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I
love that quote from Sir Isaac Newton because it captures
the essence of technological progress. In aviation,
as in all endeavors, each new innovation is both the
result of accomplishments that have come before it
and a catalyst for future breakthroughs. As we approach
the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’
first flight, it is a fitting time to honor those
breakthroughs that will make the next generation of
aviation breakthroughs possible.
So
it seemed natural that Eclipse Aviation present the
Greatest Aviation Innovations of the first century
of powered flight as part of our co-sponsorship of
the EAA’s
Countdown to Kitty Hawk (CTKH) program. The aviation
advances that the Eclipse 500 will bring about are
possible only because of the innovations and breakthroughs
of yesterday.
We
received the help of an esteemed panel of aviation
experts to arrive at the ten greatest aviation innovations.
We asked them to focus specifically on civil aviation
- i.e., innovations that have benefited commercial
travelers and recreational aviators. They selected
the following:
-
1903 Wright Flyer
-
Controllable-Pitch Propeller
-
Douglas DC-3/Boeing 247
-
Piper Cub
-
Jet Engine
-
Boeing 747
-
LearJet
-
deHavilland Comet/ Boeing Dash-80
-
Air Traffic Control System
-
VS-300 Helicopter
The
public is invited to cast votes to select the greatest
innovation of all, from that list of ten. We invite
you to do that, but even more importantly, we encourage
you to learn more about these innovations, the people
behind them, and how they spurred aviation progress.
To learn more, and to vote, go to:
http://www.countdowntokittyhawk.org/polls/innovations.asp.
When
you vote, you’ll also be registered to win prizes
including a trip to Kitty Hawk, NC, on December 17,
2003 to witness the re-enactment of the Wright brothers’
first flight at Kill Devil Hills.
One
thing that is striking to us at Eclipse is that most
of the greatest innovations in civil aviation occurred
by the mid point of the 20th century. In the last
50 years, we’ve seen substantial innovation
in military aviation and in space technology, but
very little has fundamentally changed in civil aviation.
At Eclipse, we’re out to change that.
Eclipse
is honored to co-sponsor EAA's Countdown to Kitty
Hawk, along with Ford Motor Company and Microsoft
Flight Simulator. Schedule
of Events.
We
hope you can attend one of the venues to celebrate
the centennial anniversary of flight. Eclipse is poised
to begin the next century’s list of aviation
innovators.
Best
Regards,
Vern
Raburn |
