Contact: Wright Brothers Natl Mem., (252) 441-7430
Events Taking Place Throughout the Day at Wright Brothers National Memorial Saturday, May 10, 2008 will be a Family Fun Day at Wright Brothers National Memorial from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as the National Park Service honors the centennial of the world’s first passenger flight accomplished by the Wright brothers in May of 1908 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The event is free and open to the public. 10 a.m. to 4 p m. - There will be fun for the whole family with kite building and kite flying demonstrations by Kitty Hawk Kites. 10 a.m. to 4 p m. – Join the Wright Experience and Discovery of Flight Foundation to try your wings on their 1908 Wright Flyer simulator and to check out an original 1911 Wright Flyer engine that will start up and run through-out the day. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Get up close and interactive with the aircraft and pilots of a United States Coast Guard HH-60J, Jayhawk Rescue Helicopter and a United States Army S-70 Blackhawk Helicopter. These aircraft will be displayed on the park grounds. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Join a park ranger at the Wright brothers’ original campsite to hear stories about life in Kitty Hawk at the turn of the twentieth century. 10 a.m. – 2008 Flight Tour; Step back in history 100 years ago when the Wright brothers made the world’s first passenger flight during a short walk to the actual site of the world’s first powered flight. Meet on the back patio of the visitor center. 11 a.m. – The Discovery of Flight Foundation presents The Wright’s in Film highlighting the Wright brothers’ early days of motion pictures: their triumphs in 1908 and 1909, the Wright exhibition team airshows, flights over New York City and Orville’s last known flight as a pilot. The people, places and planes of the Wrights’ story are captured on film and radio at this presentation in the First Flight Centennial Pavilion Auditorium. 11:30 a.m. – Calling all kids!! Join a park ranger with Fun in Flight to design and construct paper airplanes and test the winds of Kitty Hawk just like the Wright brothers. Meet inside the First Flight Centennial Pavilion Exhibit Hall. 12 p.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. Meet inside the visitor center Flight Room Auditorium. 1 p.m. – 2008 Flight Tour; Step back in history 100 years ago when the Wright brothers made the world’s first passenger flight during a short walk to the actual site of the world’s first powered flight. Meet on the back patio of the visitor center. 2 p.m. – The Wright Brothers 100 Years Ago; Learn what happen to the Wright brothers after 1903 and of their successes in 1908. Meet inside the visitor center Flight Room Auditorium. 3 p.m. - The Wrights in their own Words, a narrative slide presentation taken from the Wright brother’s letters and diaries illustrates the Wrights’ curiosity and the engineering and scientific insight the Wright brothers brought to the invention of the airplane. The program is presented by The Discovery of Flight Foundation in the First Flight Centennial Pavilion Auditorium. 4 p.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. Meet in the visitor center Flight Room Auditorium. The Wright brothers visited Kitty Hawk for the last time together in April 1908. Wilbur arrived on April 9th and Orville, with the modified 1905 Flyer, arrived on April 25th. They planned to do some practice flying before undertaking the official flight trials for the U.S. Government at Fort Meyer, VA and the fulfillment of a contract with a French business syndicate. Both contracts called for a machine that would be able to take a passenger on a flight of 125 miles. On May 14, 1908 at Kitty Hawk, Wilbur Wright succeeded in accomplishing the world’s first passenger flight when he took Charles Furnas, one of the Wright mechanics, for his . . . and the world’s . . . first airplane ride. Wright Brothers National Memorial is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Park fees will be waived for the event. -NPS- |
Last updated: April 14, 2015