This week, the Outer Banks is celebrating a huge anniversary! It is the 119th anniversary of the first flight, which took place in Kill Devil Hills. Want to join in the celebration? Here's how you can get involved!
Photo from https://www.facebook.com/WrightBrothersDay/photos
On December 17 at 9 AM, the Wright Brother National Memorial, the First Flight Society, and Outer Banks Forever are coming together in honor of the 119th anniversary of the first heavier-than-air, controlled, powered flight. They will celebrate the accomplishments of Wilbur and Orville Wright on this important, historic date. Their program will be hosted at the memorial (1000 N Croatan Highway in Kill Devil Hills).
The event will feature speeches from National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac; First Flight Society President Mike Fonseca; U.S. Air Force Gen. Mark D. Kelly, commander, Air Combat Command; Doug Melville, great-nephew of Davis; and Maria Tinker, supervisory park ranger, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Tuskegee, Alabama.
Photo from https://www.facebook.com/WrightBrothersDay/photos
There will also be a ceremony during which the First Flight Society will induct General Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr., the commander of the U.S. Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen and the first Black brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, into the Dr. Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine. This shrine honors those that have achieved significant “firsts” in aviation’s development. Following the unveiling of the Davis portrait, there will be a wreath laying ceremony by descendants of the witnesses of the first flight.
Admission to the national memorial will be free all day, whether you're looking to attend the anniversary programming or just explore the historical site. Take advantage of the free admission!
For more information of Wright Brothers Day, see https://wrightbrothersday.org/
