Outer Banks, NC Wright Brothers' Musuem

The Wright Brothers' Museum is a National Park, so with our Senior Pass we got in free.  Noticed right away the flag was at half mast.  When we were at Ft. Sumter it was also at half mast. That was for a ranger who died.  This time it was for the six killed in the Temple.  Talked to the ranger.  He says it seems like all summer they have had the flag at half mast.

The museum is located in Kill Devil Hills, NC.  I know, I know, you thought it was Kitty Hawk.  Well, back then it was but when Kitty Hawk was incorporated.  Kill Devil Hill became it's own city. Rain was expected so we arrived early in the morning.  We decided to walk to the monument up on Kill Devil Hill first.  Then if it did rain, we could be in the museum. This plaque says, "They taught us to fly."

There was a path on the field leading to the monument.

It passed a replica of the cabin the Wilbur and Orville lived in while in North Carolina from their home in Dayton, Ohio.

This was a replica of the hanger.

A rock commemorates the flight path. The sign says, "The First Successful Flight of an Airplane was made from this spot by Orville Wright on December 17, 1903.

This is the flight path. Wilbur and Orville flipped a coin to see who would fly first.

Each marker, showed how far the plane traveled.  The first flight was only 120 feet.

The second flight was 175 feet.

The third flight was 200 feet.

We walked on toward the monument. We were getting closer.

We finally turned around at the bottom of the hill, deciding we were going to make it. This monument was built in 1932.  The only monument built while the person it represented were still alive.

Inside we sit and rested and I dripped.  A ranger gave a talk about the Wright Brothers.

A picture was taken of that first flight, given photographic proof of the history making flight.

The ranger showed a toy that had the Wright Brothers' father had brought home to the boys from a trip.  This toy was the start of the brothers interest in aviation.

The glider kite was the beginning of the brothers understand of what was need to fly and control an aircraft.

They used a wind tunnel to test their plane.

They tried to get the Detroit Motor Companies to make them an engine of no more that 12lbs.  They refused.  So the brothers built it themselves.

The Wright Brothers built the first airplane that flew, with their own money.  No help from the government or any institution.

A piece of wood from the plane that Orville and Wilbur built, and a piece of cloth from the plane.  Flew to the Moon. Just seems right doesn't it.

We enjoyed the museum, the ranger talk was excellent and we ended the afternoon well before the rain hit.