Wright Brothers National Memorial HISTORY (Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk: live, airplane, severance)

[SunnyKayak]

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates two ingenious brothers
from Dayton, OH who, in 1900, choose the sparsely populated area known
as the Outer Banks to conduct a series of experiments that three years
later resulted in the world’s first heavier than air, powered controlled flight.
The story of these brothers embodies the American ideal of hard work
overcoming all obstacles. Wilbur and Orville Wright were not just lucky
bicycle mechanics but succeeded because of study and scientific experimentation.
Their story is the realization of a dream that had existed for centuries;
it is not simply about building the first plane but rather about how they
scientifically solved the problem. It is a story about those who inspired
and those who aided the brothers as well as the coastal area of
North Carolina before, during and after the dream came to life.

[jerseyj]

We visited that site in Kill Devil Hills a year ago, thought we'd just pop in for a couple of minutes. Spent the better part of the day there!

The museum and site are part of the National Park Service and the rangers conduct the tours and talks (they were great!). The Museum is wonderful but the first "runway" markers were amazing! First 2 flights, under 1000 feet.

Oh! Thanks for directing us there a year ago Totally worth it!

[SunnyKayak]

Wilbur & Orville

The story of Orville and Wilbur Wright involves much more than the two brothers. They came from a large and supportive family,
they were inspired by others working on flying machines at the time, and they had the help of the local Outer Banks residents during their
experiments and actual flights. Orville and Wilbur’s history is not complete without the stories of all the others whose lives touched theirs.

[MrBojangles]

So much history at that place and on the Outer Banks in general. You could spend a week there just with the History of it and not have enough time.

[SunnyKayak]

They Taught the World to Fly!
Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights in 1903. With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved changed our world forever.

On October 24, 1911, at Kitty Hawk, NC, Orville Wright established a new world soaring record in a 50 mile-per-hour wind of nine minutes and forty-five seconds. This remained a world’s record for 10 years.

D

Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon, carried with him a piece of the cloth and wood from the original 1903 Wright Flyer.

In 1902, the Wrights made 250 glides in just two days and tallied more than 1,000 glides in one month. From the hills, they perfected the art of soaring and control of the aircraft

.