Rick Urash Delivers Georgia State Flag to Wright Brothers Memorial

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. – November 13, 2003 – Rick Urash, an EAA member pilot and flight instructor from Americus, Georgia, officially represented the state in EAA’s “50 Flags to Kitty Hawk” program on Thursday November 13th, when he and his wife Peggy landed at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and presented the Georgia state flag to National Park Service officials.

Urash 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.

Urash was the 45th EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he and Peggy also presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Sonny Perdue, declaring 2003 as the Centennial of Flight year throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Georgia flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

The Urashes home field is Southerfield in Americus, where Charles Lindbergh bought a Curtiss Jenny and made his first solo flight in 1923.

“I am proud to take part in the Centennial of Flight Celebration, proud to honor and remember the Wright brothers and we are both proud to represent the great state of Georgia in presenting our flag,” said Urash, who is a forestry pilot with more than 11,400 hours in the air. He has been an EAA member since 1992. The 600-mile flight took 6.5 hours to complete in their 1946 Luscombe 8A.

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.