KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C.-Sept. 29, 2003-Cheryl and
Dale Cruson, EAA member pilots from Ontario, Oregon, officially
represented their state in EAA's "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk"
program on Monday, September 29, when they landed at the Wright Brothers
National Memorial and presented the state flag to National Park Service
officials.
Cheryl was the 33rd 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.
Cheryl presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Oregon Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski, declaring December 17, 2003 as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Oregon flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Cheryl and Dale Cruson own and operate two small businesses; however, aviation is their passion. They completed an RV-6 in 1993 and helped register and administer a ground school for over 1,000 EAA Young Eagles. They love getting young people interested in flying either through the Civil Air Patrol, where Dale holds the rank of Captain, or through their fully stocked hobby store where they sell radio-controlled aircraft and various models and kites.
EAA members since 1986, Dale and Cheryl left
Oregon on September 25, their 32nd wedding anniversary. The trip to Kitty
Hawk was delayed due to debris on the runway at Kill Devil Hills from
Hurricane Isabel so they flew to Washington D.C. to visit their daughter,
also a private pilot, who works for the Bush Administration. Overall, they
flew 15 hours in five three-hour hops in their Cessna 182G. Dale has close
to 2,000 hours flight time and Cheryl has over 100 hours. They both feel
honored to represent the State of Oregon as flag-bearers and ambassadors
for general aviation.
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 www.countdowntokittyhawk.com.
