Rarefied Air: Celebrating National Aviation Day

The Wright brothers’ success on December 17, 1903, marked the beginning of powered, controlled, heavier-than-air flight. [John T. Daniels/Library of Congress]

Monday celebrates National Aviation Day, established in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

August 19 was the chosen day because it also happens to be the birthday of Orville Wright in 1871. Many early aviators had the honor of having their pilot certificates signed by Wright, who lived until 1948.

When the proclamation was codified, it enabled all future U.S. presidents to proclaim August 19 National Aviation Day.

If you missed celebrating this day, put December 17 on your calendar—that is Wright Brothers Day, marking the anniversary of their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and the "12 seconds that changed the world."

We at FLYING feel that every day is National Aviation Day, and we should all be doing our best to engage in activities that promote flying. So get out there and do some touch-and-goes to make the Wright brothers proud!

National Aviation Day Wright Brothers Day

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.