NASA Administrator Honored at 109th First Flight Anniversary [Photo Gallery]
The 109th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight was celebrated today at Wright National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, honoring man’s journey from the sands of these Outer Banks all the way to space by inducting NASA Administrator Charles Frank Bolden, Jr. (pictured below), a retired Major General (USMC), into the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine.
Shrine inductees are selected each year for outstanding accomplishments in manned flight and for their contributions to aviation, with Bolden joining such outstanding notables as Former President George H. W. Bush, Neil Armstrong, Charles Lindbergh, John H. Glenn, Jr., and the Tuskegee Airmen.
The annual celebration of powered flight memorializes and pays homage to the Wright Brothers and their great accomplishments and to the “..12 seconds that changed the world..”.
This year’s ceremony also recognized the 100th Anniversary of Marine Corps Aviation, as Bolden was honored for his personal accomplishments and as an outstanding representative of Marine Corps Aviation, and the 80th anniversary of the dedication of the Wright Monument itself.
The annual aircraft fly over was unfortunately concelled due to bad weather, but Elizabeth City’s Northeastern High School Band kep spirits high and warm inside the First Flight, as did an emotional opening Pledge of Allegiance led by a group of local elementary school students.
You can view more of our exclusive images in the gallery below!
(click an image to enlarge)
(photos by Artz Music & Photography)
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