The Wright Brothers will forever be associated with the North Carolina—the state license plate and state quarter both feature airplanes, after all—but it turns out the brothers also have quite a history in Alabama.

We’ll admit our ignorance to the fact the Wright Brothers operated a flying school near Montgomery and conducted historic flights in the vicinity—until we talked to Billy Singleton, a member of the Chilton County Airport Authority who is helped spearhead an effort to commemorate the centennial anniversary of powered flight in Alabama.

Our guess is that most of our readers were also unaware of the Wright Model A and of some of the first night flights in the world. That’s why we’d like to say “thanks” to Singleton and his group for their efforts.

Gov. Bob Riley has declared March as Aviation and Aerospace Heritage Month, and we’re proud to say Singleton, a local resident, is part of opening eyes to the history of flight in our state.