Cornell Delivers Michigan State Flag to Wright Brothers Memorial

KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. - November 21, 2003 - Gregg Cornell, an EAA member pilot from Chapter 55 in Mason, Michigan, officially represented the state in EAA's "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk" program on the 21st of November, when he landed at the Wright Brothers National Memorial and presented the Michigan state flag to National Park Service officials.

Cornell is 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.

Cornell was the 48th EAA-member pilot to complete the journey to Kitty Hawk, where he also presented National Park Service officials with a signed proclamation from Governor Jennifer Granholm, declaring November 21, 2003 as "50 Flags to Kitty Hawk Day" throughout the state. Following the presentation, the Michigan flag was raised at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

"It was a great honor to fly the Michigan flag to Kitty Hawk," Cornell said. "I was accompanied by EAA Chapter 55 President Mike Arntz, who is also a pilot. We had a beautiful flight to Kitty Hawk and we were in awe of the Memorial site and the wonderful facilities that have been built there for the centennial celebration. Mike and I are both building airplanes so we have a great appreciation for what the Wright Brothers accomplished 100 years ago."

Cornell is an East Lansing resident who recently retired from Auto-Owners Insurance Company. He has more than 2,500 hours in the air, and has been an EAA member since 1987. The 1,200-mile round trip flight took eight hours flying time to complete in a Piper Turbo Saratoga.

EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk program, 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.