Smith Delivers Mississippi State Flag to Wright Brothers Memorial
KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - October 25, 2003 -
Johnny Smith, an EAA member pilot from Lucedale, Mississippi, officially
represented the state in EAA's "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk" program
on Saturday, October 25th, when he landed at the Wright Brothers National
Memorial and presented the Mississippi state flag to National Park Service
officials.
Smith is 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.
Smith was the 43rd EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Musgrove, declaring October 25th as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Mississippi flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Smith, a Lucedale physician, dedicated the
flight, "For my girls." He has more than 2,400 hours flight time
and has been an EAA member since 1988. Smith's 740-mile flight took 3:35
hours to complete in a 1982 Cessna 421.
EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk program, 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.
