Proclamation 6762

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

On a windy December day 91 years ago, Orville and Wilbur Wright made history. In 12 seconds of flight, they demonstrated to the world that mortals really could touch the sky in powered flight. In the decades since, Americans have continued to make history with countless achievements in aviation and aerospace technology.

America leads the world in aeronautics technology, and that leadership is directly reflected in the success of our aircraft industry. The legacy of the Wright brothers is clear: in the past year, the U.S. aeronautics industry sold more than $100 billion in products and employed more than a million people in high-quality jobs. Aircraft are the Nation's top manufactured export, with more than $40 billion in sales in 181 countries around the world.

We have a grand history and a promising future in aeronautics. The enactment of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994, which I signed into law last August, provides a significant opportunity to reassert America's global leadership in general aviation aircraft. Offering the promise of new jobs and an enhanced economic climate, this measure applies the kind of innovation, creativity, and vision exemplified so many years ago by the Wright brothers.

Today, Orville and Wilbur's perseverance continues to challenge and inspire us as we take the lead in cutting-edge aeronautics technology. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is working with industry to develop technologies that will make conventional aircraft safer, more affordable, and more environmentally friendly. Government and industry researchers are also working in partnership to transform the concept of affordable commercial supersonic flight into a reality early in the next century. These technological advancements in aviation and aerospace will continue to contribute to our success and prosperity. The dream that began on a lonely stretch of beach near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, has taken us through the sound barrier and into space-and the future holds endless possibilities.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963 (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 169), has designated December 17 of each year as "Wright Brothers Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 1994, as Wright Brothers Day.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and nineteenth.

William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:35 a.m., December 16, 1994]