National Aviation Day Celebration: A Family Fun Day

Date: August 11, 2009
Contact: Wright Brothers National Memorial, [phone]

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 will be a Family Fun Day at Wright Brothers National Memorial as the National Park Service celebrates National Aviation Day and Orville Wright’s 138^th birthday. Orville Wright was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 19, 1871. He and his older brother Wilbur Wright were the first to fly on that historic morning of December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Schedule of Events:

9 a.m. to 6 p.m.– Junior Flight Ranger Program:  Kids . . . don’t forget to ask about the Wright Brothers Junior Ranger Program!  Pick-up a Junior Ranger booklet at the Visitor Center information desk.

9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – A Monument to the Dream:  The Wright Monument atop of Big Kill Devil Hill will be open for the public to climb.

10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. - Flight Room Talk:  Learn how the Wright brothers solved the problems of human flight as a park ranger tells the story of their triumph at Kitty Hawk. Visitor Center Flight Room Auditorium.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Life at Kitty Hawk:  Join descendents of the original crew of the Kill Devil Hills Life Saving Service Station and see a reproduction of the camera that took the famous first flight photograph on the morning of December 17, 1903.  Wright Brothers Camp Buildings.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – The Memorial Gets Off the Ground:  Presented by The First Flight Society.  Learn about the organization that helped establish Wright Brothers National Memorial in 1927.  Hand-outs and activities for children.  Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Wright Kite:  There will be fun for the whole family with kite building and kite flying demonstrations by Kitty Hawk Kites.  Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall.