Having an Outer Banks Experience

In the past few years, I’ve enjoyed several novels set in the small towns of the outer banks of North Carolina. Quirky characters and quaint villages captured my imagination, cultivating my desire to visit this unique landscape along the Atlantic coast. While known for its lighthouses, the protected and beautiful Cape Hatteras National Seashore, wild horses, charming shops and marvelous restaurants, Skip and I agreed that the highlight of our visit was touring the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

Learning the history of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first flight was deeply inspiring. Their life long ambition to fly was fueled by passion, brilliance and perseverance, inspired by a childhood toy which they called “the bat” — a simple rubber band-driven, wooden propellor toy that ignited their dream to fly. The Wright Brothers National Monument masterfully captures their astonishing achievement.

This historic site comprises a massive stone memorial, a replica of their plane with bronze statues of the men attending and aiding in the event, a boulder placed at the start of the flight, markers signifying the distanced achieved on the first, second, third and four flights, reproductions of their hanger and barracks, an extremely well curated museum, and finally, a guided tour by a passionate park ranger gifted in story telling. We loved every part of our experience.

The Wright brothers renown accomplishment exemplified tenacity and ingenuity driven by a dream. Each iteration of their gliders—and subsequently their planes—conquered a pivotal component of successful flight. Studying the flight of birds for hours upon hours fostered the discovery of the need for flexible wings capable of bending in order to correct the plane’s roll from side to side. In order to improve how the plane would achieve the necessary lift, the brothers built a wind tunnel to study the impact of various forms for propellors. Furthermore, Orville and Wilbur used the skills they had developed in their bicycle repair shop to craft the steering control for the plane, similar to the handlebar of a bike.

The brothers chose Kitty Hawk as the location for their experiments as it afforded frequent and strong wind, tall dunes from which to launch their gliders, soft sand for landings, and relative secrecy to protect their invention from would-be competitors.

After several failed attempts in the fall of 1903 requiring replacement propellors from their home in Dayton, Ohio, circumstances aligned on December 17th for another round of experiments. Braving zero degrees with gusty winds dressed only their suits and ties, the brothers flipped a coin to determine who would pilot the first flight. Orville won, piloting a 12-second flight which traveled 120 feet. The best flight of the day, with Wilbur at the controls for the fourth attempt, covered 852 ft in 59 seconds. After these flights, the brothers and their crew huddled in the hanger to warm themselves. Remarkably and quite tragically, a gust of wind flipped the plane, completely destroying it.

This post would not be complete without a few other pictures of our time here. Chasing wild horses for two hours in an open sided hummer was fun, but we only saw a handful of the mustangs between beach homes on the northern end of the banks. We visited three of the famed lighthouses, walked along the beach, enjoyed wonderful food at a local dive bar in Buxton, and shared a delicious lunch with friends in Kill Devil Hills. And yes, I ordered shrimp and grits again!

Our next post will share our experiences in Virginia, focusing on Revolutionary and Civil War history. Hope you’ll come along for the ride!