North Carolina Celebrates Aviation Appreciation Week

NBAA Cheers Proclamation Recognizing Business Aviation

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomed a proclamation from the governor of North Carolina — the state that hosted the first manned, powered flight — declaring December 3-10, 2010, as "Aviation Appreciation Week." 

Gov. Beverly Perdue (D-N.C.) is the 19th governor this year to issue such official recognition. The proclamation recognizes all aviation, including the use of general aviation aircraft for business purposes.

"We commend Governor Perdue for her support of business aviation in North Carolina," NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said. "Her recognition of the industry's benefits to the state's economy and transportation system is welcome, especially in the challenging economic climate we're facing today."

The 2010 Aviation Appreciation Week in the state took place just one week prior to the anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk on the state's Outer Banks, at 10:30 a.m. on December 17, 1903. In the 107 years since that historic flight, aviation in North Carolina has grown to contribute significantly to annual economic output and employment in the state.

"Aviation plays a vital role in the lives of our citizens, businesses and rural counties," the governor's proclamation reads. "Given the vastness of North Carolina, from our western mountains to our coastal beaches, to all points in between, our communities depend upon aviation for access to medical treatment, civil defense, mobility, economic prosperity and natural disaster relief."

Since 2001, the state has proudly proclaimed its status with a "First In Flight" slogan atop its auto license plates. At the Kitty Hawk site of the first flight, the Wright Brothers National Memorial attracts well over 500,000 visitors annually and the obelisk at the site is the largest monument in this country built to a living person. The National Park Service maintains a runway next to it for contemporary business and personal visitors.

The governor's proclamation makes North Carolina the 19th state to go on record this year as appreciating the value of aviation. States previously recognizing the role business aviation plays in their states have been Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Recognition in each state has echoed the facts set forth in the No Plane No Gain advocacy campaign, which is co-sponsored by NBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

View a copy of the North Carolina proclamation.