LinuxForce And The Franklin Institute Online Announce The Development Of A New Web-Based Program In Conjunction With The U.S. Centennial Of Flight Commission.

Business Editors/High-Tech & Education Writers

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2003

The 2003 Flight Forecast Program Will Empower Teachers And Educate Children About The Wright Brothers And Weather Forecasting 

LinuxForce today announced that it was selected by The Franklin Institute Online (www.fi.edu) to develop the Web-based applications powering the 2003 Flight Forecast online educational program. The Franklin Institute, the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission and LinuxForce have developed the 2003 Flight Forecast as a national competition that challenges K-12 students to predict weather conditions for December 17, 2003 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina where thousands of people will gather to mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight on December 17, 1903.

"We are proud that the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission chose The Franklin Institute to develop the national 2003 Flight Forecast program. Our longstanding technical partnership with LinuxForce gave me the confidence I needed to trust that the LinuxForce team could develop the Web-based applications for both teachers and students to participate. The goal, of course, is to enable teachers, nationally, to engage their students with science and history in an exciting new way," stated Karen Elinich, Director of Educational Technology Programs for The Franklin Institute Science Museum. "We chose LinuxForce for this critical project because they have the expertise to conceive, develop, and implement the online information management, registration tools and database platform that we needed to meet our goals," continued Elinich.

"Since I was a child, I have always admired the Wright Brothers' accomplishments, and I think that this is a very valuable educational exercise to teach America's kids about the Wright Brothers and weather forecasting," stated Chris Fearnley, President of LinuxForce. "This software application project for the 2003 Flight Forecast competition has been a labor of love, and I am extremely proud to have been able to work on this exciting software development project to complement the efforts by The Franklin Institute and the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission to commemorate the Wright Brothers' first flight." continued Fearnley.

About The Franklin Institute Science Museum

For more than 176 years, The Franklin Institute Science Museum has been as much a part of the Philadelphia landscape as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Situated on the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Parkway leading into Center City Philadelphia, the Institute attracts nearly 850,000 visitors every year to enjoy an exciting array of high tech, interactive exhibits. The Institute is the most frequently visited museum in Pennsylvania, and the third most-visited tourist attraction in the Philadelphia area. As the custodian of the Wright Aeronautical Engineering Collection, The Franklin Institute has a long history of preserving and celebrating the legacy of Orville and Wilbur Wright. For more information, please visit The Franklin Institute Online at http://www.fi.edu.

About the 2003 Flight Forecast Program

Registration for the 2003 Flight Forecast program is available through the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission Web site (www.centennialofflight.gov). Teachers may register their students for the contest from September 26, 2003 to November 3, 2003. Forecast predictions may be made by individual students, teams, or entire classes between November 3, 2003 and November 17, 2003. Once on the Web site, teachers will find activities and information to help their students explore aviation and meteorology. Forecasts will be collected in three grade groupings K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 with the complexity of the forecast increasing at the higher grade levels. Forecasts must be submitted online no later than November 17, 2003, and prizes will be available for the most accurate forecasters within each grade group.

About the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission

The U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission was created by Congress to expand national and international interest in the commemoration of the centennial of powered flight. The Commission is coordinating a national outreach campaign and advising the President, Congress and federal agencies on the most effective ways to encourage and promote national and international participation in 2003. Its members include the director of the National Air and Space Museum, the administrators of NASA and the FAA, the presidents of the Experimental Aircraft Association and First Flight Centennial Foundation of North Carolina, and the chairman of Inventing Flight: Dayton 2003. More information about the Commission can be found on the U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission Web site at http://www.centennialofflight.gov.

About LinuxForce Inc.

Headquartered in Philadelphia, LinuxForce offers the market a wide range of software solutions and outsourced systems administration services. LinuxForce provides its corporate, academic and non-profit clients with computing solutions built upon open source software including Linux and Debian GNU/Linux. LinuxForce builds Internet (Web-based) and Intranet software, custom Linux and X11 applications, and systems software. LinuxForce's Remote Responder is a suite of products which provide outsourced Linux systems management services. LinuxForce is a leading advocate of the Debian GNU/Linux operating system. In addition to Philadelphia, LinuxForce has offices in Irvine, California and Boulder, Colorado. LinuxForce's clients include The Franklin Institute Science Museum, AIG, Chester County InterLink, The Philadelphia Sportswriters Association, and The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia. LinuxForce was established in 1995 and incorporated in 1999. For more information refer to www.LinuxForce.net or call 610-734-1900.