Ron David Delivers Alabama State Flag To Wright Brothers Memorial

Alabama Governor Bob Riley presents Ron David the Alabama state flag that was flown over the Capitol in Montgomery on July 3 and a proclamation declaring July 20 as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" in Alabama.

David was one of 50 EAA-member pilots chosen - one from each state - to participate in the "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk" program, a year-long effort that is part of EAA's "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" initiative, presented by Ford Motor Company, celebrating the achievements of the Wright brothers and the 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003.

David was the 14th EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Bob Riley, declaring July 20, 2003 as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Alabama flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Ron presents the Alabama state flag to Jim Cross of the National Park Service.

An Orange Beach real estate broker, David has more than 3,000 hours in the air, and has been an EAA member since 2001. His 800-mile flight took 10 hours to complete in his 1952 L-19E Birddog, the same type aircraft that David trained on and soloed in 1959. He served for 25 years in the Army, flying both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

EAA's "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" program, which is also supported by Microsoft Flight Simulator and Eclipse Aviation, includes construction of an exact flying reproduction of the 1903 Wright flyer, and a six-stop national tour of EAA's "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" pavilion exhibit, which features the Flyer, historic artifacts and Wright brothers correspondence from the Library of Congress, and numerous interactive aviation displays.

The Alabama state flag is proudly displayed below the American and First Flight flags.

For more information on EAA's "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" program, visit www.countdowntokittyhawk.com.