DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 17, 2002 -- The history of Ford Motor Company is inseparably linked to the history of flight. The company was founded the same year - 1903 - as the Wright brothers' famous flight and in the same spirit of innovation and scientific optimism.

This relationship between the automobile and aviation industry continues today. Ford Motor Company is drawing from the same pool of highly skilled candidates and both industries benefit from advancements in lightweight materials, advanced engines, aerodynamics and other areas.

As one of the premier innovators of his generation, Henry Ford was fascinated by flight and shared a "no boundaries" vision with the fellow inventors of his era, including the Wright brothers. It was Ford who put the nation on wings through his efforts to develop aircraft to serve the public, then building public confidence in their safety, reliability and necessity.

For his pioneering efforts, Henry Ford was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984 and will be honored on Dec. 17, 2002, by the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission.

Henry Ford had a similar pioneering vision for aviation as he did for the automobile. He recognized the Wright brothers' genius and impact of their discoveries - mainly, the possibilities for airplane transportation to bring greater freedom of movement to the masses. With this vision in mind, Henry Ford, and later his son Edsel B. Ford, laid the foundation for our modern system of commercial aviation including the world's first modern airport with a concrete runway and popularization of all-metal aircraft with the Ford Tri-Motor.

The preservation of the Wrights' childhood home and cycle shop at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich., is a testament to Ford's recognition of innovation and the spirit of experimentation through his collection of historic objects. Henry Ford's willingness to recognize the accomplishments of the Wright brothers when others scoffed was a reason Orville was open to discussions. Henry and Edsel Ford had a strong relationship with the Wright family, with visits between their homes and correspondence over many years.

The support of Ford Motor Company - the presenting sponsor of EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk - is vital to the manufacture of the first authentic, full-scale reproduction of the 1903 Wright Flyer. Ford Motor Company is providing sophisticated materials and engine testing, engineering advice, computer equipment and support and machine shop tools to ensure success of this historic project.

The highlight of Countdown to Kitty Hawk will be when EAA and Ford Motor Company exclusively re-create the Wright brothers' historic first flight at the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk, N.C., at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003 - 100 years to the minute of the Wrights' first flight.

In 2004, the 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction will be given to the Henry Ford Museum, helping realize Henry Ford's dream of displaying the Wrights' plane in the museum and cementing Ford Motor Company's involvement with aviation, the Wright brothers and the Countdown to Kitty Hawk program.