First Flight Society Celebrates Wilbur Wright Day 2022 On April 16th

The First Flight Society announced the 1st annual Wilbur Wright Day at Currituck County Regional Airport on April 16th, 2022. The event runs from 12PM-3PM and features historian Larry Tise and other speakers.

FFS will display the winning artwork of the 2022 FFS Youth Aviation Art Contest. The society will also introduce the first four teachers they are sponsoring for classes leading to Continuing Education Credits from Sally Ride Science at the University of California-San Diego.

Come visit displays from the First Flight Society and Civil Air Patrol among others. All children will receive an aviation activity booklet from FFS sponsor, AOPA.

This will also be the launch day of the First Flight Society Kids Club www.ffskidsclub.com focusing on youth aviation education for elementary aged children 6-12 years old.  

Other speakers include Currituck historian Barbara Snowden and Paul Carr as The Spirit of Wilbur Wright. Mr. Tise will also be signing books after his presentation.                                              

The mission of the celebration is to provide a fun and educational experience celebrating the life of Wilbur Wright and helping educate the world about aviation. WWD is Wilbur Wright’s birthday and a free event aimed at all ages.

Presentations will be in classrooms of the College of the Albemarle-Currituck at the Currituck County Regional airport (ONX). COA-Currituck is located at 107 College Way, Barco, NC 27917.

Additional information can be found at www.nationalaviationday.org/wilbur-wright-day.

First Flight Society 2022 Young Artist Contest


Firsts in Aviation and Aerospace – Use Your Imagination!
The First Flight Society invited Northeastern North Carolina students to participate in our 2022 Young Artist Contest.


The Contest is an opportunity for Young Artists in Camden, Currituck, Dare, Hyde, Pasquotank and Tyrrell Counties to express themselves artistically according to the selected theme.


Teachers also have an excellent starting point to teach students about the legacy of Wilbur and Orville Wright in North Carolina.

Participating Young Artists are urged to let their artistic talents
and their imagination soar to create their own personal vision of a person, aircraft or flight system that was a first in aviation.

Each year the First Flight Society recognizes a person who has
made an outstanding contribution to the great world of aviation. In 2022, the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine honoree will be Benjamin O. Davis, commander of the Tuskegee Airmen
— The first African American fighter group in World War II.

Rules for participation in the First Flight Society’s 2022 Young Artist Aviation Contest.

Eligibility: Children enrolled in the following grades are encouraged to participate in the appropriate category listed.


Category I Students in Grades K-2

Category II Students in Grades 3-5

Category III Students in Grades 6-8

Category IV Students in Grades 9-12

The winners will be displayed at the Wilbur Wright Day event at COA-Currituck on April 16th.

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.

2023 NOMINATION FORM – ShrineDownload

Benjamin O. Davis Jr Selected as 2022 Paul E Garber Shrine Honoree.


The First Flight Society announced today that Benjamin O. Davis Jr., has been named the 2022 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, 2022, with a celebration banquet held on December 16, 2022 in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of Benjamin O. Davis Jr. will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2022, celebrating the 119th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.


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 would see the Tuskegee Airmen swell in ranks to 1,000 and form the 99th Pursuit Squadron, later the 332d Fighter Squadron. By the end of the war Davis had flown 60 combat missions and had been promoted to colonel.


Davis also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He ended his career as deputy commander in chief of the U.S. Air Force. After retiring in 1970, he served as an assistant secretary at the Department of Transportation under President Richard M. Nixon. Davis died July 4th, 2002 at age 89.


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 First Flight Society/ Paul Garber Shrine


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 plans an annual celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17th mandated by their bylaws to memorialize the work of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC.


They created the Paul E Garber Shrine in 1966 to honor individuals and groups for achieving significant “firsts” in aviation development since 1903. Charles Lindbergh, Tuskegee Airmen, Mary Feik, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures) and most recently astronaut Sally K. Ride among others.


First Flight Society promotes aviation education through an Aviation Education Committee to expand the knowledge of the Wright Brothers’ legacy by bringing aviation education programs to students in Dare County. They also offer an annual FFS Scholarship through Outer Banks Community Foundation for students pursuing aviation education in North Carolina.

Introducing the 2022 First Flight Society Board of Directors

KITTY HAWK, N.C. – January 13, 2022 — The First Flight Society would like to announce its Board of Directors for 2022. Most of the directors are from North Carolina.

The newly elected Executive Committee consists of:

President-Mike Fonseca
1st Vice President-Dr Charles Davidson
2nd Vice President-William “Bill” Douglas
Treasurer-H Taylor Sugg
Secretary-Paul Carr

The rest of the 2022 board consists of :

Peter Bruemmer, Tony Bruno, Sara Lou Copeland, Danny Couch, M. Roy Daniels, III, David Daniels, Judith Fearing, Orestes Gooden, Barbara Gourley, Todd Huvard, Paul Wright Jameson, Penny Leary Smith, William Nelson, Doug Seay, Mike Smith, and Peregrine White.

Mike Smith is a former president of the 94 year old Society that started out as the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association.

The FFS plans an annual celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on Wright Brothers Day, December 17th mandated by their bylaws to memorialize the work of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC. First Flight Society also celebrates 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.

They created the Paul E Garber Shrine in 1966 to honor individuals and groups for achieving significant “firsts” in aviation development since 1903. (Charles Lindbergh, Tuskegee Airmen, Mary Feik, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures) and most recently astrounaut Sally K Ride, among others.

First Flight Society promotes aviation education through an Aviation Education Committee to expand the knowledge of the Wright Brothers’ legacy by bringing aviation education programs to students in Dare County. They also offer an annual FFS Scholarship through Outer Banks Community Foundation for students pursuing aviation education in North Carolina.

First Flight Society Announces 2021 Class of Honorary Members

  • Mark Baker
  • Tom Crouch
  • Rob Holland

– November 18, 2021 – The First Flight Society announces 3 new Honorary Members: AOPA President Mark Baker, Historian Tom Crouch and Aerobatic Champion Rob Holland.

Tom D Crouch is an American aeronautics historian and curator. Tom Crouch joined the Smithsonian in 1974 and has served both the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History in a variety of curatorial and administrative posts. Dr. Crouch retired in 2018 and is a curator emeritus. He is the author or editor of several books and many articles for both popular magazines and scholarly journals. These include: The Bishop’s Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Mark Baker is Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)’s fifth president. He is a commercial pilot with single- and multiengine land and seaplane ratings and a rotorcraft rating. In conjunction with his role as president and CEO of AOPA, Baker is chairman of AOPA’s Political Action Committee, chief executive officer for the AOPA Foundation, president of the International Council of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations representing pilots in 72 countries, and publisher of AOPA Pilot.

Rob Holland is one of the premier airshow performers and freestyle aerobatic competition pilots in the world today. He is Ten-time, consecutive, U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, Five-time, consecutive, World 4-minute Freestyle Champion and Eleven-time, U.S. 4-minute Freestyle Champion.

Tom has had a long association with the First Flight Society and often speaks about the Wright Brothers at the December 17th Wright Brothers Celebration. Rob joins aerobatic pilots Sean D Tucker and Patty Wagstaff as a First Flight Society Honorary Member. Mark Baker is a longtime general aviation (GA) pilot and only the fifth president in the 75-year history of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

The Honorary Member program launched last year to enhance the public visibility of luminaries like these who have achieved national recognition in aviation. First Flight Society will recognize them in Society Media during their lifetime. In turn, FFS offers them the chance to attend the December 17th Luncheon in Kitty Hawk, NC and be honored along with that year’s Honoree. With the cancellation of last year’s luncheon, the Society hopes to renew that offer this December to the Class of 2020.

This year’s honoree is Dr Sally K Ride, the first American woman in space. Ride was a Physicist, astronaut, and champion of science education. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

She will be inducted into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine at Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17, 2021.

The FFS plans an annual Wright Brothers Day Celebration at the Wright Brothers National Memorial on December 17th mandated by their bylaws to memorialize the work of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, NC. More information about the event can be found at www.wrightbrothersday.org

More information about the First Flight Society can be found at www.firstflight.org

Your Chance to Win a ride in a P-51 Mustang + this Wooden Display Model!

 

 

Enter for Your Chance to Win a ride in a P-51 Mustang + this Wooden Display Model!

 
Win this P-51D Mustang “Glamorous Glen III” Model of the aircraft flown by Capt. Charles “Chuck” Yeager, 363rd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group during WWII. (Scale: 1/24, Wingspan 18.25 inches, Length 18.50 inches)
RETAIL VALUE $250
 

Enter by November 24th, 2021 with the promo code YEAGER21 for a chance to win this model + 30% more tickets free
 

 

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 the “Red Tail” Tuskegee airmen, including General Benjamin Davis, USAF and Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, USAF, as well as such other famous flyer 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 P-51 flight experience. The winner can schedule the experience up to 12 months after winning and the prize award includes $600 towards your expenses to travel to the Orlando, Florida area for the experience. Also included as part of the ride package will be a Stallion 51 Jacket, T-Shirt and Cap!

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Special Offer for members and friends of the First Flight Society! Use the promo code YEAGER21 for a chance to win the P-51 model and get  30% more tickets!

 

 
Stallion 51’s TF-51 Mustang “Crazy Horse II” the aircraft you will fly in if you win the sweepstakes!
 

 

FLASH Contest! Enter to win your chance to Fly in a P-51 by November 24th and you will get a chance to win this P-51 Mustang model!

 

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Entry amounts range from $25 for 20 tickets to $2000 for 4000 tickets!

 

 

 

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All proceeds from this sweepstakes support the nonprofit First Flight Society dedicated to preserving the history of the Wright Brothers. Your support ensures that the society can continue to share this history with you and the public. Thank you! 
Promo code can not be applied to previous donations. 

Make Plans to Celebrate Wright Brothers Day 2021

Save the date! December 17th, 2021 is the 118th anniversary of powered flight. The First Flight Society will be honoring Sally Ride as the 2021 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, 2021, with a celebration luncheon also held that day in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of Sally Ride will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th.

Dr Ride was a Mission Specialist on STS-7 in 1983 and STS-41-G in 1984. On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to fly in space. Until her death on July 23, 2012, Ride continued to help students. A long-time advocate for improved science education, Dr. Ride has written five science books for children. She worked with science programs and festivals around the United States.

FFS will recognize our 2020 and 2021 Classes of Honorary Members. The Class of 2020 is Colonel Gail Halverson aka “Candy Bomber”, Brigadier General Charles McGee, Lt Colonel Dick Rutan, Sean Tucker, and Patty Wagstaff. Halvorsen, McGee and Rutan were Paul Garber honorees in the past. Col Halvorsen was inducted in 2019 and General McGee as a Tuskegee Airman in 2004. Tucker and Wagstaff are world renowned aerobatics pilots.

The 2021 Class of Honorary members will be announced on November 19th, 2021

The First Flight Society is proud and honored to have all of these luminaries as new Honorary Members.

Save the Date for Wright Brothers Day 2021

Every December 17th, The First Flight Society celebrates the Anniversary of powered flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. This day is also known as Wright Brothers Day.
Sally K Ride, has been named the 2021 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, 2021, with a celebration Luncheon held that afternoon in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of Sally Ride will be unveiled and presented at the morning ceremony on December 17th, celebrating the 118th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.

The event will be from 9AM-5PM, both in person and online. The morning ceremonies will be from 9-11 at the WBNM park. Come out and see speakers from NASA Langley Research Center and Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego. Park admission will be free that day. There will be videos and livestreaming on Facebook Live. The morning ceremony will be capped off with a Flyover. Members and the public are invited to our Celebration luncheon in Kitty Hawk at 12 noon. Following the luncheon is our FFS Annual Membership meeting. 

Please start making plans to join us in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to “Celebrate the 12 Seconds That Changed the World”!