First Flight Boulder

The large boulder commemorates the spot where the Wright Brothers achieved lift off with their flyer

Sarah Merlau/NPS

Quick Facts

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible

From this spot on December 17, 1903, the 1903 Wright Flyer lifted off from its launching rail at 10:35 am and, in 12 seconds, flew 120 feet at an altitude of 8 feet. With Orville at the controls and Wilbur running alongside, the brothers had achieved the seemingly impossible.

The boulder and accompanying plaque were dedicated on December 17, 1928 by the National Aeronautic Association, marking the 25th anniversary of the brothers' first flight. Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart were among the 3,000 people in attendance.

Determining the Location

Identifying the exact location of the takeoff was problematic because the topography of the site had shifted in the years following the Wrights' experiments. On November 4, 1928, Captain William Tate organized a meeting of three of the four surviving witnesses to determine the point of takeoff.

Using Orville Wright's account of the flight, Will Dough, Adam Etheridge, and Johnny Moore identified the approximate location of takeoff. Tate described their methods at the marker's dedication ceremony:

> Dough, Etheridge, Moore and I assembled here and I explained to them the importance of arriving at a definite conclusion with respect to the spot where the Wright brothers' airplane, in making its first successful flight, first began to move along the ground. We located the four corners of the building in which the machine was housed...We took into consideration what Mr. Orville Wright said about it in his article How We Made Our First Flight. We had a compass with us and we were sure of our compass course. After considering all these things and talking it over these three men proceeded by themselves to come out here on this point and select the spot on which this magnificent boulder stands and said that this was the spot where the Wright airplane started its first successful flight...After agreeing upon this exact spot we signed a paper to that effect...

The 25th Anniversary

An important first step in the realization of the Wright Brothers National Memorial occurred on December 17, 1928, when 200 delegates from the International Civil Aeronautics Conference and more than 3,000 visitors dedicated a granite marker placed at the approximate location of the 1903 liftoff, and laid the cornerstone of the monument to be placed on Big Kill Devil Hill. Among those in attendance were Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart.

Launch Rail (Reproduction)

The launching rail is a reproduction of the rail the brothers used to launch their flyer on December 17, 1903.

The original rail the brothers installed consisted of four 15-foot 2x4s standing on the long edge. The reproduction is the same, with the addition of metal on top to preserve the wooden structure.