First in Flight

Almost everyone knows that the Wright Brothers are the fathers of aviation; that these brothers financed their dream of flight with a modest bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio and that their dream came true on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Indeed, both states proclaim their proud relationship to aviation on their license plates. This is just information in our collective consciousness. But there is good reason for the Wright Brothers choice of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.

When seeking a locale to test their experimental craft, the Wright Brothers had a few criteria. They required an area with a fairly steady and predictable breeze, wide-open and clear land, and privacy. After writing for advice, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hill emerged as the ideal locale. At the Wright Brothers National Memorial it is made particularly clear that these characteristics came at a price. Transportation to Kitty Hawk was convoluted involving multiple modes over a lot of time. Then, once arriving, having to set up a primitive camp for shelter.

The monument to the Wright Brothers atop Kill Devil Hill

And since 1903, these conditions have brought millions of people back here to experience what special conditions coupled with the vision of two brothers yielded a transportation breakthrough that we still enjoy so greatly every day. My experience is just one of so many similar.

What is most noticeable really is the breeze. It is persistent and seems to carry some of the humidity away with it. At one point, it even carried off the kite of a little boy. Quick on his feet, Chris darted into the tall grass and retrieved it.

Chris returning the kite to the little boy

That brings me to the next observation: the land. The ground is sandy. The Outer Banks are literally a narrow sandbar just off shore. The only vegetation that seems to grow is grass whether long and wildly in patches or deep and beautifully in finely manicured lawns. Surprisingly, prickly pear cactus was also common. Indeed, a glider or an experimental aircraft could make a softer landing here than on the tougher, harder, working land in Ohio.

The third characteristic of interest is the one now missing: privacy. While the Outer Banks are not settled in the same density as other, similar beach and resort areas you are still surrounded by humanity. No worries though, the National Park Service has enough land that when standing at the sites where the first airplane took off and each of the three flights on December 17, 1903 (each clearly marked) the feeling of wonder is genuine.

The monument viewed from the take off point of the flights of December 17, 1903

The monument at Kill Devil Hills is outstanding, but the legacy of the Wright Brothers is still alive and well in Dayton as well. Dayton is home to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base which in turn is home of the Museum of the United States Air Force, the subject of an earlier post.

Visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial

Learn more at Ohio History Central and North Carolina History