View of December 17, 1903 sculpture from Kill Devil Hill

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Wright Brothers Airfield Attractions

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When on top of Kill Devil Hill at Wright Brothers National Memorial, look down the back side of the dune (away from the Visitor Center) and you will see the December 17, 1903 sculpture. You can walk down Kill Devil Hill and then follow the road around to the sculpture, or you can drive to it from the Visitor Center. There is a parking lot.

The sculpture depicts the first flight attempt of December 17^th. Orville was the pilot, and the sculpture has him at the controls.

Orville Wright at the controls of the 1st flight

A sculpture of Wilbur shows him running along side the plane to help stabilize it as it took off, letting go just seconds before as the plane lifts off the ground.

Wilbur Wright releases the plane after guiding it down the runway

Sculptures off the five men who helped are in the background.

Sculptures of two men who helped with the launch

The man who took the photo of the Flyer lifting off the ground, John T. Daniels, stands at the rear, left corner, and you can take a photo from his position to get the same angle he had for his famous photo, which just so happened to be the first and only time he ever took a photograph.

John Daniels took the photo of the Wright Flyer take off

View from the same position that John Daniels photographed the Wright Flyer taking off

The cool thing about the sculpture is that, old or young, you can climb on it. Young children will be thrilled to climb on just about anything they normally aren’t allowed to climb on, but older kids and adults can climb aboard with the purpose of lying next to Orville as he takes off on the world’s most famous flight. Also, seeing how a person would sit in the plane makes it easier to understand how the Wright Flyer worked, versus seeing the replica in the Visitor Center.

Orville Wright at the controls of the Wright Flyer

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