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December 17 will mark the start of a yearlong
celebration honoring the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’
first powered flight and the century of aviation milestones that
followed. Four organizations have recently signed memoranda of agreement
with the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission to become a part of
the national Centennial of Flight: Born of Dreams – Inspired by
Freedom campaign. As a result of the agreements, the Commission
will provide outreach support to the Space Day Foundation, Challenger
Center for Space Science Education, Aviation Foundation of America
and Chicago Centennial of Flight Commission, and the organizations
will promote the national commemoration.
The Space Day Foundation is dedicated to space-related
education and to motivating students to acquire math, science and
engineering technical skills. The organization’s core activity is
Space DaySM, the capstone of a massive grassroots educational initiative
reaching thousands of teachers and millions of students in the United
States, Canada and beyond. In 2003, the Space Day theme, “Space
Day 2003SM: Celebrating the Future of Flight,” will complement the
efforts of the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission by encouraging
young people’s enthusiasm for flight and innovation. (www.spaceday.com/)
Challenger Center was founded in 1986 by the
families of the Challenger Space Shuttle Mission 51-L crew as a
living memorial to the spirit of exploration, the same spirit that
motivated the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger in their quest
to learn. True to their legacy, Challenger Center uses space as
a theme to excite, inspire and encourage students in the study of
mathematics and science, and the application of technology.
Challenger Center is in the process of developing
the Design Challenges, the main educational component of “Space
Day 2003SM: Celebrating the Future of Flight.” Students in grades
four through eight will be challenged to design and build models
of aircraft using the ingenuity and creativity of the Wrights as
inspiration. (http://www.challenger.org/)
The Aviation Foundation of America, Inc., in
celebration of the centennial of flight, is sponsoring the re-creation
of the National Air Tours (originally held every year from 1925
through 1931). Envisioned to include approximately 25 vintage aircraft
and other aircraft representative of the progress of aviation, the
tour will fly the 1932 route that was planned but never flown. Overall,
the tour will fly more than 4,000 miles, visiting more than two
dozen cities from Dearborn to Wichita, across the south to Kitty
Hawk, Dayton and back to Dearborn. (http://www.nationalairtour.org/)
The Chicago Centennial of Flight Commission
(CCFC) was started in 2001 by a group of aviation industry organizations
in the Chicago area and Great Lakes region that were interested
in promoting aviation awareness through public exhibits. Plans for
centennial activities include the “Chicago Centennial of Flight:
100 History Making Aircraft” model exhibit at the Museum of Science
& Industry, scheduled from May 23, 2003 through Sept. 28, 2003,
as well as events and symposia throughout 2003. In addition to promoting
aviation awareness to the general public, the CCFC hopes to promote
aviation education for children in grades K-12. (http://www.chicagocentennialofflight.org/)
The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
was created by Congress to expand national and international interest
in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight,
and will promote activities, such as those being planned by the
Space Day Foundation, Challenger Center for Space Science Education,
Aviation Foundation of America and Chicago Centennial of Flight
Commission, through a national awareness campaign, Centennial of
Flight: Born of Dreams - Inspired by Freedom. More information about
the Centennial of Flight celebration and details about the events
being planned may be found online at www.centennialofflight.gov/.
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