Eliot
Merk Delivers Hawaii State Flag To Wright Brothers Memorial
KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. – Eliot
Merk, an EAA member-pilot from Hilo, Hawaii, officially represented the
state in EAA’s “50 Flags to Kitty Hawk” program on August 20 when he
landed at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and presented the state
flag to National Park Association officials.
Merk 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.
Merk, who flew with co-pilot Jud Schandel, was the 24th EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park Service officials with a signed gubernatorial proclamation declaring August 20, 2003, as “50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day” throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Hawaii flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial site, where it flew for the entire day.
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 tour will culminate at Kill Devil Hills, N.C., when as part of the Centennial of Flight Celebration, EAA’s Wright Flyer will fly again at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003 – precisely 100 years to the minute from when the Wrights made history.
For more information on EAA’s
“Countdown to Kitty Hawk” program, visit www.countdowntokittyhawk.com.
