Camped at Oregon Inlet Campground. (35.79727, -75.54447)
The elusive and rare North Carolina ghost crabs
Orville and Wilbur
On December 17, 1903 the
Wright brothers made the first engine powered, heavier than air flight in their Flyer at Kill Devil Hill, NC
Early on the brothers experimented with wing design flying kites.
Then they moves on to maned gliders flown off Kill Devil Hill.
Orville and Wilbur made thousands of glider flights searching for the wing that produced maximum lift.
A reproduction of the 1903 engine powered Flyer
A model of the 12 horsepower, 4 cylinder Flyer engine
Kill Devil Hill in 1903. When a ship foundered, local "
wreckers" would scavenge the cargo, including rum which they hid in the dunes. The English called rum "Kill Devil" and the dunes became known as Kill Devil Hills.
And today (36.0203, -75.66873)
Kill Devil Hill was landscaped so the dune supporting the monument would remain stable
The
monument was completed in 1932. Love the Art Deco style
Doors at the monument's base
Looking down from Kill Devil Hill to the site of man's first powered flight. This area was still sand dunes in the 60's.
Reproduction of Orville and Wilbur camp.
The Flyer just prior to its first flight
After the fourth flight, the brothers moved the Flyer near the hanger where a gust of wind picked it up and turned it into kindling.