Neil Armstrong: Knowing the Kid From Wapakoneta

Saturday, June 22, 2013 at 12:27 AM ET

Verified

** Martha Lunken impersonates Katharine
Wright with the kid from Wapakoneta at the
controls of a replica Wright Flyer. The replica
was built of composite materials by students
at Utah State University.** Flying Magazine

Key Takeaways:

The narrator recounts profound encounters with Neil Armstrong, including a shared tour of the Wright brothers' mansion, highlighting his historical significance alongside aviation pioneers.
Neil Armstrong consistently demonstrated extraordinary modesty and a self-effacing nature, often leading people to be unaware of his identity or downplay his legendary achievements.
Despite his humility, Armstrong maintained a deep passion for aviation and engineering, evident in his articulate explanations of complex aircraft principles to his grandson at a museum.

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The following article is from the January 2013 print issue.

Way back in the early ’70s, an old friend of my husband’s, Harry Combs, invited us to join him and his wife at the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony and dinner in Dayton, Ohio. Serving as master of ceremonies that year, Combs was also playing host to a famous “space guy” and his wife for the weekend. Ebby didn’t want to drive the 50-some miles to Dayton and stay over for the weekend, but he relented when I threw a hissy fit of massive proportions.