Celebration in NY recalls 100 years of flight

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. A.J. Bosker
  • Air Force Print News
NEW YORK --  Thousands of people are celebrating the Centennial of Flight during events through Aug. 18 in Rockefeller Center here.

Among the crowds are parents being dragged by their children who are eager to see the full-scale replicas of the F-16 Fighting Falcon or RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. Others are standing in line to talk to Air Force pilots or to see a real Air Force Academy falcon.

While many visitors are busily recording every detail of the event through the lenses of their cameras, others are there to listen to guest speakers talk about the history of.

For Arthur Lasker, a World War II veteran and P-38 Lightning pilot, this was an opportunity to look back and remember the friends and comrades he lost many years ago.

“I formed very close bonds with the people I flew with and the ground crew, especially the crew chief, who made sure my plane would carry me back alive,” Lasker said.

Everyone had an important role and contribution to make, he said.

The qualities Lasker said he remembers his fellow 8th Fighter Group airmen possessing -- integrity, character, compassion and a willingness to sacrifice for others -- are the same qualities he sees in the airmen talking to the crowds today.

Lasker said he has been called a hero for serving in World War II and in post-war Japan, but he does not like the title.

“I’m no hero,” he said. “The true heroes are the people who didn’t come home. They each gave us the chance to have children, see them grown and have children of their own.”

Although the celebration at Rockefeller Center ends Aug. 18, events at other locations are scheduled through the remainder of the year.

Upcoming events include:

-- Air Force Museum Aviation Art Series, Aug. 26 to Sept. 30: This collection, on display at the museum, will feature paintings of World War I aircraft and scenes.

-- Dawn Patrol, Sept. 12: The Air Force Museum co-sponsors this event at Wright-Patterson AFB that will feature 50 reproduction and authentic World War I aircraft.

-- Air Force Museum Aviation Art Series, Oct. 9 to Dec. 31: This collection, on display at the museum, will feature paintings of past, current and future aircraft and space vehicles.

-- Edwards AFB, Calif., Open House and Air Show, Oct. 25 and 26: This open house and air show will pay tribute to those who helped develop, acquire and sustain the air and space power needed to defend the United States. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are scheduled to appear.

-- First Flight Centennial Celebration, Dec. 13 to 18: This event culminates the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight at Kill Devil Hills, N.C. Fly-overs are scheduled daily and will feature general, commercial and military aircraft. There will also be a re-enactment of the first flight.

More information on Centennial of Flight events can be found at www.centennialofflight.af.mil.