Wright Brothers National Memorial (NC)
Aviation Pioneers Honored in Centennial of Flight Celebration
The theme of Tuesday's celebration of flight was "In History's Footsteps, Celebrating 100 Aviation Pioneers." Director Mainella made remarks in front of another record crowd of 28,000 visitors. The large crowd was present to honor the one hundred aviation pioneers recognized from throughout the century — from the Wright Brothers through Shannon Lucid, a current NASA astronaut. Among the remarkable flyers who were present to receive the North Carolina Governor's Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award were:
- Senator John Glenn, first American to orbit the earth.
- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first two people ever to set foot on the moon.
- General Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier.
- Patty Wagstaff, first woman to win the National Aerobatic Championship title.
- Jeana Yeager, member of the first team to break a record flying around the world non-stop and non-refueled, a trip that took nine days, three minutes, and 44 seconds.
- Colonel Joe Kittiner, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic in a helium balloon.
- Francis Rogallo, who developed the first successful flexible wing, which in turn gave birth to hang gliding.
- Scott Crossfield, the first human to reach Mach 2 (twice the speed of sound).
One hundred skydivers then dropped from planes in multicolored
parachutes and landed near the stage.
More than 40 aircraft flew
over the park on Tuesday, including the F/A-22 Raptor which wowed the
audience as it sped through the skies. The Raptor, which will become
operational early this century, combines stealth design with the
supersonic, highly maneuverable, dual-engine, long-range requirements of
an air-to-air fighter, and will also have an air-to-ground capability.
In other events, General Yeager, who has served as chairman of
the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles program since 1994,
introduced a 15-year-old high school student from German Valley,
Illinois, as the millionth Young Eagles to have flown in this
all-volunteer effort to open aviation to young people. Andrew Grant, who
made his Young Eagles flight on October 25th, was to fly with General
Yeager yesterday as the lead aircraft in a fly-by during the culminating
event in the centennial of powered flight.
Later in the day,
Secretary Gale Norton accepted a life-sized sculpture of the Wright
brothers' first flight at a dedication ceremony, along with North
Carolina Governor Easley, North Carolina Secretary of Cultural Resources
Libba Evans, Director Mainella, and descendants of the Wright brothers.
A statue depicting John Daniels accompanies the life-sized bronze and
steel flyer. Daniels is portrayed snapping the world-famous photograph
of Wilbur and Orville Wright as they guided their balsa-wood airplane
aloft on December 17, 1903.
Daniels was one of five local men
who watched the 1903 flyer lift off. Their descendants gather each
December 17th to lay wreaths in their honor at the Wright memorial and
remember the simple acts of neighborliness that Outer Banks residents
extended to the idealistic bicycle mechanics from Ohio. The sculpture
was a gift from the State of North Carolina.
[Submitted by Nancy
Gray, IO, Eastern IMT]
FIRE MANAGEMENT
Fire and Aviation Management
New Automated Seasonal Wildland Firefighter Recruitment Program
The National Park Service is participating in a pilot automated recruitment program with other Department of Interior bureaus to recruit seasonal wildland firefighters. The automated system allows applicants to submit one on-line application and apply for seven positions. This year the pilot includes 190 Range/Forestry Technicians, GS-455/462, grades 2,3,4,5 in Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska. The National Park Service is hiring 69 wildland firefighters in the pilot areas. They are in Badlands NP, Dinosaur NM, Grand Teton NP, Mesa Verde NP, Rocky Mountain NP, Wind Cave NP and Yellowstone NP.
You can access the vacancy announcement through USAJOBS at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/ or the Department of the Interior Fire website at http://www.firejobs.doi.gov. This website provides information for the pilot positions in addition to links to other wildland firefighting employment opportunities. The vacancy announcment will be open December 15, 2003 through March 15, 2004.
[Submitted by Carol Simley, NPS Human Resources Franchise Office, Carol_Simley@nps.gov, 303-969-2543] More Information...
PARKS AND PEOPLE
Interpretation/Education Division
New Servicewide Education Program Coordinator
Wyndeth Davis is the newly minted Servicewide Education Program Coordinator for the National Park Service. She has a Master's degree in Anthropology/Archaeology and a Bachelors Degree in Anthropology/ Theatre. Wyndeth taught Archaeology and Physical Anthropology for the University of Alaska for nine years, and was Assistant Director of the archaeological field school at the University of Oregon for two years. Her career with the National Park Service began in 1989, as an archaeologist in the Alaska Region, where she then worked as an Interpretative Specialist until joining the Park Net web team as the Web and Distance Learning Coordinator in 2000.
Throughout her career, Wyndeth's focus has been public education. Her philosophy: What we do means nothing if we cannot communicate with the rest of the world about what we do and how we do it. As an archaeologist she helped plan the first Alaska Archaeology Week children's education program, developed curriculum-based and informal educational programming for schools and other interest groups in Alaska, and helped the Anchorage School District develop and conduct in-service science training for 4-5th grade teachers. With Diane Jung, Alaska Team Leader for Interpretation, and many partners, Wyndeth helped create the Journeys to Alaska Electronic Field Trip program, which continues to reach thousands of students each year through rebroadcasts and expansion of the program to parks in the lower 48. Wyndeth has a 12 year old son, Nathan, who lives in Anchorage with her husband Logan Hovis, Mining Historian for the Alaska Region.
"I'm proud and excited to be the third generation of educators in my family, and to have this opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the NPS education program. We need to begin to look at the big picture, to elevate good ideas, to share successes and failures, to become a true community of educators. A renewed education mission has been set before us. We each have a role in the process, and each role is significant."
[Submitted by Corky Mayo, corky_mayo@nps.gov, 202-513-7140]
Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found on the left side of the front page of InsideNPS. All reports should be submitted via email to Bill Halainen at Delaware Water Gap NRA, with a copy to your regional office and a copy to Dennis Burnett in Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO.
Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement and Emergency Services, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.