In Recognition of the National Celebration of General Aviation.pdf
IN RECOGNITION OF
THE NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF GENERAL AVIATION
2024
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, in 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright first harnessed powered flight at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and then, in 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the most famous person in the world when he departed United States soil in an American-built aircraft to cross the Atlantic; and
WHEREAS, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established National Aviation Day to celebrate Orville Wright’s birthday and signed the Civilian Pilot Training Act, boosting the aviation industry by opening up pilot training to thousands of college students at hundreds of educational institutions and flight schools across the country; and
WHEREAS, today, the United States general aviation industry is composed of more than 200,000 aircraft, safely flies over 26 million flight hours, and registers 30 million safe takeoffs and landings per year; and
WHEREAS, general aviation contributes over $247 billion in economic impact and supports 1.2 million jobs across the country, and often serves as a vital lifeline for communities through missions of disaster relief, humanitarian aid, law enforcement, and agricultural support; and
WHEREAS, in the State of North Carolina, general aviation brings over $6 billion in economic activity and supports 28,385 jobs, making it a vital part of our economy and the everyday lives of our residents;
WHEREAS, more than 650,000 registered pilots in the United States access more than 5,100 public use airports and another 14,000 privately owned airfields, more than any other country in the world; these pilots and airports connect communities across America with the National Air Transportation system; and
WHEREAS, general aviation has shown impressive gains in safety performance over the last several decades – the fatal accident rate (our traditional measuring stick) has dropped to 0.73 per 100,000 flight hours, a historic record; and
WHEREAS, over the past 85 years, people have marveled at the continual technological advancements in general aviation which have improved our lives, enabling access to communities across the country, creating hundreds of billions of dollars in economic impact and growth, and firmly establishing the United States as the world leader in general aviation; and
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2024, as a day “IN RECOGNITION OF THE NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF GENERAL AVIATION” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.
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Roy Cooper
Governor
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this thirtieth day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.