THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 15, 1995 TAG: 9512150501
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Two Hampton, Va., residents who gave the world a better way to go fly a kite will be honored this weekend as part of the 92nd anniversary of Orville and Wilbur Wright's first powered flight.
Francis and Gertrude Rogallo, whose flexible wing design revolutionized kite design and led to a dramatic rise in hang gliding and ultralite flying, will be inducted into the First Flight Shrine Sunday.
The Rogallos will join such aviation pioneers as Chuck Yeager and Neil Armstrong in the shrine's hall of honor at the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Former President George Bush was inducted last year.
``One of the things that makes this year special is that we're really starting to plan for the centennial in 2003,'' said Mary Doll of the National Park Service. ``Because of that, the public has become more aware of the importance of the first flight, and are becoming interested in the centennial.''
Working in their Hampton basement in 1945, the Rogallos took a page from the Wright Brothers' book and came to the Outer Banks to test a new flexible wing kite design. Willingly suspended from the wings, local children first flew tethered to a beached vessel, then eventually soared over the dunes.
During the 1960s, what originally was seen as a tool for recreational flying became a tool in the expanding space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. Although some space-related maneuvers employed the flexible wing, the design is best known for its role in recreational flight.
For Francis Rogallo, an engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center, Sunday's ceremony will mark his fifth induction into a hall of fame. His other honors include the Soaring and Hang Gliding halls of fame in Frankfort, Mich., the California Public Schools Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
The Rogallos' induction at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the Wright Brothers National Memorial will be part of a full weekend of Wright anniversary activities.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, the First Flight Centennial Commission will hold its year-end meeting at the Holiday Inn in Kill Devil Hills. The panel will continue its work in preparation for the 100th anniversary of powered flight in 2003.
At noon Saturday, the First Flight Society will hold a luncheon at the Comfort Inn in Nags Head.
Saturday night, the ``Man Will Never Fly Society'' will hold its annual evening of fun and frolic at the Comfort Inn in Nags Head.
Among the featured speakers at the dinner will be Ken Blackburn. A St. Louis, Mo., aeronautical engineer, Blackburn holds the record for the longest flight by a paper airplane, 18.8 seconds.
Blackburn, a McDonnell-Douglas engineer, designed the fuel system for the F-18 Hornet, the Navy's premier fighter-attack aircraft.
The dinner begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25, and are available at the door.
Sunday morning, along with the Rogallos' induction, a flyover featuring military fighter aircraft will take place at the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. This year's flyover will be limited because many of the transport aircraft are part of the nation's peacekeeping force in Bosnia.
At 11 a.m. Sunday, members of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronomics will be honored for their work in restoring the replica of the Wright flyer, the centerpiece of the Wright Memorial.
``The AIAA has restored a replica built in 1963 by the organization,'' Doll said.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, in conjunction with Kitty Hawk Kites, a Kids' Flight Festival will be held at the Wright Memorial. The event features a variety of exhibits, including a hang-gliding simulator. MEMO: WRIGHT ANNIVERSARY
This weekend, a variety of Outer Banks events will commemorate the
anniversary of the Wright brothers' first powered flight - which took
place in Kill Devil Hills on Dec. 17, 1903.
FRIDAY: Standing committees of the First Flight Centennial Commission
will meet all day at various locations.
SATURDAY: At 9 a.m., the First Flight Centennial Commission will hold
a full meeting at the Holiday Inn in Kill Devil Hills. At 7 p.m., the
``Man Will Never Fly Society'' will hold its annual dinner at the
Comfort Inn South in Nags Head. Among the featured speakers will be
aeronautical engineer Ken Blackburn. Blackburn holds the record for the
longest paper airplane flight. Tickets are $25, and are available at the
door.
SUNDAY: At 9:30, ceremonies honoring Francis and Gertrude Rogallo,
who revolutionized kite flying with the development of a flexible wing.
Also honored will be members of the American Institute of Aeronautics
and Astronomics for their work in restoring the 1963 replica of the
Wright brothers' 1903 flyer. Other activities include a military
flyover, as well as a hang gliding and ultra-lite exhibit. At 1 p.m., a
Kids' Flight Festival will be held at the Wright Brothers National
Memorial.
For more information, contact the Wright Brothers National Memorial
at (919) 441-7430.
by CNB