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The first powered flight of the Wright Brothers will be celebrated this year. Although not founded until two years after 1903, FAI wishes to pay tribute to this feat, which marked the beginning of an extraordinary human and technological era for mankind.

Centennial Events planned throughout 2003
As Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved their first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight on 17 December 1903, they probably didn't expect that, 100 years later, at least a million people would visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. While the culminating event of the centennial year will most probably be the re-enactment of the Wright's first flight on 17 December 2003 with a reproduction of the Wright Flyer, numerous other events are planned in the USA and in all parts of the World.

A Central List of Internet Sites
Nobody is likely to be able to visit all these events, but each of them will have something of interest to offer. FAI has therefore opened a new Web page displaying a comprehensive selection of links to Web sites dealing with the Wright Brothers Centennial. This page can be found at www.fai.org/centenary/wright.asp. We welcome your contributions and reports on other interesting sources of information, which you deem worthy of featuring on this page webmaster@fai.org.

FAI Young Artists Contest and the Centennial
Each year, all member organisations of FAI are invited to hold a national aviation art contest for youngsters. The 2003 Young Artists Contest will give the opportunity to young people to express in painting "100 Years of Powered Flight". The Rules of the 2003 Contest and addresses of FAI members are available at : www.fai.org/education/contests/artists.

Lausanne, 17 January 2003