The focus will shift from football to aviation for a while at this year’s Rose Bowl festivities. Contributions from two communities that legitimately share the distinction as the birthplaces of powered flight will have a prominent presence in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. The Outer Banks of North Carolina will have a float in the parade depicting the natural history of the Kitty Hawk area, where Orville and Wilbur Wright first took flight a little more than 99 years ago. A replica of that first aircraft will rise above the float for 12 seconds at a time, reflecting the length of the first flight. Meanwhile, overhead, the Wright “B” Flyer replica, from the Wright brothers’ hometown of Dayton, will kick off a series of flybys that will include a B-2 and a pair of F-117s. (The TFRs for the game go into effect later.) The Wright B is an updated version of a 1905 Wright design. It first flew in 1982 and is owned by Wright Flyer “B” Inc.
