We’ve seen a number of aviation
museums, so it only seemed fitting to go to the Wright Brothers National
Memorial at Kitty Hawk. It was here on
December 17, 1903 that “the first manned, heavier-than-air machine” flew.
We
are very familiar with Wilbur and Orville Wrights’ mark in history as they were
from Dayton, Ohio (Bill’s hometown) and did much of their
research there. They concluded that the Outer Banks offered the best conditions
for their flight experiments, since it offered steady wind (we can attest to
that), flat wide beaches, tall sand dunes (for glider tests), and privacy. The
Wrights traveled from Dayton,
Ohio, to the Outer Banks several
weeks each year between September 1900 and December 1903 to conduct their
flight experiments.
We
climbed to the top of Kill Devil Hill to see the Wright Brothers
Monument. This is a sand
dune now stabilized with grass that the Wright brothers trudged up countless
times testing gliders.
 |
|
IN
COMMEMORATION OF THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR
BY THE BROTHERS WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT CONCEIVED BY GENIUS ACHIEVED BY DAUNTLESS RESOLUTION AND UNCONQUERABLE FAITH |
Here
is the view from Kill Devil Hill.
The
entire expanse used to just be open sand – now grass, trees and a busy town. At
the end of the path is where the flights took off and the 4 stones to the right
mark the lengths of the first four flights. The Wright brothers’ brief first
flight was less than the length of a modern day airliner, but it spawned
aviation.
The
National Park Service made replicas of their 1903 hanger and cabin.
A
sculpture captures the moment in history.
We
didn’t get to see the visitor center due to renovations, but appreciated viewing
the grounds.
campground: Cape Hatteras KOA; distance to Wright Brothers National
Memorial 34mi 44min
