Steve Koch Delivers Kentucky State Flag To Wright Brothers Memorial
KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - Aug. 23, 2003 -
Steve Koch, an Experimental Aircraft Association member pilot from
Louisville, Kentucky officially represented the state in EAA's "50
Flags to Kitty Hawk" program Saturday, when he landed at the Wright
Brothers National Memorial and presented the state flag to National Park
Service officials.
Steve 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.
Steve Koch was the 25th EAA-member pilot to
complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park
Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Paul Patton,
declaring August 23rd, 2003 as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day"
throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Kentucky flag was
raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial site, where it will fly
for the entire day.
"It is such an honor t have been selected to represent my state as there are many pilots equally qualified in Kentucky that could have participated." Steve said. Steve, a contracting business owner, has more than 7000 hours in the air, and has been an EAA member since 2001. His flight of 530 miles took 2 hours 45 minutes to complete. Steve's wife, Lynn accompanied him in his 1976 Beech Baron.
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, search the website at www.countdowntokittyhawk.com.
