This annual banquet honors the spirit and achievements of the Wright Brothers. Celebrate the anniversary of the first powered flight with a presentation by astronaut Joe Engle, cocktails, and full-dinner service.
Joe was a USAF pilot when Chuck Yeager was running the Test Pilot School. Yeager personally vouched to get Joe into the school where he would push experimental aircraft to the edge of the envelope. He would fly the North American X-15, which would set the all-time speed record for a manned aircraft by flying at speeds above Mach 6. Joe would qualified for the Apollo Program serving as the backup for Apollo 14 and then prime crew on Apollo 17. When the government announced they were ending the Apollo Program after 17, they shuffled the crews around and Joe did not get to fly. He would get his chance in space on the Shuttle. He was Shuttle Commander of one of the first flight tests of the Shuttle and was the commander of Shuttle Mission STS-51-I.
Joe’s keynote presentation will take place at the Wright Brother’s Memorial Banquet on Friday December 8, 2017. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. and dinner served at 7 p.m. with presentation to follow. Reservations are required.
