Century of Flight Planner

The Wright Brothers’ first powered flight took place on December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A multitude of activities and events are taking place this year to celebrate the Century of Flight. Many events are centered on Dayton, Ohio, where the Wrights lived, designed, and built their airplane, and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where their real-world tests and successful first powered flight occurred. The culmination of these events is the six-day First Flight Centennial Celebration at Kitty Hawk. A re-creation of the historic flight will take place near the Wright Brothers National Memorial—100 years to the minute.

Several organizations have been created to participate in this historic year. Many have websites with detailed information on the history of the Wright Brothers, and their own calendars of events:

U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission – Plays the leading role in coordinating and publicizing Century of Flight activities, (202) 358-1903, www.centennialofflight.net.


North Carolina’s First Flight Centennial Commission – The commission develops and plans activities to commemorate the centennial of the first flight and other historical events in North Carolina related to the development of powered flight, (919) 733-2003, www.firstflightnc.com.


First Flight Centennial Foundation – Formed in North Carolina to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first flight, (919) 715-1362, www.firstflightcentennial.org.


World Flight 2003 – A project of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Aviation, (919) 840-0112, www.worldflight2003.com.


The First Flight Society – Organized formally in 1927 as the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Association, it initiated the construction of Wright Monument, (252) 441-1903, www.firstflight.org.


Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003 – Charged with promoting aviation, the Wright Brothers, and Dayton’s role in the birth and future of flight, (937) 222-0065, www.inventingflight.com.


American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., and AIAA Wright Flyer Project – The organization in charge of building a wind-tunnel tested reproduction Flyer that will be shown around the country on a Centennial Tour, www.flight100.org & www.wrightflyer.org.


The National Park Service Reservation Center – To secure tickets to the First Flight Centennial Celebration at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, (800) 388-2733, www.wrightbrothers.reserveworld.com.


Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park – Commemorates Wilbur and Orville Wright, their accomplishments, and how they perfected their invention in 1904–05 in their hometown of Dayton, (937) 225-7705, www.nps.gov/daav.


EAA’s Countdown to Kitty Hawk – EAA’s 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction is on a national tour. It will be the only plane permitted by the National Park Service to fly at the Wright Brothers National Monument on Dec 17, (920) 426-6129, www.countdowntokittyhawk.org.

The following is a list of events that celebrate the Century of Flight:

Jun 12–16 Ford Motor Company ’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan, is also the second stop on the tour of EAA’s 2003 Wright Flyer, (800) 392-3673, www.fordcentennialreg.com.


Jun 20–22 The Centennial of Flight Festival at the Wilbur Wright Birthplace and Interpretive Center in Henry County, Indiana, will feature a nine-foot limestone monument dedication for Wilbur, hot air balloons, and Wright Flyers demonstrations, (765) 332-2495, www.wilburwrightbirthplace.com.


Jul 3–20 Dayton, Ohio, hosts Inventing Flight: The Centennial Celebration, a lineup of activities that will take place throughout the entire Dayton region, (937) 222-0065, www.inventingflight.com.


Jul 17–20 The Dayton Air Show at Dayton International Airport is the grand finale of the city’s 17-day celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight, (937) 898-5901, www.daytonairshow.com.


Jul 19 The National Aviation Hall of Fame ’s 2003 Pioneers of Flight Homecoming at the Dayton Convention Center will be emceed by actor and pilot, Harrison Ford, (937) 256-0944, www.nationalaviation.org.


Jul 26–28 The sixth annual AirVenture Cup Race replicates the excitement of the Bendix Trophy Races of the 1930s and brings together three of aviation’s most historic places: Kitty Hawk, Dayton, and Oshkosh, the home of EAA AirVenture, (920) 426-6565, www.airventure.org/2003/events/airventure_cup.


Jul 28–Aug 17 Rockefeller Center Centennial of Flight Expo, Born of Dreams–Inspired by Freedom, will present a comprehensive look at aviation, beginning with the first flight and leading up to present-day innovations like working the controls inside a Space Shuttle cockpit, (212) 632-3975, www.centennialofflight.net/partners/rcpi.htm.


Jul 29–Aug 4 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the world’s premier aviation event, and becomes the largest outdoor aviation museum in the world, showcasing aircraft from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, (920) 426-4800, www.airventure.org.


Sep 8–24 The National Air Tour re-creates the 1925–31 National Air Tours. The 17-day, 4,000-mile tour starts and ends at Dearborn, Michigan, and has stops including Kitty Hawk (9/20) and Dayton (9/23), (651) 255-1999, www.nationalairtour.org.


Sep 27 The dedication of a new public Monument to a Century of Flight, adjacent to the Aycock Brown Welcome Center in Kitty Hawk, recognizes the accomplishments and milestones of the first 100 years in aviation history, (252) 441-6584, www.icarusinternational.com.


Oct 11 The opening of “ The Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age ” exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum will feature the original 1903 Wright Flyer displayed at eye level for the first time since it was acquired in 1948. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study up-close the world’s first airplane, which flew only four times at Kitty Hawk—all within a few hours, (202) 357-2700, www.nasm.edu.


Dec 12–17 The six-day First Flight Centennial Celebration at Wright Brothers National Memorial culminates the year’s events. Dignitaries, celebrities, and aviation legends will be on hand to celebrate and commemorate this occasion. The highlight will be the re-creation of the first flight with the EAA Flyer, (252) 441-7430, www.nps.gov/wrbr.