Heads turn south as a faint hum grows louder at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Under a calm, overcast sky, these aviation enthusiasts are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the first controlled, powered flight. The event, known as Wright Brothers Day, is held by the First Flight Society every December 17 and concludes with a flyover at 10:35 a.m., the exact time and date that Orville Wright maneuvered a hand-crafted biplane into the Carolina sky.
Blinking lights appear above the monument as three Beechcraft airplanes soar in formation over Kill Devil Hills. When the brothers were testing their planes, a windless day would have stopped them in their tracks. But the aircraft flying overhead today remind Mike Fonseca, president of the First Flight Society, of how far aviation has come. “To go from a one-person plane that was basically a glider with a motor to jets — and not long after that, we’re talking rockets and going to the moon …” he says. “It’s pretty incredible.”
Fonseca has been president of the group for five years, but he has been enamored with aviation since he was a child. His father was a pilot and would often put Fonseca in the passenger seats of his Stearman and T6 World War II trainer aircraft, as well as his Beech Baron. In the 1970s, when Fonseca was 13, his father flew him and his sister into Manteo; from there, they traveled to Kill Devil Hills to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial for the first time. “I just remember saying, ‘I can’t believe that we’re on the spot where this happened,’” he recalls.
Over years of studying aviation history, Fonseca became fascinated with the Wright brothers. He learned that the Ohio-based siblings were drawn to the sand dunes along the Outer Banks, which offered soft landings, strong winds, and isolation. “They were very private,” he says. “They didn’t want the whole world watching while they figured this out.”
When Fonseca joined the First Flight Society, he learned how Outer Banks communities welcomed the Wright brothers. “A lot of people came out to see what they were doing, and some came out to help them move the planes around,” he says. “I think that’s one of those things that stuck with the brothers: the friendliness of the people in North Carolina and how well they were treated.”
Although the brothers and those who helped them are gone, their living descendants, many of whom are members of the First Flight Society, help keep their stories alive. After the flyover, Wright family members and descendants of the inaugural flight’s witnesses lay wreaths at a memorial marker, among them First Flight Society Vice President Paul Wright Jameson and his cousin Amanda Wright Lane — the great-grandnephew and great-grandniece of the brothers. All of these people gather each December 17 to celebrate the Wrights’ achievement and the place — and people — that helped them. “It’s a heck of a thing to be proud of, don’t you think?” Fonseca says. “There’s only one place where this happened.”
Wright Brothers Day
December 17
Wright Brothers National Memorial
1000 North Croatan Highway
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-1903
wrightbrothersday.org
More to Explore: Discover more December events across the state at ourstate.com/calendar.
All aboard! This magic-filled train ride through a Montgomery County wonderland includes seasonal sweets, plenty of cheer, and a few extra-special passengers.
Communities across the state celebrate the holiday season with sparkling lights, vibrant displays, and festive events that bring joy to the world.
North Carolina’s celebrated homes and historic districts are never more beautiful than by candlelight at Christmastime.
The thrill of the hunt takes on new fervor during the holidays. Seek and find in Randolph County, where the bounty of antiques can tempt a picker to abandon her list.
