Census Facts for Features -- First Flight Centennial 12/15/2003
From: Census Bureau Public Information Office, 301-763-3030 WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 -- Following is a Census Bureau Facts for Features release on "First Flight Centennial": On a windswept dune along North Carolina's Outer Banks on Dec. 17, 1903, a dream of the ages became reality as the Wright brothers made the world's first powered flight. With Orville at the controls and Wilbur on the ground, the plane made four flights that day, with the longest one covering 852 feet in 59 seconds an average speed of 31 miles an hour. To commemorate the centennial of this momentous event in aviation history, the Census Bureau today presents facts and figures on air transportation. Where it All Began 3,171 -- Estimated population of Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 2002. Kitty Hawk was the site of the Wright brothers' first flight. According to the 1900 census, the latest taken at the time of the first flight, there were 4,757 people living in Dare County, where Kitty Hawk is located (in 2002, Dare County's population was more than 32,000). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001118.html http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/nc190090.txt http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/000927.html Today's Crowded Skies 612,000 -- Number of licensed airplane pilots. Among these 244,000 have private pilot's licenses. 121,000 are licensed to fly commercial aircraft. 145,000 are licensed to fly air transport planes. 34,000 are women. 87,000 are student pilots. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) $107 billion -- Annual operating revenue for the U.S. airline industry. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 128,000 -- Number of jobs generated in 2001 by air transportation support services, such as air traffic control and other airport operations. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html> 129,000 -- Number of people employed as airplane pilots and navigators. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 126,000 -- Number of aircraft engine mechanics, the people who keep the planes running. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 19,000 -- Number of airports across the country. The majority of them (nearly 14,000) are private. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 218,000 -- Number of general aviation (private) aircraft. In addition, there are 7,900 airliners. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 4,138 -- The total number of aircraft available for public use (i.e., federal, state or local government-owned or leased aircraft). http://www.bts.gov/publications/national_transportation_statistics/2002/html/table_general_aviation_profile.html 9 million -- Number of aircraft departures for the U.S. airline industry every year. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 86 -- Percentage of flights that departed from the nation's airports on time during the fourth quarter of 2002. Eighty-three percent arrived on time. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 612 million -- Number of paying passengers U.S. airlines carry annually. These air travelers fly an average of 1,046 miles per trip. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 35 million -- Number of passengers who used Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2002, making it the nation's busiest. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) 3.2 million -- Number of passengers who fly between New York and Fort Lauderdale annually, making this route the nation's busiest. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) Aerospace and Air Transportation Industries 449,000 -- The number of people employed in the aerospace product and parts manufacturing industry in 2001. These employees worked out of 1,792 establishments. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html> 90,000 -- Number of people employed as aerospace engineers. (Source: soon-to-be-released Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003.) $135 billion -- Total value of shipments in 2001 of manufactured aerospace products and parts. http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/m01as-1.pdf 609,000 -- Number of people employed in the air transportation industry in 2001. These employees worked out of 5,451 establishments. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/000926.html Aeronautical Records 24,987 -- Length in miles of the longest nonstop, unrefueled flight in history (by Richard Rutan and Jeana Yeager in the experimental, home-built aircraft Voyager in 1986). This marked the first time the world war ever circumnavigated non-stop by air. (Courtesy of the National Aeronautic Association.) 2,193 mph -- The speed record (measured in ground speed), set in 1976 by Capt. Eldon W. Joersz of the U.S. Air Force. (Courtesy of the National Aeronautic Association.) 314,750 -- The highest altitude, in feet, ever reached by an aircraft. The record was set in 1962 by Maj. Robert White of the U.S. Air Force in a high-performance research aircraft. (Courtesy of the National Aeronautic Association.) From time to time, special editions of the U.S. Census Bureau's Facts for Features are issued to commemorate anniversaries or observances or to provide background information for topics in the news. Below is a listing of previous such editions: U.S. Armed Forces and Veterans (April 10, 2003) Tax Time (April 11, 2003) Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial (May 12, 2003) Dialing for Dollars (Sept. 24, 2003) Anniversary of Washington, D.C., as Nation's Capital (Dec. 1, 2003) ------ Editor's note: Some of the preceding data were collected in surveys and, therefore, are subject to sampling error. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; fax: 301-457-3670; or e-mail: pio@census.gov |