Wright Brothers Museum - Outer Banks

We moved east and checked into a quaint park outside of the Outer Banks.  Not knowing the area, I was a little skeptical of taking the trailer to the OBX so we left the trailer and drove in for a night.  First stop was Kill Devil's Hill, home of the Wright Brothers' first flight, and about 4 miles from Kitty Hawk.

It was a windy and rainy day so we headed into the Visitor Center first.  The guide was just beginning her talk so we stopped to hear what she had to say.

Orville Wright (1871-1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867-1912) were generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful motor-operated airplane.  They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the Wright Flyer on December 17, 1903 at what is now known as Kill Devil Hills.  The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.

An original propeller from the 1903 flyer.  It was designed as a wing because the 'camber' on the blade produces lift in a horizontal direction.  

Another interesting display showed the wing fabric from the 1903 flyer.  Wilbur and Orville cut, sewed, and shaped this to make the wings.  The brothers covered only the top of their glider wings with fabric.  With the 1903 flyer they covered both the top and bottom surfaces of the wings.

The fabric was "Pride of the West" muslin, tightly woven cotton which was made in Rhode Island.  It is lightweight and durable and was typically used for women's and children's undergarments.

After their successful flights in Kitty Hawk, Wilbur and Orville disassembled the Flyer and took it to Dayton (their home town) for storage.  During the Dayton flood of 1913, water got into the shed where the flyer was stored staining the fabric.

Wilbur and Orville Wright

There was a lot to see but to really get the full effect, it was time to move outside.  Rain and wind be damned!

Wilbur and Orville lived and worked here during their 1901, 1902, and 1903 testing seasons, late summer through autumn.  The reconstructed building depict the 1903 camp.

We had seen from the Visitor Center there were markers showing where they took off and where each flight ended.

After much research, testing, and repairs, the Wright Brothers finally took to the air on December 17, 1903 making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour.  The first flight, by Orville at 10:35 a.m., was 120 feet (shorter than the wingspan of a Boeing 747) in 12 seconds at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour over the ground and was recorded in this famous photograph.  

You can see where the first flight ended and each subsequent flight along the path.

Taking turns, the Wrights made four brief, low-altitude flights that day.  The flight paths were all essentially straight; turns were not attempted.  Each flight ended in a bumpy and unintended landing.

The last flight, by Wilbur, covered 852 feet in 59 seconds, much longer than each of the previous flights of 120, 175, and 200 feet in 12, 12, and 15 seconds respectively.  The fourth flight's landing broke the front elevator supports, which the Wrights hoped to repair for a possible four-mile flight to Kitty Hawk village.  Soon after, a heavy gust picked up the Flyer and tumbled it end over end, damaging it beyond any hope of a quick repair.  It was never flown again.

We walked the 852 feet past the markers designating the landings of each flight.  

And then stopped at the final marker.

And then it was time to go to Kill Devil Hill.  When the Wright Brothers were here, the hill was a massive sand dune.  Thousands of times the brothers trekked up this hill and three nearby dunes to conduct glider experiments which were conducted prior to their 1903 flights.  Climbing the hill was strenuous.  Deep, soft sand caused every step up the slope to slip part-way back down.  The brothers were also burdened with carrying their heavy gliders up the hill for each flight.  Their tireless efforts paid off as they mastered their flying skills and refined their flight controls.

I'll admit it - we drove to the parking lot at the base of the monument and I waited in the truck (it was raining) and Ron took the hike (and the pictures).

Wilbur

Orville

They taught us to fly

The view from the top was amazing.  You can see the walking path leading to the rock signifying where they started their flights.

It was really incredible to walk the spots where flight was first realized.