What Is Wright Brothers National Memorial?
Wright Brothers National Memorial preserves and interprets Kill Devil Hill and the pot where Wilbur and Orville Wright made the world’s first powered flight!
What Makes It Historical?
Inspired by the glider work of Otto Lilienthal, and the ground-powered models of Samuel Langley, two bicycle shop owners named Orville and Wilbur Wright set out in 1899 to crack the puzzle of human flight! From their home town of Dayton, Ohio, they traveled to the remote Outer Banks of North Carolina, south of Kitty Hawk, and set to work learning to fly over the wind-swept, mosquito-swarming dunes!
During their time here, they abandoned the data of their heroes entirely! They lengthened the wings and warped them to provide lift! They discovered that marine steering didn’t work in the air, so they added vertical tails for stability and turning and the first functional airplane propellor. They made over 1,000 test flights here until finally, on December 14, 1903, they were ready to try their latest creation.
Wilbur won the coin toss to fly it first, but he crashed it into a dune. Three days later on December 17, Orville took control and made that first powered flight for 120 feet! They traded off three more times, maxing out at 852 feet in 59 seconds! Then, the plane crashed again, ending the season, but not the project! The Wright Brothers returned to Dayton to refine their flyers and change transportation forever!
This was made a park on March 2, 1927, managed by the War Department and called Kill Devil Hill Monument! From there, workers planted grass across the entire area to stabilize the dunes and build an enormous, 60-foot granite monument (designed by Alfred Easton Poor and Robert Perry Rodgers) in honor of the Wrights! The monument then transferred to the National Park Service in 1933, and right before the 50th anniversary of their historic flight got renamed as Wright Brothers National Memorial. Just like at Dinosaur National Monument, this park’s visitor center was one of the Park Service’s major modernization feats under Mission 66!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at Wright Brothers National Memorial!
- Donate to Outer Banks Forever!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
1000 N Croatan Hwy
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
The park is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, but expect to be turned away after 4:30!
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