National, state and local leaders will gather at the new 20,000-square-foot First Flight Centennial Pavilion for a brief ceremony at 10 a.m. Staff and volunteers will be on hand from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm to describe to visitors the features of the new facility. Admission to the park is free on May 21.

The pavilion, a semi-permanent structure comprised of three connected buildings, will house interpretive and educational exhibits and will provide a venue for speakers and aviation-themed activities. More than four million people are expected to visit the facility over the next five years.

"Almost two years ago, we proposed the pavilion as a concept. We wanted to provide better facilities for visitors, a focal point for our partners, and a needed resource for education," said Dick Howard, president of the First Flight Centennial Foundation. "Thanks to generous sponsor support, exhibit partners, and the support of the National Park Service and the state of North Carolina, we are accomplishing those goals." 

Sponsors of the new pavilion represent well-known aerospace and consumer companies, including Northrop Grumman, American Airlines, Gulfstream Aerospace, Bank of America, BB&T Charitable Foundation, Bombardier, Curtiss-Wright, Dominion/North Carolina Power, Duke Energy, FedEx Corporation, Sprint, Jefferson Pilot, and the Wright Family Fund. The ribbon-cutting signifies the end of the building phase of the pavilion and marks the beginning of exhibit installation and final touches to the interior. 

Exhibit and content providers for the pavilion include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the Outer Banks History Center, Belfort Instrument Company, General Aviation Manufacturer's Association, and First Flight Centennial Commission. In addition, Eastern National, a cooperating association with the National Park Service, will staff a small bookstore. The Wright Experience and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau also are planning an exhibit. 

"The First Flight Centennial Pavilion provides an important venue for aviation-related exhibits, meetings, concerts, and special events at Wright Brothers National Memorial during the centennial year and beyond," said Lawrence A. Belli, National Park Service Superintendent, Outer Banks Group. "It will truly change the way we do business at the park. The National Park Service is indebted to pavilion sponsors for their partnership with the First Flight Foundation in donating this much-needed facility." 

The $2-million pavilion includes an 11,000-square-foot auditorium with seating for 1,000, and an 8,000-square-foot exhibit hall, which features an airplane hangar door at one end that will allow vintage and historic aircraft to be brought into the hall for display. The 60-foot-wide hangar door, when open, frames the Wright Monument atop Big Kill Devil Hill. 

The structure was manufactured by Sprung Instant Structures of Salt Lake City. Waldt Construction of Point Harbor, N.C., served as general contractor. Architectural firm Moser, Mayer, Phoenix and Associates of Greensboro also helped with the project. 

Summer, 2002 -- First Flight Centennial Pavilion computer rendering

February, 2003 --  Site work completed, underground mechanical and systems installed, floor and foundation pads poured.

March 2003 -- Although the weather was mostly ominous, the Pavilion crew makes short work of erecting the aluminum ribs and "skinning" the buildings.

May 1, 2003 -- The buildings are up and in the process of "stretching", and the hangar door is going up. This view doesn't show you the messy but important work taking place on the back side of the Pavilion for electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. Join us for the ribbon-cutting on May 21 to see the results!

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