Wednesday, December 17 marks the 105th anniversary of the first-powered flight.
The famous flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright lasted 12 seconds, but it changed the world. It also inspired others who went on to make great contributions in aviation, like Wichita’s Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech and Bill Lear.
Cessna is paying tribute to the anniversary and to the Wright brothers.
“We’d be remiss if we did not pay tribute to Orville and Wilbur,” Cessna chairman and chief executive Jack Pelton said in a statement. “Not only did their 12-second flight … transform the world by giving us the power of controlled flight, but their application of scientific methodology displayed the passion needed to make the most of flight as a tool.”
Clyde Cessna taught himself to fly a few years after the Wright’s flight. Since Cessna formed the company in 1927, it has produced almost 200,000 aircraft.
“General aviation — business aviation — will continue to play a vital role in rebuilding the global economy by enhancing productivity — by continuing to shrink the world,” he said. General aviation makes possible scores of medical, agriculture, utility and community service activities across the globe.
