First Flight Centennial Newsletter

In this issue of UPDATE (click on the link to go directly to story below):
Valentine's Day Sale - save 20% on official commemoratives
New Flight Service for Outer Banks
U.S. Air Race Ready for Entries
More About the "100 Heroes"
"Wilbur and Orville" photos from FAA being delivered via e-mail

VALENTINE'S DAY SALE - SAVE 20% ON COMMEMORATIVES

Make your special aviator's heart soar with a First Flight Centennial commemorative gift!

Through February 14, the First Flight Centennial Store will be offering 20% off on commemorative watches, select men's and women's apparel, poplin jackets, sweatshirts, ties, scarves, collectible ornaments, flight simulator games, coverlets, crystal paperweights, and more!

CLICK HERE to select your Valentine gifts.

NEW FLIGHT SERVICE FOR OUTER BANKS Homeowners and Visitors Can Beat the Traffic with First Class Travel
Sea Air, an FAA commercial carrier, has announced the "take-off" of convenient and professional air service to the land where flight began, making the Outer Banks more easily accessible. Beginning February 14, on demand charter flights will be available from most East Coast airports, bringing visitors from their homes to the airports of the Outer Banks. Contact Sea Air about the Valentine's Day 50% discount package for charter flights.
Beginning April 2, Sea Air will offer limited scheduled flights from Norfolk for $89 one-way plus taxes.

U.S. AIR RACE READY FOR ENTRIES

"Honor the Past. Invest in the Future" is the theme for the celebration of the sparkling 75th Diamond Anniversary of the 1929 National Air Races. The teams in the exciting cross country Marion Jayne Air Race will fly from California to Cleveland, and 300-mile air races are also planned. These fabulous flying events will be held from August 28 to September 6, 2004.
Entry kits are available at www.us-airrace.org.

MORE ABOUT THE 100 HEROES PROGRAM

It is a great pleasure that many of you have gotten engaged with the 100 Heroes program that was part of the First Flight Centennial Celebration on December 16. For the list of 100 Heroes and biographical information, visit the web site.

Probably the most common response to the 100 Heroes listing is "but what about . . . ". Here are some other heroes that our mail suggests you feel strongly about:

Larry Bell	Butch O'Hare	Florence "Pancho" Barnes
Leroy Grumman	Tom Kelly	Joe Gavin
Charles Kingsford Smith	All commercial pilots	John Alcock
Arthur Whitten-Brown	For great essays on aviation's first century, visit the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission

A belated "Happy Birthday" to a member of the 100 Heroes: Francis Rogallo (January 27), the inventor of the flexible wing, and long time resident of the Outer Banks.

This year has been a very special one because he was able to fulfill his life-long dream of Celebrating the Centennial of flight. According to Carol Sparks, Rogallo’s daughter “My Dad has been talking about December 17th for ten years, and this year his dream was realized. Not many people know this but my dad actually met Orville Wright. This motivated him in his work making flight available to everyone.”

To continue to inspire future flyers Rogallo Foundation is developing a permanent outdoor exhibit like the 2003 Centennial display provided by NASA and Kitty Hawk Kites. This exhibit will allow flexible wing enthusiasts commemorate personal flight in its birth place, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. For more information visit www.kittyhawk.com/rogallo/

DIGITAL PHOTOS FROM THE FAA ARE EN ROUTE

"Wilbur and Orville photos" are on their way! The FAA snapped more than 2000 digital photos during the First Flight Centennial Celebration at Wright Brothers National Memorial. The photos are being e-mailed daily. If your photo hasn't arrived yet, it'll be on it's way shortly. Thanks for stopping by the FAA exhibit.