It gives me great pleasure to recognize today, August 19, as National Aviation Day, continuing a tradition started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939.
Little more than a century ago, human flight was seen as impossible. Perhaps that'swhy so many innovations in aviation, from the early days of powered flight to landing men on the moon, were achieved here in New York, where we have a long legacy of doing what others said could never be done.
From Buffalo to the Finger Lakes to Long Island, New York has been home to the pioneers of aviation and great advances in aircraft technology. In 1910, Glenn H. Curtiss, "the father of naval aviation," flew the aircraft he built in his hometown of Hammondsport 150 miles from New York City to Albany, shattering records and proving that airplanes could be more than a novelty.
Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to earn an international pilot's license, made her aerial debut in 1922 over an airfield on Long Island, becoming an international sensation. In 1929, Charles Lindbergh was the first pilot to complete a solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, thanks to engineers in Sidney, N.Y. who built the magneto that kept his engine firing for more than 7,000 miles.
Helicopter and jet engine technology developed in Buffalo gave rise to new eras of flight. And on Long Island, engineers at Grumman Aerospace designed and built the Lunar Lander that would safely put astronauts on the moon and help to return them home safely.
Today, we are building on our aviation legacy all across New York. From LaGuardia where we are building the nation's first major new airport in 25 years, and at JFK where we are transforming an aging airport into a global gateway that will be the envy of the world, and in every region of the state, we are building modern, 21st century and state-of-the-art airports. Aviation's roots run deep in New York, and we understand how important our airports are to the economy of every region.
Once again, we are doing what people have said was impossible in order to move New York into the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment