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The Wright Brothers: Kitty Hawk, NC
One of humanity's most clever inventions took flight for the
first time on the sandy Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial commemorates the first flight.
A lot has changed at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, since Orville and Wilbur Wright of Dayton, Ohio, arrived almost 100 years ago to experiment with their flying machines. The nearby Outer Banks village of Kitty Hawk was so isolated that many mainland residents hadn't heard of it, and it took Wilbur three days to find a boat owner who could take him across Albemarle Sound to the tiny settlement.

Today, summer tourists crowd these slender barrier islands. About the only thing the brothers would recognize is the wind that brought them here in 1900 to begin their flight experiments. The wind still lures adventurers wanting to ride it. Nearby Jockey's Ridge State Park has become a hangout for glider devotees, and wind surfers skim across the sound.



At the Wright Brothers National Memorial, you can escape the sun bathers for a time and learn about the first controlled, manned flight by a powered machine. The main components of Orville and Wilbur's airplane didn't amount to much—lengths of muslin stretched over a wooden frame, a couple of bicycle chains and sprockets, a pair of propellers, and a gasoline engine with less power than many of today's lawnmowers. But the flyer was one of humanity's most clever creations and resulted from the brothers' research, invention, and skill.

The craft flew just 120 feet but soared into the history books.
On the cold morning of December 17, 1903, the Wrights' contraption chugged into a 27-mile-per-hour headwind and lifted itself a few feet off the ground. Orville, who was at the flyer's simple controls, hadn't learned how to handle the machine yet, and he kept it aloft only 12 seconds. The craft flew just 120 feet but soared into the history books. In those few seconds, the 19th century and its wind- and steam-powered surface transportation separated and fell away from the 20th century. The moment is recorded in a photograph snapped by one of the crewman from a nearby life-saving station. Wilbur, who had been running along holding up a wing as the flyer taxied for its takeoff, is frozen in mid-step as the machine lifts off. His eyes are riveted on his brother and the flyer.

The memorial's visitors center includes full-scale reproductions of the Wrights' first powered Flyer and a glider they used for experiments here in 1902. A museum explains the brothers' dogged efforts to build a powered flying machine. And the simple sheds where they spent several chilly winters mastering the winds have been reconstructed as well.

The memorial, located on US 158 in Kill Devil Hills, is open 9:00-5:00 every day except Christmas. There is an admission charge. More information is available at (252) 441-7430 The website is www.nps.gov/wrbr. The Dare County Tourist Bureau, (800) 446-6262, can help you arrange your trip.


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Photo: PhotoDisc
Image: Photo: PhotoDisc