Happy Anniversary
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Day 3: December 17, 2018 Happy Anniversary Comment via blog |
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Today's the day this trip was scheduled around. To help celebrate the
115th anniversary of the first flight, admission to
Wright Brothers
National Memorial is free. I arrived in time to watch the flag being
raised. I suspect there may have been an excess of hands involved because
it took a considerable amount of time to get things arranged at the base.
But once the flag was properly attached to the rope, it was quickly raised
to the top of the pole the lowered halfway in recognition of the November
30 death of President George H. W. Bush.
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I considered doing some exploring but thought better of it as the crowd
was growing rapidly. I did snap photos of the first flight markers and the
large monument on top of Big Kill Devil Hill. The stones in the second
photo mark the spots where the first flight started and ended.
This
week's blog post includes a picture of the "Flyover"
sculpture in Dayton, Ohio, which traces the flight's path.
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The official part of the day's program included some relatively short and
very entertaining speeches. Besides honoring the Wrights and their
accomplishments, the day is used to induct new members into the
First Flight
Society. This year's honoree was mathematician Katherine G. Johnson,
one of the women portrayed in the 2016 movie "Hidden Figures".
Dr. Tom D. Crouch of the Smithsonian Institution did the honors. Her
daughter and grandson helped unveil her portrait. Johnson couldn't attend
today but she's still counting and reached her 100th birthday in August.
Dr. David E. Bowles of NASA's Langley Research Center was the keynote
speaker.
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When the ceremonies ended, I wanted to head to the flight markers but I
wasn't the only one thinking that way and they were immediately
surrounded. I decided to walk to Big Kill Devil Hill instead although
it was hardly deserted. The hill is a large sand
dune that has been covered with grass to preserve it. Climbing to the top
on the concrete walkway is something of a chore but it's a far cry from
trudging through loose sand carrying a glider.
The view from the top is fantastic. The last picture is of a sculpture on the side of the hill opposite the museum. I would get much closer before long. |
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A flyover was scheduled for 10:35 which was the time of that first flight
back in 1903. I believe was expected to more or less coincide with the end
of the ceremonies. The ceremonies wrapped up around 10:00, and I was atop
Big Kill Devil Hill when the flyover happened. I missed photographing a
few of the planes and can't identify those that I did photograph, but they
sure do illustrate some of the changes that have happened in a hundred and
fifteen years.
ADDENDUM: Dec 20, 2018 - Reader Mike Austing shared his belief that the four engine plane either a DC-4 or DC-6. |
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The area where those flights occurred 115 years ago was not deserted but
is wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been earlier. The big rock marks
where all four flights started. The plaque on it can be read
here. The brothers alternated piloting duties.
Each flight improved upon the one previous although the first three were
all very similar. The fourth and final flight of the day was something of
a breakthrough of its own, lasting nearly a minute and exceeding the
distance of the first three combined (852 ft. vs. 495 ft.)
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The recently refurbished visitors center has a nice museum with lots of
well done informative displays. I did lots of reading but not much
photographing. The airplane is a replica of the one that flew 115 years
ago. The sewing machine is one Wilbur Wright borrowed from local resident
Addie Tate to make some modifications to the flyer's wing coverings. I was
attracted to it because of another sewing machine I'd recently seen. It
appears (but was not described) in this week's blog post that was
mentioned earlier. That machine was used by Wilbur and Orville, sometimes
working together, in constructing the wing coverings.
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Before leaving the park, I drove around Big Kill Devil Hill to the
sculpture I had seen from above. Since some of the figures I had seen
around the airplane had been moving, I assumed all were live persons and
the airplane a replica like the one in the museum. I was surprised to
find that it was a fully populated, but static, recreation of the first
flight. I couldn't easily fit John T. Daniels, the man who took that first
flight photo 115 years ago, in with the others so he is once again left
out. This time, however, he gets his own photograph.
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With all the day's planned activities behind me, I decided, on the spur of
the moment, to head to a brewery I knew existed on Roanoke Island. That's
Kill Devil Scotch Ale in the glass, and it's terrific. I sampled three
other Lost Colony
Brewing offerings and all were good but none matched the scotch ale. I
also ate there. I had a bratwurst the menu described as "locally
crafted" with "beer braised peppers and onions". I was told
where it was from but forgot. I also forgot to take a picture. I do
remember it was really good. And so was the scotch ale.
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