[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 49 (Monday, December 13, 1993)]
[Pages 2562-2563]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6638--Wright Brothers Day, 1993

 December 10, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    The modern era of aviation dawned on a wind-swept beach in North 
Carolina 90 years ago, when brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved 
the unthinkable--most said impossible--sustained, powered flight in an 
aircraft. The ``Flyer I'' made its inaugural voyage on the morning of 
December 17, 1903. With Orville at the controls and Wilbur on the 
ground, the little craft stayed aloft for only 12 seconds and covered 
just 120 feet. But the brothers were not content to let that flight be 
their last; instead, they did their utmost to build and fly faster and 
better aircraft. The inventiveness, ingenuity, and dedication of the 
Wright brothers exalted the spirit of the American people.
    This Nation's leadership in aviation that began with the Wright 
brothers continues today, as the prevailing technology has evolved from 
propeller power to jet engine propulsion, from supersonic transport to 
work on hypersonic aircraft. The National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration and related industry are now working together to develop 
the technologies for a commercial transport that will travel at more 
than twice the speed of sound. Continued leadership in

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aviation is increasingly important in today's global economy, not only 
to maintain America's competitive position in that economy, but also to 
facilitate the flow of international commerce. As the Federal Aviation 
Administration works to maintain and improve the world's safest and most 
efficient air transportation system, Americans must continue the 
research and development of even faster, safer, quieter, and more 
efficient aircraft. We must also work to advance our knowledge of air 
traffic structures and required technology needed for tomorrow.
    When Wilbur Wright died in 1912, his father said of him that he had 
``an unfailing intellect, * * * great self-reliance, and as great 
modesty. [He saw] the right clearly, and pursu[ed] it steadily * * *''. 
These words apply not only to both of the Wright brothers, but to all 
who endeavor to apply the can-do spirit, inquisitiveness, and tenacity 
of the Wright brothers to the ongoing exploration of new aviation 
horizons.
    The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963 (77 
Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 169), has designated the seventeenth day of 
December of each year as ``Wright Brothers Day'' 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, 1993, as Wright 
Brothers Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe the 
occasion with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of 
December, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:42 p.m., December 13, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
December 15.