Travolta: Aviation at a crossroads
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John Travolta
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(CNN) -- A nearly weeklong celebration to mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight culminates Wednesday with an attempt to re-create the historic 12-second trip.
Actor John Travolta, who is also a pilot, was the master of ceremonies for the event. Travolta discussed the festivities beforehand Wednesday with CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of why you wanted to be part of this big celebration? Notwithstanding the history, of course. You have an obvious passion for flying. Tell us a little bit about that.
TRAVOLTA: Sure. Well, I've had it most of my life. This passion for flying, it's hard to kill.
But, other than that, today, it's about the next 100 years, I think. You know, we're at a crossroads in the aerospace industry and aviation where we need to move on from where we've progressed.
And we've progressed, you know, to new arenas that we never thought we would achieve in this 100 years. But now it's important for the next generation to inspire those young people to get interested in the industry and take us to other places.
O'BRIEN: As we mentioned, part of the big event will be this re-creation of the first flight 100 years ago. And I understand there's this sort of wood replica. You're a pilot. Any interest in getting in on that and flying across for a few seconds? It does sound a little dangerous quite frankly.
TRAVOLTA: It was actually proposed to me to do that. One of the flights. One of a few flights they're making. And I just didn't have the schedule to do it. But, yeah, that would be fun.
I fly ultralights as well. I'm a 707 and 747 pilot. But I do have in my repertoire ultralights, which are very similar to [what] the Wright brothers [used]. Although the Wright brothers' Flyer was much more difficult to fly than anything we have today.
O'BRIEN: Of course, and certainly back then. I've flown an ultralight here and there myself. It's a lot of fun. Some big names are going to be joining you this morning. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin and also John Glenn. Heroes of yours. What's it going to be like to be out there with some legends?
TRAVOLTA: Well, I've had the good fortune of knowing these men throughout the years, and it's always a pleasure and an honor to be in their same space. And today, the president of the United States will be with us as part of the ceremony, and I think it's an important day for the nation and the world.
