Nevada Pilot Delivers State Flag To Wright Brothers Memorial

July 14, 2003 - James Bonelli, an EAA member pilot from Las Vegas, Nevada, officially represented his state in EAA's "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk" program on July 11 when he landed at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and presented the state flag to National Park Association officials.

Bonelli 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.

Bonelli was the 12th EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Guinn, declaring July 11, 2003, as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Nevada flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial site, where it flew for the entire day.

"This has been an incredible experience, being part of a national program which celebrates the centennial of powered flight and representing the State of Nevada," Bonelli said. "It is indeed an honor."

Bonelli, a retired analyst, has more than 3,000 hours in the air, and has been an EAA member since 1995. His 2,187-mile flight took 17.5 hours and four days to complete in a 1967 Cessna T-41B Mescalero, a restored US Army trainer whose first action was at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

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 website at www.countdowntokittyhawk.com.