Wright Brothers National Memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial, national memorial designated in 1953, originally authorized as Kill Devil Hills Monument National Memorial in 1927. Located near Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the memorial commemorates the first sustained powered air flights. Four flights were accomplished in 1903 by American inventors Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright, who chose this site for its constant, steady winds. The Wright brothers’ biplane, called the Flyer, was powered by a 12-horsepower motor of their own design and construction. The site of each flight is marked by a stone, and a granite monument 18 m (60 ft) high on Kill Devil Hill commemorates the Wrights’ achievements. The camp they used in 1903 has also been reconstructed. Administered by the National Park Service. Area, 173 hectares (428 acres).