Historical Fly-In to Mark 100th Anniversary of Wright Brothers'
First Flight at Kitty Hawk
Los Angeles World
Airports marks 100 years of aviation progress since the Wright
Brothers' first flight and Los Angeles International Airport's
(LAX's) 75th anniversary with a Centennial of Flight Festival on
Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will begin with a
commemorative ceremony featuring five historic aircraft types once
used to provide commercial passenger service at LAX and the sealing
of an aviation-related time capsule.
The vintage aircraft will arrive this afternoon (Tuesday) and early
Wednesday at the Flight Path Learning Center aviation historical
museum in the LAX Imperial Terminal at 6661 West Imperial Highway.
(Open to media and invited guests only due to limited parking and
viewing area/seating).
The airplanes represent the significant passenger aviation
advances of their respective eras. The aircraft are the 1920s-era
Ford Tri-Motor, an early passenger aircraft; the Douglas DC-3, the
first commercially viable airliner; the Lockheed Constellation, a
post-World War II airliner capable of carrying 81 passengers; the
Boeing 707, the first successful passenger jet; and the wide-body
Boeing 747, a "workhorse" in today's commercial passenger air
service.
Following the ceremony, the Festival of Flight opens at 10 a.m.
at Metered Parking Lot 6, next to the Theme Building and Terminal 6
in the LAX Central Terminal Area. Passengers and the general public
are invited to visit the free festival featuring live music,
give-aways, display booths, and a "theater" tent showing two
specially commissioned videos on the first 100 years of controlled,
powered flight. Pre-schoolers, who aspire to be budding pilots, can
visit the play area featuring pedal-powered airplanes. Los Angeles
Airport Police will demonstrate for visitors the capabilities of
their canine corps in detecting explosives.
Other exhibitors include the Los Angeles Chapter of Tuskegee
Airmen, the first all African-American US Army Air Corps Unit
formed during World War II; the Federal Aviation Administration on
air traffic control; Hudson Booksellers with aviation-related
publications; Flight Path Learning Center photo exhibit of
celebrities who have passed through LAX; and several US Department
of Homeland Security agencies with travel and other safety tips;
and passenger-service organizations Travelers Aid Society of Los
Angeles and USO.
Live entertainment will be provided by local professional and
amateur groups, including the Compton High School Choir, Orville
Wright Middle School dancers, Gregg Young & The 2nd Street
Band, accordionist Nick Ariondo, violinist Robert Korda, and United
We Stand choir (comprised of Transportation Security Administration
security screeners).
The festival will continue until 4 p.m. Paid parking is
available in adjacent parking structures.
Los Angeles International Airport is joining airports around the
United States to commemorate the Dec. 17, 1903, pioneering powered
flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. These airports and the
Airports Council International -- North America are holding public
events, such as LAX's Centennial of Flight Festival, to thank
passengers for their role in the growth of commercial aviation.
More than 1.5 billion passengers have used LAX since it opened
for commercial service December 1946. The airport was founded in
1928.
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