Pilot Award

By Jere Hough Meteorologist / Feature Reporter

It was a little over 100 years ago that man first took flight. And one local pilot was honored because he has been flying for a little over 50 of those years. Pilot Award

Published: Thu, August 21, 2008 - 9:00 pm

Jere Hough

Hamilton Wright is giving a quick tour of his plane for television. Some of his children are here, although they've all been in the plane many times...like every time the family went out of town. But today they're not here for a trip.
Meteorologist Jere Hough indicates the plane on the tarmac. "This plane has served Ham Wright for over 40 years. But he's getting special recognition that he's served it well, too."
Inside Michael Mullaney reads the award to Wright and his wife, Jamie. "On behalf of the FAA, Ham, this is for fifty years of dedicated service and aviation safety.Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration. Presented to J. Hamilton Wright August 21, 2008, in recognition of your contributions to building and maintaining the safest aviation system in the world through practicing and promoting safe aircraft operations for fifty consecutive years."
Wright responds smiling, "Thank you, thank you very much."
The award is the "Wright Brothers' Master Pilot Award." He is only the second person in the Mobile area to receive it.
He's logged 6000 hours of flying...the equivalent of 8 months time! But it wasn't exactly love of flying that got him started all those years ago.
Wright laughs and says, "It happened that I was dating the daughter of an ex-Eastern Airline pilot who had a flying school. And since I was dating his daughter, I started taking flying lessons from him. And that's how I got into flying."
But it is his wife, Jamie, who spent many of those 6000 hours beside him.
(TAG) ALTHOUGH THE NAME'S THE SAME, WRIGHT DOES NOT THINK HE IS RELATED TO WILBUR AND ORVILLE. HOWEVER, THERE IS A CONNECTION. HIS GRANDFATHER AND GREAT-GRANDFATHER MADE BICYCLE PARTS AND BALL BEARINGS IN BUFFALO, NY, AND THE WRIGHT BROTHERS MADE BICYCLES IN DAYTON, OHIO. AND IT IS PROVEN THAT WRIGHT BALL BEARINGS WERE USED IN THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' PLANE.
Although the name is the same, Wright does not think he is related to Wilbur and Orville. However, there is a connection. His grandfather and great-grandfather made bicycle parts and ball bearings in Buffalo, New York. and the Wright brothers made bicycles in Dayton, Ohio. And it is proven that Wright ball bearings were used in the Wright Brothers' plane.