Fayetteville, North Carolina
December 6, 2002

Organizers for Festival of Flight 2003 have lined up top exhibits from national aviation organizations, all branches of the U.S. military, top defense contractors, aviation museums, NASA and more. The Festival will run from May 16 – 26, 2003, with seven days devoted to an extensive aviation exposition that will thoroughly engage visitors in the past, present and future of aviation. Over 120,000 square feet of exhibit area, including the city’s coliseum, arena and exposition hall, will be filled with aviation exhibits, displays and demonstrations. Even parking lots will be transformed into exterior exhibit space for moon buggy demonstrations and a daily fly over of a 1910, 1911 or 1912 Wright Brother’s replica.

“We’ve assembled what we believe is an exciting and comprehensive display of aeronautic achievements,” said the Festival’s COO, Paul Dordal. Indeed, given that the Festival is the first major centennial event in 2003, it will serve as a kick-off to the national celebration, which culminates at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 2003. The festival is expected to draw some 500,000 people, among them 5,000 students and their teachers who have studied flight throughout the 2002/2003 academic year. “Our exposition and events scheduled throughout the week have been selected for their ability to inspire young people and compel them toward a career in aviation. The result is a number of exhibits that have a huge ‘wow factor!’” Dordal said.

Early Flight Exhibited in Heritage Hall

The Festival’s presentation of early flight features the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) highly authentic replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer. The AIAA Flyer is the first full-scale replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer and is a virtual museum of the Wrights’ groundbreaking work. Among other distinctions, the 650-pound plane was built using drawings from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, where the original is on display. Later, rigorous wind tunnel tests conducted at NASA Ames Research Center allowed experienced pilots to virtually simulate the nearly impossible conditions of that initial flight.

The Flyer is part of the AIAA Evolution of Flight exhibit, which honors the pioneers of flight, advances public support for aerospace research and development, and inspires youth to pursue careers in science and technology. AIAA’s partners in the exhibit include The Boeing Company, GE Aircraft Engines, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins and Snecma. For more about AIAA and the Evolution of Flight Campaign, visit www.flight100.org.

Also present at the Festival’s exposition will be aviation archaeologist and airplane builder Nick Engler. Mr. Engler’s company, the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, recreates early Wright gliders and airplanes to evaluate flight characteristics of these old aircraft and a better understanding of the Wright Brothers and their innovative thinking. Mr. Engler then travels the country, engaging students in both the study and recreation of Wright flyers and gliders.

At Festival of Flight, Mr. Engler’s exhibit will tell the story of the Wright Brothers in a walk-through timeline that begins in 1899, when the brothers designed a revolutionary system of aircraft control and built an experimental model glider, the Wright kite, to test it. The exhibit continues through 1902, when the brothers first built and flew a fully controllable glider, having added aerodynamic surfaces for roll, pitch and yaw. Highlights of Mr. Engler’s exhibit will be flight demonstrations of the Wright Brothers’ 1905 glider and his invitation to students for hands-on recreation of a Wright glider wing. For more information about Nick Engler and the Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, visit www.wright-brothers.org.

Festival of Flight’s early depiction of early flight culminates with daily flights of 1905, 1910 and 1911 Wright Brothers’ replicas. Built by Dana Smith, a former aircraft mechanic instructor in Maine, these aircraft are built to accommodate flight, more than historic accuracy, but provide audiences with a thrill of witnessing early aviation. Among the aircraft Mr. Smith will fly at Festival of Flight is his replica 1911 Vin Fiz, which was the first aircraft to fly from east to west coast.

Other featured exhibits in Heritage Hall will include the Smithsonian Institute’s “At the Controls,” featuring twenty 4 ft. x 7ft. cockpit photographs of historic aircraft and spacecraft. The large-scale visuals allow visitors to experience a true pilot’s-eye view of many of history’s most important domestic and military airplanes, jets, helicopters and spacecraft. Additionally, the story of the Flying Tigers will be displayed, capturing the bravery and patriotism of 300 young men and women who, equipped only with obsolescent P-40B airplanes, secretly trained to combat the Japanese Air Force over China and Burma in 1941.

Current military, commercial and general aviation exhibits will be featured in the Aviation Exhibit Hall, along with selected student displays.

The United States Air Force will present its official centennial exhibit representing all Air Force major commands with displays for the past, present and future of the Air Force. Additionally the 43rd Airlift Wing will present its aeromedical evacuation display and the interior of a C-130, while flight simulators for the F-16 will offer visitors and students the opportunity to experience the thrill of military flight.

The 18th Airborne Corps will bring aviation exhibits and its display for the tactical operations center providing an astonishing look at how air combat can be coordinated and supervised from distant and remote locations. Also on display will be 1/5-scale models of Lockheed Martin fighter aircraft including the F-16; the F-22, USAF’s newest fighter aircraft; and the F-35, the next generation of joint strike fighter aircraft.

The NASA Space Center (Crown Coliseum) will feature our Journey into Space and Future Flight

NASA’s presence will literally fill the room -- all 20,000 square feet of it. Among the exhibits NASA will bring are those, which provide interactive, hands-on opportunities to experience space travel. They include the space lab simulator, astronaut training devices, a model of the space shuttle, and a walk-through exhibit of the International Space Station, in addition to flight simulators and an operating wind tunnel. NASA’s support of Festival of Flight’s educational program will culminate with a live satellite hook-up with the International Space station during NASA/Space Day (Tuesday, May 20) when student audiences are present.

Coliseum Parking Lot Becomes Lunar Surface

Outside the exhibit halls, the exposition continues with more exhibits and displays. Among these will be a recreation of the lunar surface where the U.S. Space and Rocket Center will present winners of its moon buggy competition. Three winning vehicles and teams will provide demonstrations for students and the general public on a moonscape terrain course.

Other outdoor exhibits will include demonstrations of rescue equipment, military aircraft and the North Carolina Radio Control Model Aircraft demonstration and display.

About Festival of Flight, 2003

Festival of Flight 2003, North Carolina's largest public celebration of the centennial of flight, will run from May 16 to 26, 2003, and is expected to draw over a half million people. In addition to the seven-day exposition, the Festival will host a weekend arts festival, a two-day military air show at Pope AFB, a general aviation air show at Grannis Field and a spectacular Memorial Day celebration.

A year-long educational curriculum has also been developed to compel students’ interest in aviation and flight technology. This educational focus will culminate with one thousand students being sponsored each day for exclusive access to the Festival’s Aviation Exposition. For more information about Festival of Flight, visit www.festivalofflight.org.

Contact:

Margee Herring
910-763-4439