Kill Devil Hills - First in Flight / OBX

Mega-size kite/windsock flying over dunes in Kill Devil Hills

Wright Brothers launching from a wooden rib off the dunes

Upon arrival at my lodging destination in the Outer Banks, it became crystal clear why Kill Devil Hills was selected by the Wright Brothers to launch their aerodynamic designs. This area is home to the tallest sand dunes on the East Coast and they are largely without vegetation, and offer a perfect take off and landing test area. The Jockey Ridge Dune is now a state park where locals and tourists go to fly kites or even to practice hang-gliding. The Wright Brothers National Memorial is just another mile up the road with a monument and museum providing a continuous educational effort about the history that was made on the then-remote Outer Banks of North Carolina. Launching their glider down a wooden rib, a rough-running motor provided enough thrust to combine with the steady winds to make their plane frame fly. While the first few attempts were not successful due to steering errors since this had never been tried before, the trial and error system worked eventually and the rest is aviation history. One graph in the museum shows that mankind went from first flight to space flight in 66 years! When staying at the front beach Days Inn be sure to book Room 208, and consult with the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau.

To view past blog entries from the OBX click here.

Neat museum and monument are here

Good map depicting Kill Devil Hills breezy location