The Clock is Starting on EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. — (July 24, 2001) — With the centennial of flight now little more than two years away, the clock has officially (and literally) started on the way to 2003’s most significant commemoration of the Wright brothers’ first flight achievement: EAA’s “Countdown to Kitty Hawk” initiative.

“Countdown to Kitty Hawk” is a series of activities and programs to mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ achievement. The centerpiece of this celebration will be the flight of EAA’s 2003 Wright Flyer — the only accurate flying reproduction of the original — at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003, precisely 100 years to the minute of that remarkable first flight.

During today’s “Let the Countdown Begin!” news conference on the opening day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001, EAA officials announced a number of significant developments in the Countdown to Kitty Hawk program. Among those were the unveiling of the official countdown clock, opening of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk Pavilion at EAA AirVenture and, most significantly, announcement of Ford Motor Company as Presenting Sponsor for the flight centennial celebration.
“It is fitting that today, at EAA AirVenture, we have the official ‘kickoff’ for our Countdown to Kitty Hawk program,” said EAA President Tom Poberezny. “The world gathers at Oshkosh each year to celebrate flight, as we will gather in Kitty Hawk in December 2003 to culminate the centennial celebration of the first flight that made it all possible.”

As part of the news conference, Ford Motor Company was introduced as Countdown to Kitty Hawk’s Presenting Sponsor. Ford will support the project through its successful completion in 2003.

“Ford Motor Company is the perfect partner for this historic effort,” said Stephan C. Brown, EAA Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Henry Ford and the Wright brothers were well acquainted with each other and their individual achievements in transportation. To have Ford join us for Countdown to Kitty Hawk in many ways ‘completes the circle’ as the world prepares for the second century of flight.”

During the event, the “countdown clock” was also unveiled, which will count down from the more than 800 days remaining until the exact 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003. The clock is eight feet high and eight feet wide and was manufactured by ExhibitGroup-GiltSpur of Roselle, Ill. After AirVenture, the clock will be housed near the Wright Flyer replica at the EAA AirVenture Museum prior to joining the Countdown to Kitty Hawk Tour in 2003.

Immediately following the opening program, the doors were opened to the “Countdown to Kitty Hawk” Pavilion at EAA AirVenture 2001, and 10,000 visitors received special collectible cloisonné pins upon entering. Inside the pavilion are updates on the project, including presentations by Ken Hyde of The Wright Experience, which has been commissioned to build the Wright Flyer reproduction.
The first announcement of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk initiative was made last September at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The aircraft is to be completed by early 2003. The airplane will then be the centerpiece of a Countdown to Kitty Hawk tour at sites throughout the United States during the year. 

The Countdown to Kitty Hawk program has been augmented with the support of the National Park Service, which has designated EAA’s reproduction as the only aircraft to fly on the historic Wright brothers’ First Flight Path at 10:35 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2003.