06R-287

2006 -- S 3114

Enacted 05/23/06

S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF CHARLES EDWARD TAYLOR, THE WORLD'S FIRST AIRPLANE MECHANIC, AND PROCLAIMING MAY 24TH OF EACH YEAR AS "AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Senators Connors, Bates, Sosnowski, and Walaska

Date Introduced: May 23, 2006

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor was born on May 24, 1869; and

     WHEREAS, Charles began working in 1902 as a machinist for Orville and Wilbur

Wright at the Wright Cycle Company in Dayton, Ohio. Within six weeks, he built a 12

horsepower aluminum, water-cooled engine using only a drill press, metal lathe, and hand tools.

It was used to power the first flying machine and was named the Wright Flyer; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Taylor's ingenuity earned him a place in aviation history when the

Wright Brothers successfully took their first flight on December 17, 1903. After this historic

event, he continued to design aircraft engines for the Wright Brothers, and later taught them how

to build aircraft engines of their own; and

     WHEREAS, In 1908, Charles accompanied Orville Wright to Fort Meyer, Virginia for

test flights directed by the United States Government, and in 1909 accompanied Wilbur Wright to

New York for the Hudson Fulton flights. He also served as lead mechanic for Calbraith (Cal)

Rodgers, who made his first transcontinental flight in 1911; and

     WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor passed away in 1956. He had a successful career in

aviation maintenance for more than 60 years, and was honored by the Federal Aviation

Administration with the establishment of the Charles Edward Master Mechanic Award, which

recognizes individuals with 50 years or more of aviation maintenance experience; now, therefore

be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby honors the life and the memory of Charles Edward Taylor and expresses its appreciation

for the invaluable contributions he made to aviation; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby proclaims May 24th of each year as "Aviation

Maintenance Technician Day" in honor of Charles Edward Taylor, and further urges the citizens

of the State of Rhode Island and the Federal Aviation Administration Eastern Region to

participate in activities commemorating the 103rd Anniversary of the Wright Brothers Flight; and

be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Federal Aviation Administration Eastern

Region.

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LC03085

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