August 19 Is National Aviation Day – Celebrating the Power of Flight
August 19th is National Aviation Day in the United States. It is an annual celebration of the history and invention of aviation. It is a day to reflect on the
August 19 Is National Aviation Day – Celebrating the Power of Flight
August 19th is National Aviation Day in the United States. It is an annual celebration of the history and invention of aviation. It is a day to reflect on the power of flight, in all its capacities.
August 19th also happens to be the birth date of Orville Wright. Orville, along with his brother Wilbur, is credited with building and piloting the first airplane, the Wright Flyer. Their first flight on December 17, 1903 lasted 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. They were not the only inventors to build and fly an aircraft at that time, but they were the first to invent controls that made fixed wing flight possible.
In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed August 19th as National Aviation Day by issuing a Presidential Proclamation, and it has continued each year. The proclamation invites “the people of the United States to observe National Aviation Day with appropriate exercises to further stimulate interest in aviation in the United States.”
A day to stimulate interest in aviation in the U.S.
Some celebrate Aviation Day by visiting Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina; learning more about aviation by reading or watching documentaries; researching famous aviators such as Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, Bessie Coleman, and Chuck Yeager; building model airplanes; watching airplane demonstrations; watching aviation movies; visiting aviation museums; taking flight lessons; flying in a plane or hot air balloon. (Check out NASA’s 10 Favorite Ways to Celebrate National Aviation Day for additional ideas to celebrate.)
Many airports and aviation institutes around the country celebrate with air shows, workshops, and activities. For example, Dare County Regional Airport in Mateo, North Carolina will host a celebration event this year and will feature airline displays, exhibitors, food trucks, a keynote speaker and warbird rides in a 1945 General Motors TBM Avenger Torpedo bomber.
In addition to celebrations, orga