National Aviation Day Celebration - August 19

Date: August 12, 2013
Contact: Outer Banks Group, 252-475-9034

Monday, Aug. 19, 2013 will be a Family Fun Day at Wright Brothers National Memorial as the National Park Service and the First Flight Society celebrate National Aviation Day. National Aviation Day has, historically, been proclaimed as a day of national observance. August 19 was selected as National Aviation Day because it is Orville Wright's birthday.Orville Wright, the first man to fly, was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 19, 1871.He and his older brother, Wilbur Wright, were the first to fly on that historic morning of Dec. 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, NC.

Wright Brothers National Memorial will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.Park fees will be waived for the event.

Schedule of Events:

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Junior Flight Ranger Program: Kids…don't forget to ask about the Wright Brothers Junior Ranger Program!Pick-up a Junior Ranger booklet at the visitor center information desk

9:30 a.m. – Designation Ceremony: The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will designate Wright Brothers National Memorial as an AIAA Historic Site. Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. – Flight Room Talk: Learn how the Wright brothers solved the problems of human flight as a park ranger tells the story of their triumph at Kitty Hawk. Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Book Signing: Author Jim Martin will be signing his latest released book "The Beacon On Kill Devil Hill".Main Lobby Visitor Center

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. –Book Signing: Author Judith A. Dempsey will be signing her latest book "A Tale of Two Brothers; The Story of the Wright Brothers". Main Lobby Visitor Center

10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. – Wright Kite: Learn how to build a homemade kite and then fly one with rangers in the exact same place the Wright brothers did.Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall

11:00 a.m. to 12: noon – Introduction to the First Annual Aviation Art Contest for Students:Art class to get students started.Directed by Mary Woodruff. Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Book Reading: Suzanne Tate author of the children's book "Helping the Wright Brothers: A Tale of First Helpers"will do a book reading followed by a book signing. Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Let's Go Fly A Kite: There will be fun for the whole family with kite building and kite flying demonstrations by Kitty Hawk Kites.Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. – "Living the Wright Legacy": Adam Smith, Senior Vice President, Center to Advance the Pilot Community, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, special keynote speaker. Centennial Pavilion Auditorium

1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Boulder Talk:The First Flight Boulder literally marks the spot where the world changed.Join us as we explore the profound power of this place. First Flight Boulder

2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Flight Room Talk: Learn how the Wright brothers solved the problems of human flight as a park ranger tells the story of their triumph at Kitty Hawk.Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Fun In Flight:Build your own paper airplane at the site were the Wright brothers made history.Experience the fun of designing and building a paper airplane. Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall

3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Flight Room Talk: Learn how the Wright brothers solved the problems of human flight as a park ranger tells the story of their triumph at Kitty Hawk.Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.–Flight Room Talk: Learn how the Wright brothers solved the problems of human flight as a park ranger tells the story of their triumph at Kitty Hawk.Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium

For general information on the Outer Banks Group national park sites, visit www.nps.gov/caha, www.nps.gov/wrbr, www.nps.gov/fora; Twitter @CapeHatterasNPS, @WrightBrosNPS, @FortRaleighNPS; or call 252-473-2111.

-NPS-