November 21, 2009 - Kitty Hawk

I was getting a little tired flying around the Local area so I thought I'd take advantage of nice Saturday weather and go somewhere.  Destination:  Kitty Hawk.  Bruce and I hoped into the RV, flew down the Eastern Shore, over the Norfolk controlled airspace and down to Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ).  Suffolk is one of my favorite airports:  airport resturant, relatively inexpensive Avgas (and ethanol free Mogas), plus there are usually interesting planes there. 

Today what looked like Mike Goulian's Extra taxiied by.  There were also two "Air Combat" birds.  Air Combat is one of those outfits where you can be a fighter pilot for a day.  They brief you and you go up in their hot ships and dogfight with your buddy. 

 
Bruce looking forward to the big breakfast. 
 
This derelict Colt was parked on the ramp.  The problem with a plane like this is that for the same money it would take to restore it, you could buy something airworthy.  So it will probably never fly again. 
 

We left Suffolk and headed east across the Great Dismal Swamp.  Once we hit the coast, we headed South.

Check out these palatial estates overlooking the beach. 

 
Here is Kitty Hawk looking southwest.  The monument is at left center, the visitor's center at the bottom left, and you can probably figure out where First Flight Airport (FFA) is.
 
A good shot of the Visitors Center complex.  
 
Looking north up the coast.  Now it is packed with vacation rental houses, but in 1903 it was mostly deserted.
 
South of Kitty Hawk are these big sand dunes where you can take hang glider lessons or fly radio-controlled gliders.  They don't look so big from 1000 feet but I can tell you from having been there, they are seriously big dunes. 
 
We landed at First Flight and went to check things out.  I havn't been here in about ten years. 
 
They did right by the Wright Brothers -- no pun intended -- with this monument.  It's impressive. 
 
Bruce will do whatever it takes to get the perfect shot. 
 
Looking back towards the ramp.  First Flight Airport is geared towards day-trippers.  You're not supposed to leave your plane more than 24 hours.  There is a nice facility here now, with pilot's brief room and restrooms, funded by AOPA. 
 
Looking at the Visitors Center, replica hangars and markers denoting location of the four flights. 
 
Truly geniuses. 
 
This full-scale diorama was something new to me as well.  It's a scene of the historic first flight, including cameraman with tripod. 
 
All four flights in 1903 started from that big rock.  The white markers show where each flight touched down.  The first flight was pretty short.  But the fourth and last flight is way down there.
 
This diorama probably captures exactly the way it was back on December 17, 1903. 
 
Among their many accomplishments, the Wright Brothers built this wind tunnel to test air foil shapes and produce lift tables.  It was the first time lift had been scienfically and accurately determined. 
 
The Wright Brothers, along with mechanic Charlie Taylor, built their gasoline engine from scratch.  This cutaway model showed how the thing worked inside. 
 
 
Of course, the Wright Brothers had to have photographic evidence to show to the DAR and FAA that they built their own plane so they could get the Repairman's Certificate...
 
The Visitor's Center has a 1903 replica which is airworthy and can fly (maybe, on a windy cold day). 
 
 
They also had a airworthy replica of the 1902 glider in which the Wright Brother made hundreds of flights and really learned how to fly in.
 
 
Preparing to depart First Flight.  Could the Wright Brothers have imagined that a knucklehead like me could build his own high performance airplane and return to the site of their first flight? 
 
Ready for takeoff!
 
Leaving First Flight, we hopped over to nearby Dare County Regional Airport (MQI) to get some gas.  There is a little airport history museum in the terminal building which was interesting.  The airport was originally Naval Air Station Manteo. 
 
We had a nice flight home back up the Eastern Shore, getting home just before dark.  The RV's speed opens up new flying worlds! 
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