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Wright
Brothers National Memorial is easy to find on US 158 at Kill
Devil Hills. The monument itself is an imposing 60-foot tall
granite monolith atop a great 90-foot high
dune that has been stabilized with grasses.  The Visitor
Center (left) offers displays about the Wright Brothers.
Even the sewing machine they used to sew
the wing material is on display. But the centerpiece and biggest
attraction is the replica
of the 1903 Wright Flyer (below).
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Leading
up to the centennial celebration, visitors were treated to
detailed talks on the Wright Brothers
exploits, conducted
by knowledgeable park service volunteers (below).
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 "While
assembling this page, I heard something mentioned on
the TV about the Wright Brothers, and my curiosity insisted
I go see. I found that PBS was running a program on the
First Flight Centennial, and realized today is the 17th
(December 17, 2003, to be exact). I'd been so busy I
forgot about it being the First Flight centennial. I
suppose it was coincidence that I was working on this
page today, but it made me stop to think on it anyway.
The historic accomplishment of
Wilbur and Orville Wright, exactly 100 years ago today, has been well chronicled,
lauded
and recreated by scholars and knowledgeable experts, and thoroughly reported
by the
media.  Other
than this page of photos, to serve as a commemoration of their achievement, there
is little I can add to it, except perhaps for this thought. If you have the
opportunity to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, I hope you can take
the time to reflect on what they achieved, and how they achieved it. The memorial
stands
for more than the first manned, controlled flight of a powered aircraft. It stands
for how worthwhile things get done; through the perseverance, self-confidence
and
dogged determination of the human spirit. |
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thumbnails for a larger image view ) |
The "First
Flight Centennial Pavilion" building set up at the memorial
site especially for the celebrations (see additional
Pavilion photo)  held various displays, including
one that described what life on the Outer Banks was like for the
Wright Brothers. A reproduction
of the glider they used for testing before making their later
powered flights was a major part of the pavilion displays (see additional
glider photo).
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 The
memorial grounds have granite
markers (right) showing the distances
of each of the Wright's first four flights (left). Replicas
of the hanger
and living quarters used by them give some feel for the primitive
conditions under which the Wright Brothers had to persevere to
achieve their historic accomplishments. |
Above:
Replicas of the hanger (left bldg.), and living quarters (right bldg.).
Below: Facing the memorial pylon from behind the
hanger. |
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The
memorial pylon's appearance changes with angle and lighting.
A bright clear day shows the true gray/white granite color
( 3 upper photos). The golden light of a sunrise (below)
changes the appearance drastically. |
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  Flash
Back 30 Years: In
1973 (left), there were a few trees
and bushes on the west and south
face of the hill.
In
2003 (right)
there
was not so much as a single small
bush.
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  For
the First Flight Centennial celebration there was a new "sculpture" installed
just south of the memorial pylon. The Wright's historic take-off
is recreated with three figures (the Wright brothers and the
photographer) sculpted in bronze, and the Wright plane in bright
stainless steel. The detail and figure action is amazing lifelike.
Though it is frozen in time, it looks as though it is moving.
You can feel the excitement, as Orville takes off, and Wilbur
runs along behind, arm outstretched as if yelling "Go, go!" to
Orville and the plane. The figures and the plane are life-size,
and the plane is supposed to be sturdy enough for children
to play on. Yet, it still looks as if it could actually fly.
Be
sure
to see
this
sculpture when visiting the Wright Memorial. It is visible from the road along the south end of the memorial property, but to access it, you must be inside the park, and drive or walk around to the south side of the dune.
Four more figures will be added to this action sculpture scene in the future. They are the only other witnesses to the flight. The first to be added will be Adam Etheridge, who was a member of the Kitty Hawk Life-Saving Station, and who helped the Wrights at every opportunity. |
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Related Links -
Wright
Photos -
Library of Congress collection
Wright
Photos -
Library of Congress images organized with links
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| Visit
these other web sites by Fred Hurteau |
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