First Flight Centennial Pavilion

Wright Brothers National Memorial is a celebration of the work of the Wright brothers and serves as a reminder of our capabilities as individuals. 

In December, 1903, on the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright brothers achieved the milestone of manned, controlled, powered flight. Today, the location of the first flight is protected by the National Park Service for its value and significance in our nation's heritage. The dream of flight realized by the Wright brothers at this site changed the world forever.  

Inspired by the centennial of flight in 2003, millions of people will journey to Wright Brothers National Memorial over the next several years. But the setting for much of the visitor experience must be improved.

The Foundation and the National Park Service are partners in creating the First Flight Centennial Pavilion, a semi-permanent structure that will house exhibits and special programming. A number of national organizations have committed to participate within the Pavilion, contributing to the visitor experience.

Beginning in early 2003, displays, speakers and other activities will share with visitors the incredible story of invention and perseverance of the Wright brothers and their invention of the airplane. We also hope to share with visitors the magnificent impact that aviation has had on our century.

Pavilion Exhibit Themes   - The Outer Banks  - Precursors to Flight  - The Wrights of Dayton  - The Wrights as Engineers  - Glider Experiments  - Powered Flight  - A Century of Flight

Given anticipated visitation of nearly 1 million during the  centennial year alone, the Pavilion will be an important  interpretive and educational component at Wright Brothers  National Memorial. Pavilion exhibits and activities will be housed in an innovative,  clear-span structure of about 20,000 square feet. The Pavilion  is projected to open in March 2003, continue through the  centennial celebration in December, and beyond.

 

 

 

Exhibits in development for the Pavilion include:

The Outer Banks

This exhibit area will take the visitor back in time to the Outer Banks of 1903.

We will see the Wright brothers’ early campsite and get an idea of what it was like living and working in these spare facilities in often uncomfortable weather. We will also show visitors how the Outer Banks have changed over the last century.  

click the image to see full size

A recreation of the Kitty Hawk Life Saving Station will tell the story of local residents who helped the Wright brothers conduct their experiments.  And, because the wind is still a constant element of the environment of Kill Devil Hills, we are planning an anemometer and weather exhibit to communicate how the climate of the Outer Banks enabled that first flight.   

click the image to see full size

Wrights in Dayton

This area will provide our opportunity to see where the Wright brothers came from, what family, educational, and cultural forces built their characters, and where they went in the years after their 1903 flights in Kitty Hawk.

  
Wrights as Scientists and Engineers

Arranged as a timeline, this area will be dedicated to the engineering efforts and scientific research the Wright brothers conducted from 1899 to 1903.  This area follows the design paths of the Wright brothers: flight stability and control (roll, pitch, and yaw), lift (wing warping & the refinement of the wing design information), power (engine design and construction), thrust (propeller design).  

Each of the four elements of the Wright brothers' work has associated with it several interactive and hands-on elements. These allow the visitors to examine for themselves the principles and methods employed by Wilbur and Orville to understand and overcome the difficulties they encountered.  

 

Additional exhibits and spaces are currently being designed, and we hope you check back here to learn about our progress.

December 17, 1903 . . . From that day forward, powered human flight changed the way we live, work, play, fight our wars, and explore our world. Sharing the impact of aviation and sparking the dream of flight in visitors young and old is one of our goals for this project.

Join us now to help support the development of the First Flight Centennial Pavilion. For more information on becoming a content partner/exhibitor or a financial sponsor, contact the Foundation.

For more information:  
Julie Ketner Rigby  
Director of Development  
Phone: 919/840-2003 
Fax:    919/840-5476  

Post Office Box 80337
Raleigh,
North Carolina 27623


Tel: 919-715-1362
Fax: 919-715-1382

Click to Learn More 
About Us or to
Contact Us

email: info@firstflightcentennial.org