| 1 | 1 | | 81R5554 SKA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Parker H.R. No. 697 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor, who built the first engines |
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| 7 | 7 | | for Orville and Wilbur Wright's airplanes, made an incalculable |
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| 8 | 8 | | contribution to the development of aviation; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Born May 24, 1868, in Illinois, Mr. Taylor began |
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| 10 | 10 | | working as a machinist for the two brothers at the Wright Cycle |
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| 11 | 11 | | Company in Dayton, Ohio, in 1902; after six weeks on the job, he had |
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| 12 | 12 | | built the first engine used to power the Wright Flyer, and his place |
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| 13 | 13 | | in aviation history was secured with the Wright brothers' first |
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| 14 | 14 | | successful flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, In the early years of the fledgling industry, Mr. |
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| 16 | 16 | | Taylor maintained a constant presence in aviation development; he |
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| 17 | 17 | | continued to design and build aircraft engines and accompanied the |
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| 18 | 18 | | Wright brothers to flight demonstrations in Europe, United States |
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| 19 | 19 | | government test flights in Fort Myer, Virginia, and further |
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| 20 | 20 | | demonstrations at the Hudson-Fulton Exposition in New York; |
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| 21 | 21 | | moreover, he served as the mechanic for the first successful |
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| 22 | 22 | | transcontinental flight in the United States; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Taylor's career in aviation construction and |
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| 24 | 24 | | maintenance spanned more than 60 years, and the Federal Aviation |
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| 25 | 25 | | Administration has honored this achievement with the establishment |
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| 26 | 26 | | of the Charles Edward Taylor Master Mechanic Award, which |
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| 27 | 27 | | recognizes persons with 50 or more years of aviation maintenance |
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| 28 | 28 | | experience; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, Charles Edward Taylor played a fundamental role in |
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| 30 | 30 | | the early development of powered flight, and the exacting vocation |
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| 31 | 31 | | he pioneered has become an essential part of the fabric of modern |
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| 32 | 32 | | life; now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 34 | 34 | | Legislature hereby recognize May 24, 2009, as Aviation Maintenance |
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| 35 | 35 | | Technician Day in Texas in tribute to Charles Edward Taylor and to |
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| 36 | 36 | | all aviation maintenance technicians who have followed in his |
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| 37 | 37 | | footsteps. |
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