The Wright Brothers Monument in Kill Devil Hills, NC, is a memorial to the first-ever airplane flight. The Wright Flyer, as the brothers called it, took off from the grounds below where the monument stands. They would have called the location Kitty Hawk because Kitty Hawk was the closest town and post office to this dune field. The first flight was on December 17, 1903. Kill Devil Hills was not incorporated until 1953.
Upon arrival at the park, our first desire was to see the flight path before visiting the visitor’s center. We strolled past the visitor’s center and found the pathway towards the living quarters.
Here, the brothers lived and worked (on and off), starting in September of 1900. They lived in tents until deciding to build more permanent structures in 1901. Eventually, Orville and Wilbur would build the Wright Flyer in the hangar area. The original structures were destroyed by storms in 1911. Later, the living quarters and workshop were reconstructed. The reconstruction continued a few times between 1953 and 1993 due to storm damage.
Just past the workshop, in the far distance, we noticed the monument on the Big Kill Devil Hill.
Before climbing the hill, we walked the pathway to observe each of the flight touchdowns.
The markers are carved in granite and record the time, distance, and pilot of each flight.
After visiting the markers, it was time to make our way to the monument on Big Kill Devil Hill.
It was a straight path to the large dune where the brothers conducted glider experiments before perfecting the motorized Wright Flyer.
We walked around the monument and enjoyed the 360-degree views of the surrounding area.
We took a close-up look at the bronze busts of Orville and Wilbur sitting on either side of the granite monument. Then we studied the monument.
The monument is an Art Deco-style structure that sits on a star-shaped foundation. The granite used in the construction was supplied by the North Carolina Granite Corporation of Mount Airy, North Carolina. There are wings carved into the sides and a beacon on top.
As we made our way to the narrow back of the structure, its triangular shape became more obvious.
Then the view from the top put everything into perspective. How thrilling it must have been for the Wright Brothers to glide from this hill with the ocean views in the distance.
After descending the monument, we visited the sculpture area. Here we found the life-sized commemorative replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer.
Complete with Orville in the pilot position and Wilbur running alongside, as other life-sized figures look on, the sculpture depicts the first flight taking place.
Next, it was time to explore the visitor center. Orville’s engineering handbook was on display. We marveled at the pages of this historic book. More replicas of the Wright Flyer were in the Flight Room.
Most impressive was the to-scale reproduction built for the 2003 Centennial of First Flight by The Wright Experience, Inc. of Warrenton, Virginia. There are other replicas around the world; however, this one is considered to be one of the most accurate non-flying display representations of the original.
The actual Wright Flyer was moved to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
As we gazed through the large windows of the Flight Room, to our surprise, a Black Hawk helicopter landed outside in the large field past the flight markers. How cool! We wondered why it landed here. Soon, one of the pilots came inside looking for the comfort station. We pointed him in the right direction. He then invited us to see the Black Hawk up close!
We hurried out the door to the field. Soon, others noticed and followed us. The pilots had flown in from Pennsylvania while conducting a training session. They were very gracious to let us tour the aircraft.
It was the most interesting way to conclude our visit to the Wright Brothers National Monument. Without Orville and Wilbur’s first flight, who knows how this modern-day Black Hawk would have turned out?
For more adventures in the Outer Banks, see our posts about Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge:
