter and Olive Ann Beech

Inducted in 2023

Founders of Beechcraft

Walter H. Beech

1891 – 1950

Olive Ann Beech

1903-1993

In the mid 1920s, young WWI veteran and bold barnstormer, Walter H. Beech became one of the early leaders of the growing airplane industry. Walter and his wife, Olive Ann, founded the Beech Aircraft Company in 1932 and created a legacy of general aviation aircraft known for safety, dependability, beauty and speed.

Olive Ann Beech became one of the first female CEOs of a Fortune 500 Company as well as the first woman to lead a major aircraft company. Because of her finacial and organizational skills she was responsible for Beech Aircraft being one of the most successful airplane manufacturing companies in the world knon for quality, service and excellence. She is forever known as thr “First Lady of Aviation”.

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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3 01, 2023

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.

Inducted in 2022

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was the first black brigadier general in the USAF.

December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was a United States Air Force general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. Davis Jr was born December 18th, 1912 in Washington, DC. He earned a 1932 nomination to the U.S. Military Academy from Rep. Oscar S. De Priest (R-Ill.), then America’s only black congressman. He was the first African-American to be admitted to the Academy since Reconstruction.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Army Air Corps to create a flying organization for African-American troops. Davis Jr., the only living black West Point graduate, was ordered from Ft. Benning, Ga., to Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. Davis […]

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21 11, 2022

Make Plans to Celebrate Wright Brothers Day 2022!

Save the date! December 17th, 2022 is the 119th anniversary of powered flight. The First Flight Society will be honoring Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. as the 2022 Paul E Garber Shrine inductee. The Shrine is 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, 2022, with a celebration luncheon also held that day in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of General Davis will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th.

The FFS Annual Luncheon will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn OBX/Kitty Hawk at 12:00 […]

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26 03, 2022

We are Accepting Nominations for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine for 2023

Honorees for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine are selected annually by our National Advisory Committee from a list of nominees submitted to the First Flight Society and passed to the Committee for consideration. 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, has made such outstanding accomplishments in manned flight that they are generally recognized nationally and internationally for their achievements and contributions to aviation.” Nominees are kept on file for immediate or future consideration. Enclosed is the Nomination Form for the 2023 Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine Inductee, which can be emailed with any supporting documents to: [email protected] or mailed as indicated on the form. Nominations are due April 30th, 2022. Please call our office if you have other questions.