It has now been just over 119 years since the Wright brothers made their first flight, and a trip down to Kitty Hawk (FFA) to see where it all happened is on most pilots' bucket lists, if they haven't already been. Despite it not being that far away, I had never been, so with the 119th anniversary falling on what was predicted to be a beautiful Saturday, I decided it was time to go!
There was a program that began at FFA at 9 AM, so I planned on arriving around 8 AM to give us some leeway for delays and to ensure we had time to figure out where the program was actually held. I was up early prepping for the flight. Good thing I did another check of the NOTAMS, because there was a new one at FFA which showed a runway closure from 8 AM until noon. Well, that ruined my plans. I had already been looking at a takeoff well before dawn, and plenty of time flying in the dark, albeit over somewhat familiar terrain. I had no intention of now bumping our takeoff up an hour. Instead, Allen and I decided to content ourselves with an afternoon arrival. We would miss the program, but still make it in to FFA on the anniversary and have time to tour the monument and museum.
It was a nice day for flying, if a bit cool. Staying high and taking advantage of the mostly calm winds, we were able to fly right over Norfolk and Portsmouth, staying above the Class C.
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| Flying over Portsmouth and Suffolk |
Not knowing what awaited us at First Flight, or how crowded it would be, we elected to stop for fuel at Currituck County (ONX) before heading out over the outer banks. As a note if you're ever in the area, they have cheap gas and a nice FBO!
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| The Outer Banks and Pine Island Airport (7NC2) |
Now for the fun part. We crossed Currituck sound and flew down along the narrow strip of land that makes up this section of the Outer Banks. It is such a narrow strip of land that all the beach houses on it seem to lead a tenuous existence at best, but they are plentiful! There is even a private airport that was somehow squeezed into the meager land there is, Pine Island (7NC2), a mere 15 NM north of First Flight.
And then there it was before us! First Flight Airport (FFA) and the Wright Brothers' memorial! We made it!
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| First Flight Airport and the Wright Brothers' Memorial |
I had been afraid that on the anniversary there would be difficulty finding a parking space since I knew there were only about ten spots. There was no issue with parking, but maybe being late for the ceremony helped.
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| Tied down at First Flight with the monument in the background |
The flight home was uneventful, with only a quick-turn fuel stop at Williamsburg (which they still charged us a small handling fee for). Flying lower to avoid a slight headwind, we enjoyed watching the sun set from the plane, and the Christmas lights turn on. The whole trip ended up being about 5 hours of flying.
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| Sunset over the river |
That's one bucket-list item down: flying my first plane to First Flight for the anniversary of flight!
