KBR/NYC: Kill Devil Hills- OBX Day 3

Wright Bros. Mem, top of Kill Devil Hill

Most of you know that man's first flight took place somewhere in the Outer Banks or somewhere in NC. For those of you who flunked US History (no disrespect intended, I flunked Algebra), the flight was conducted at Kill Devil Hills by the brother tandem from Dayton, Ohio- Orville and Wilbur Wright AKA, the Wright Bros.

A quick side note, the largest sand dune on the east coast is in Nags Head (the neighboring town down the road). You may or may not know that. I thought I'd throw that in there anyway. We did not go to that sand dune! When inquired about the locals weren't enthusiastic about us visiting the dune. Skipped it! That doesn't mean you should, I mean if you really want to see it.

First impression- history exudes from these grounds and so do many tourists! I'm usually not one for touristy spots, but this one is a must see simply because the undeniable innovation it bought to the world. The first flight was one of the most important innovations of the 20th century. It's up there with the printing press, the railroad, the car. Man flying was just the catalyst to overpriced airlines and no food, and those understandably ridiculous wait times! I digress, sorry where was I? Yeah, so flight disrupted mankind's existence both negatively (war planes, V-1 rockets, Military drones, Air Trans Airways) and positively (business class on Emirates Airlines, Pan Am's 70's stewardess, the Space Shutter, the Mars Rover). Whatever your stance, you can't deny the irrevocable impact on mankind!

Ok so, the first visit here in 1999 was a bit of a wash out. Dreary weather, no full scale replica plane, and the use of a crude Kodak disposable camera to document a significant part of the trip made it suck more upon reflection!

This time immediately I noticed some changes. One, it wasn't overcast or raining! Two, there were two new additions to the park site- a Centennial Pavilion (a commemorative building celebrating a 100 years since the first flight) and a Visitor's Center which holds a full scale replica of the plane (amazing) and other artifacts. Three, wait, oh yes, a series of life size statues depicting that monumentous event. Four, I was able to capture some really good images and some video!

A couple facts I'd like to share:
1. The first flight was tested on flat ground, lasted just 12 seconds and went a total distance of 120 feet.
2. The big Kill Devil Hill was only used for testing the gliders, which they flew over a 100 times before the first flight.
3. Images of the locations where those significant moments took place will be included in this post.

NO more words, if you want history and more facts go here, here and here. History geeks, I'm sure you know all that stuff, but hey, I knew some of it too, and it was still cool to learn some stuff I didn't know.

Ok enough! Here's the pics, the photos, the images and a video (a KBR/NYC snip)!