Celebrate National Aviation Day 2021 in the OBX!

by | August 18, 2021 | Create Experiences, Educate Youth, News & Events, Preserve History, Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright complete the first successful heavier-than-air powered flight of 12 seconds on December 17, 1903 in Kill Devil Hills.
We invite you to celebrate National Aviation Day (Orville and Katharine Wright’s birthdays!) on Thursday, August 19, at two different locations in the OBX: Dare County Regional Airport and Wright Brothers National Memorial!
Dare County Regional Airport: Thursday, August 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Sponsored by the First Flight Society, this event includes airplane displays, exhibitors and food trucks!
Exhibitors include:
Two children, a girl and a boy, with their arms outstretched run along the path of the first flight at Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Two children run along the path of the first flight at Wright Brothers National Memorial.Exhibitors include:

For more information on First Flight Society’s National Aviation Day event, visit: nationalaviationday.org
Wright Brothers National Memorial: Thursday, August 19, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Your OBX national park is offering extended hours and pop-up programs to celebrate the Wright brothers’ legacy!
Note: The Visitor Center will be open during normal park hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Park gates close for the day at 8 p.m.
Bicycle Program: 10 a.m.-10:45 a.m., 6 p.m.-6:45 p.m
A female park ranger gives the thumbs up sign while sitting on a bicycle with Wright Brothers National Memorial in the background.

This park ranger is excited about the Bike with a Ranger program! Photo: NPS

Let’s go for a ride like the Wright brothers! Wilbur and Orville’s bicycle business provided knowledge and funding for their aviation experiments. Bring your bike and helmet and take a trip back in time on this special program to discover what this place looked like when Wilbur and Orville were experimenting with the idea of flight. This easy, 45-minute ranger-led bike ride will take you along park roads and explore the reasons why the Wright brothers chose this location, their experiments in flight, and the building of the Monument and Visitor Center.
Wind and Sand: 11 a.m.-11:30 a.m,
1 p.m.-1:30 p.m., 3 p.m-3:30 p.m.
Step back in history during this short walk to the actual site of the Wrights’ first powered flights. Discover why the Wrights chose Kitty Hawk for their flight experiments and what life was like in the Outer Banks. Learn about the events that led to the first powered flight on that cold December day, and the lasting impact their first flight continues to have on the world today.
Monument Walk: 12 p.m.-12:45 p.m., 7 p.m.-7:45 p.m. (Sunset)
Stroll with a ranger from the Visitor Center to the top of Big Kill Devil Hill and explore the story of two brothers, whose passion and determination created a legacy of discovery, changing the world and the landscape of the Outer Banks forever. This 45-minute walk will take visitors up the 90 feet tall hill where the Wright Brothers Monument stands, covering a one-way distance of approximately 1/4 mile. Please be aware there is no shade; bring water and sun protection.
The Wright Legacy: 2 p.m.-2:30 p.m., 4 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Twelve seconds was all the Wright brothers needed on December 17, 1903 to show the world humans can fly. Those twelve seconds were just the start of aviation history and the Wright legacy. Explore the rest of the Wright story as you discover the impact that Wilbur and Orville had on history, the legacy they left behind and how they are remembered in the world today.
Throughout the day, The Outer Banks Repeater Association will be set up near the pilot’s booth doing ham radio demonstrations! Additionally, pop-up programs will occur throughout the park from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Visitors can drop in anytime to participate.
Weather permitting, kites will be available to check out on a first come, first served basis from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.