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[Jon]

In History's Footsteps, Celebrating 100 Aviation Pioneers
December 16, 2003

Editors note: Well, here we are again, although posting our notes a couple days later than anticipated   Better late than never, eh?  The blog entry for December 17 will be following shortly...

Today was a memorable day at the Wright Brothers First Flight Centennial Celebration.  For the first time all week were were unable to visit ANY of the exhibits - the entire day was one giant airshow!

Early in the day was the announcement of 100 aviation pioneers, with honors going to the likes of Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Bob Hoover, Charles Lindbergh, and Amelia Earhardt.  Wilbur and Orville Wright counted as one entry   Here's the full list:

Quote

1903-1913: Louis Bleriot: Pilot; Glenn Hammond Curtis: Pilot, designer, manufacturer; Baroness Raymonde de Laroche: Pilot; Benjamin Foulois: Military aviator; Samuel Langley: Aviation pioneer; Glenn Martin: Pilot, designer, manufacturer; Ludwig Prandtl: Physicist, pioneer in aerodynamic science; Harriet Quimby: Pilot; Charlie Taylor: Wright flyer engine-builder; Theodore Von Karman: Physicist, aeronautical engineer; Wilbur and Orville Wright: Aviation pioneers. 

1913-1923: Geoffrey de Havilland: Aircraft designer; Donald Douglas Sr.: Aeronautical engineer, manufacturer; Allan Lockheed: Pilot, designer, manufacturer; William "Billy" Mitchell: Military aviation pioneer; Edward "Eddie" Rickenbacker: Military pilot, airline executive; Sir Thomas Sopwith: Pilot, designer, manufacturer; Elmer Sperry: Engineer, inventor; Lawrence Sperry: Engineer, inventor; Cmdr. Elmer Stone: Pilot; Baron Manfred von Richthoffen, "The Red Baron": Military pilot.

1923-1933: Walter Beech: Pilot, manufacturer; William Boeing: Manufacturer; Clyde Cessna: Manufacturer, pilot; Jimmy Dolittle: Military pilot; Amelia Earhart: Pilot; Robert Goddard: Rocket and space pioneer; William Lear Sr.: Manufacturer, inventor; Charles Lindbergh: Pilot; James McDonnell: Engineer, aerospace industrialist; Willi Messerschmitt: Engineer, designer; Wiley Post: Pilot

1933-1943: Frank Andrews: Military aviator; Harry Combs: Entrepreneur, pilot, instructor; Benjamin Davis: Military pilot; Ernst Heinkel: Engineer; Elrey Jeppessen: Entrepreneur, navigation pioneer; Clarence "Kelly" Johnson: Engineer; Jack Northrop: Inventor, industrialist, designer; William Piper Sr.: Industrialist; Eleanor Roosevelt: Aviation promoter; Igor Sikorsky: Industrialist, inventor; Cyrus "C.R." Smith: Entrepreneur, military aviator; Hans J.P. von Ohain: Scientist; Sir Frank Whittle: Scientist.

1943-1953: Henry "Hap" Arnold: Military leader, pilot; Richard Bong: Military pilot; Jacqueline Cochrane: Pilot; Marcel Dassault: Aviation pioneer, industrialist, politician; Charles Draper: Engineer; Sen. Barry Goldwater: Aviation promoter; Robert "Bob" Hoover: Promoter, test pilot; Curtis LeMay: Military pilot and strategist; Francis Rogallo: Inventor; Paul Tibbets Jr.: Military pilot; Hoyt Vandenberg: Military strategist; Charles "Chuck" Yeager: Military and test pilot.

1953-1963: A. Scott Crossfield: Test pilot; Hugh Dryden: Physicist, NASA administrator; Col. Yuri Gagarin: Cosmonaut; John H. Glenn Jr.: Military pilot, astronaut, politician; Jeanne Holm: Military leader; Sergei Pavolovich Korolev: Rocket designer; Walter "Wally" Schirra: Astronaut, military pilot; Bernard Schriever: Military leader; Rear Adm. Alan B. Shepard Jr.: Military aviator, astronaut; Wernher von Braun: Engineer.

1963-1973: Buzz Aldrin: Astronaut, test pilot; Neil Armstrong: Astronaut, test pilot; Frank Borman: Astronaut, pilot, airline executive; Michael Collins: Astronaut, test pilot; Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr.: Astronaut; James Lovell Jr.: Astronaut, test pilot; Geraldine Mock: Pilot; Robin Olds: Military pilot; Thomas Stafford: Astronaut, test pilot; Valentina Tereshkova: Cosmonaut.

1973-1983: George Brown: Military strategist; Daniel "Chappie" James: Military pilot; Martha King: Pilot, instructor; Donald "Deke" Slayton: Astronaut, military pilot; Emily Howell Warner: Pilot.

1983-1993: President George Bush: Military pilot; Mae Jemison: Astronaut, physician; Joe Kittinger: Military pilot, balloonist; Capt. Bruce McCandless II: Astronaut; Tom Poberezny: Pilot, aviation promoter; Paul Poberezny: Military pilot, test pilot, aviation promoter; Sally Ride: Astronaut; Burt Rutan: Inventor; Dick Rutan: Inventor, pilot, military pilot; Patty Wagstaff: Pilot; Jeana Yeager: Pilot.

1993-2003: Colleen Barrett: Airline executive; Margaret Sidonie Sansom Bosin: Military pilot and leader; Eileen Collins: Astronaut; Jane Garvey: Industry leader; Marion Jayne: Pilot, aviation promoter; Shannon Lucid: Astronaut, biochemist; Sheila Widnall: Military leader.

After presenting the 100 heroes of aviation, 4 planes dropped 100 skydivers from an altitude of 15,500ft in tribute to the aviation pioneers.  It was an indescribable sight that could not be given justice on film.  Here is a photo showing barely more than half of the skydivers as they decended from a blindingly bright sky over the Wright Brothers First Flight Memorial:


Some of the skydivers were supposed to form the letters "USA" in flight, but we did not see it   The last skydiver was carrying a large American flag, and upon landing the crowd erupted in cheers.  Immediately after landing four F-15 Eagles blazed by in tight formation.


For a couple hours afterwards we had flybys of planes large and small, quick and slow, old and new.  Some truly unusual planes were featured, including these:

U-2:


NASA plane carrying 20,800 flags to be given to their employees:


T-6 Texan formation:


World War II Biplanes:


P-51 Mustangs:


T-38 Thunderbird (no longer flown with the Thunderbirds; they are now flying F-16s):


Near the end of the show disaster struck   The toilets at the park backed up!  According to a park ranger the facilities were not designed for the nearly 35,000 people coming every day.  The only operational toilets were on the other side of the park, and huge lines formed almost immediately.  It wasn't until we were leaving the park that the Angels of Mercy showed up:


The afternoon show featured several aerobatics groups including Patty Wagstaff in her Extra 300SX (roll rate of 400 degrees per second and can withstand +/- 15Gs!), Ian Groom in a Russian-built Sukhoi SU-31, Michael Mancuso in his Extra 300L, Bobby Younkin in a Super Decathlon, and the Aeroshell Aerobatics Team flying four T-6 Texans.  Of course, we picked up some great video footage which we'll share in the near future.  Here's a snapshot of the Aeroshell Aerobatics Team:


Yesterday it was announced the Thunderbirds would be coming today and tomorrow.  We had hoped they'd perform, but they just made a flyby.  I shouldn't say "just" because it was simply awesome - they flew the Missing Man Formation while somebody on-stage played Taps.  The F-16 that broke away from the pack flew straight up under full afterburner until you could barely see him.  Of course, you could still hear the thunderous roar from his single engine:


As soon as the show was over everybody packed up and started to leave.  We, however, noticed military personnel activity around the Osprey which was on display about 50 feet from where we had set up for the day.  We decided to hang around just in case they decided to take off, and before long they removed the intake covers and started their pre-flight checklist   Shortly afterwards we were asked to back away from the aircraft, but were only made to move back another 50 feet or so, giving us front-row seats to an event rarely seen by civilians.  With our video cameras rolling, the Osprey fired up her engines.  Smoke poured out of the right engine as the beastly rotors started spinning (anybody know the reason behind this?).  This alarmed us at first, but didn't seem to faze the crewmen standing outside the aircraft.  After what seemed like an eternity the crewmen climbed inside and the Osprey took off, climbing about 20 feet and doing a 180 for a cameraman on the ground.  Nobody (including the cameraman) had thought of the debris issue, and as soon as the Osprey had lifted off the ground a cloud of dust and dead grass was blown right into our faces.  On our way home tonight we were still shaking grass and dust out of our hair and coats.  Few things in life make you wish for a shower more than this. Editors Note:  I retract that statement after having gone through December 17 - Jon


Download our Osprey Takeoff Video

All in all, I must say today was my favorite so far this week   Can't wait for tomorrow!  

See you then...

Brad and Jon
Kitty Hawk

[PSYCHO]

that is awesomly awesome! can't wait for some more videos... you are going to post more arn't you?!

[Brad]

Yep, we have some more videos coming.

[funtown34]

Disaster struck LoL. Nice photos, and the video is 60% downloaded right now... Now 80%... Now 90%... Go Cable Go!... Done... Going to watch... Wow! That thing is really something. Very nice.

[Spector]

I beleave with the smoke comming out of the right engine, is because they are turbo prop engines. Jet engines gear linked to the props... so they usualy fire up one engine at a time... usualy the right engine...

but that is just my guess.

[alio]

sweet shots there once again

[Rockk]

You guys are so lucky. Thanks for all the pictures, video and reports you have given us. They are awesome, indeed.

[tym2av8]

          

You guys are doing great! I can't wait to see all you've gotten on film!

[Will]

Angels of mercy lol!! Can't wait for the videos, nice shots!

[Scott J.]

I've never seen a real Canberra fly. Wow what a treat.

[pdrake007]

im having some problems witht he videos, only the sound will play and i have no image.  anyone got any ideas?  im using windows media player to watch them

[Jon]

Sound without video means you don't have the DivX codec installed   It's a free download available from http://www.divx.com.

[tym2av8]

Great coverage! Thank you!  

[tikiman06]

man i wish i could have been there...im a short drive away...norfolk, VA...but...