After spending 2011 traveling the globe with world-renowned aviators, Breitling’s #1 Naval Centennial Limited Edition Airwolf timepiece will be auctioned online to benefit the National Flight Academy (NFA).
The auction of this special piece, which was created to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation, will begin at 9 .am. EST Feb. 15 online and end at 5 p.m. EST Feb. 29.
The starting bid will be $15,000 for the auction package that includes:
- The #1 of 500 numbered Naval Centennial Limited Edition Airwolf watches, worn by aviators in a global journey that was initiated with Commander Mark Kelly on the Space Shuttle Endeavour’s last flight into space in May – A trip that alone logged 6.5 million miles!
- The official Aviators’ Flight Log Book, which accompanied every pilot on each individual flight.
- personal presentation of this package by Mark Kelly to the highest bidder of the auction.
“Being a naval aviator for over 25 years, I was both humbled and honored to wear this historical watch on my last flight into space,” said Commander Mark Kelly. “Breitling and the NFA share a passion for naval aviation, and I am excited to have inaugurated the journey of this timepiece and appreciate the good it will do to support STEM education in our nation’s middle and high schools.”
Proceeds from the auction will create the “Breitling Scholars” program to the National Flight Academy, whose programs use immersive learning techniques to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education through aviation-inspired scenarios and simulation. Students who have participated in this program have demonstrated dramatic educational and behavioral improvements including 38% higher standardized test scores, an 80% reduced dropout rate, 90% reduction in truancies, and 100% reduction in disciplinary problems.
Throughout 2011, the #1 Airwolf spent time travelling the world with renowned aviators including the Breitling Jet Team Leader Jaques Bothelin, British pilots Charlie Brown and Lee Proudfoot; New Zealand pilot Keith Skilling, Thom Richards, German pilot Matthias Dolderer, Australian pilot Major Dietmar Springer, Italian pilot Francesco Fornabio, Swiss pilot Ernst Frei, and French aerobatic champion Oliver Masurel. The watch’s final flight took place on its journey in the U.S. with the #1 Blue Angel in the United States. In addition, while it was traveling in Switzerland it rode with five-time LeMans winner Derek Bell, and flew with Breitling’s Jetman and in the Breitling Constellation.
The commemorative timepiece features functions utilized by pilots: 1/100th of a second chronograph with split times, alarm, countdown, 2nd timezone with independent alarm, UTC and perpetual calendar. The NVG-compatible display backlighting system enables night-time read-off and a turbine-shaped caseback serves as a resonance chamber for the alarm.
A key element to the “Breitling Scholars” program is funding 100 student scholarships per year for the opportunity to attend camp at Ambition, a landlocked, simulated training aircraft carrier located at NFA in Pensacola, Florida. In the coming years, Breitling and NFA will work together on additional educational competitions and initiatives.
“The National Flight Academy is overwhelmed by the generosity of Breitling to allow the rich historical relevance of the #1 Airwolf watch to benefit the most modern learning program in the Nation,” said Gerry Hoewing, President of the National Flight Academy. “Like Breitling, the National Flight Academy is committed to high performance, precision and accuracy. The money raised from this auction will enable students from all over the world to improve performance in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”
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