Wright Brothers Memorial Celebrates First Flight 110th Anniversary [Photo Gallery]
Today, December 17, 2013, is the 110th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight in what is now Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where the annual commemoration ceremony took place earlier today at Wright Brothers National Memorial, followed by a 13-plane flyover.
The observance inside the First Flight Pavilion began with a patriotic musical prelude by the Northeastern High School Band from Elizabeth City, followed by opening remarks from First Flight Society President Geneva Perry and National Park Service Superintendent Barclay Trimble.
Speakers included Park Ranger Darrell Collins; Dr. Tom Crouch, Senior Curator of the Division of Aeronautics – Smithsonian Institution; and Louis Mancini, Boeing’s Senior Vice President for Commercial Aviation Services, who paid tribute to William Edward Boeing, this year’s inductee into the First Flight Society’s Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine.
After closing performance by the Northeastern High School Band, the aviation flyover started at 10:35am, the documented exact moment of the Wrights’ first flight.
There was also a wreath-laying ceremony at the exact spot where the famous first flight occurred, as the Wright brothers and the witnesses of the first flight were honored by their living descendants and family members.
You can watch highlights of the band’s performance in the player below, and then scroll down to view our exclusive photo gallery of images from the 110th anniversary of powered flight in the gallery below!
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