WASHINGTON, Dec 17: The United States on Tuesday commemorated the 99th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight, with the White House hailing the “vision and determination” of the aviation pioneers who “changed the world forever.”

On December 17, 1903, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful sustained flight in an engine-powered aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The brothers’ 12-second flight spanned a distance of approximately 40 meters, but their “ideas and design led to countless advances in aviation,” President George W. Bush said.

Meanwhile, at Washington’s National Air and Space Museum — where the Wright Flyer is on display — actor and flight enthusiast John Travolta spoke at a ceremony kicking off next year’s centennial celebration and a special exhibit honouring the brothers’ achievements.

“The aspiration of flight, for thousands of years, has captured the imagination of countless pioneers, thinkers and heroes to push their limits, their ability and their reason,” said Travolta.

In the 99 years since the Wright brothers’ revolutionary flight, Bush said, “mankind has flown across oceans, broken the sound barrier, launched satellites and landed on the moon.”

Between 1899 and 1905, he said, the pair built seven aircraft, “and through this extensive research and experimentation, Orville and Wilbur Wright established the foundation of modern aeronautics.”—AFP