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Categories: History & Heritage
Overview. On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright's Flyer stayed aloft for 12 seconds over the beaches of North Carolina's Outer Banks. The lonely stretches of sand and almost constant ocean breezes proved ideal for the Wright brothers' daring experiments. Their engineering triumph ushered in a new century of air and then space travel. This memorial to their persistence and genius includes a museum, an airstrip, and a monument.
What to see and do. Begin your afternoon at the visitor center, open from 9 AM until 5 PM (to 6 PM during summer). A wheelchair is available, and most of this site is accessible. You can't miss the full-scale reproductions of the Wrights' 1902 Glider and 1903 Flyer. Other exhibits tell the story of the brothers from childhood to the first flights, and include the original tools and drafting equipment used by the Wright brothers, as well as a reproduction of the original wind tunnel. Catch the daily ranger presentations given in the Flight Room Auditorium. A short walk brings you to the reconstructed 1903 camp buildings and the first flight ground. There are also granite markers designating the lengths of the first flight tests, and the granite boulder that marks the site of the first flight.
Further explore the 431-acre park by walking the paved trail winding around the base and then to the top of Kill Devil Hill, a 90-foot sand dune and site of the Wright's glider experiments from 1900 to 1902. At the summit have a look at the 60-foot-high granite monument to the Wright brothers' achievements. Avid pilots will enjoy the 3000-foot First Flight Airstrip, built in 1963 to allow small aircraft to visit what is, in a sense, their birthplace. Tie-down times are limited to 24 consecutive hours or no more than 48 hours total over 30 days.
In order to waive fees, school groups must put in a request on school letterhead in advance. The park celebrates Orville Wright's birthday along with National Aviation Day on August 19. Call ahead for details on this date and the events scheduled in December in honor of the first flights. Leashed pets are permitted.
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