Celebrating 100 years of progress

May 8, 1911 marked the official birthday of Naval Aviation and on May 8, 2011, the world witnessed the centennial celebration commemorating that birth.

The first plane ordered by the Navy was the Curtiss A-1 Triad. It was called Triad because it could fly and land on water or land. Today the Navy has orders in for Lockheed Martin’s F-35C Lightening II, the most advanced air craft in the world. The centennial is a celebration of that progression, according to VADM, Allen Myers, commander of Naval Air Forces.

“We have an opportunity to showcase the past, highlight the present and view the future where Naval Aviation continues, in all its forms, to play a significant national role,” Myers said, in a centennial newsletter.

The theme of the centennial is “Celebrating 100 Years of Achievement – 100 Years of Progress.”

For more on this story, see the May 12 edition of the Navarre Press or subscribe online.