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Wright Brothers National Memorial |
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We left the campground behind for the day in search of the place where flight began, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was a truly memorable trip. Kitty Hawk is situated on the Outer Banks, a small peninsula of land that parallels the North Carolina coast. Kitty Hawk was chosen, or more accurately, Kill Devil Hills which is just south of Kitty Hawk, as the site for testing their airplane because it had soft, sandy soil and was the 6th windiest city in the country. The first 5 were metropolitan areas. When you get there, you understand immediately why it was chosen.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is located in Nags Head, NC. Cost is $4 for adults and children under 15 are free. Don't miss the ranger talk at the visitor's center, given at 10, 12, 2, and 4, but if you're going to participate in the Jr. Ranger program (which I highly recommend at this location) then you'll need to make sure to do all of your activities before the last ranger talk. If you wait until after it's over, you won't have time to complete the activities because they close at 5. We loved this museum (just stay on the paths and watch out for the prickly pear cactus - ouch!).
* Research and Project:
Principles of Flight - The Wright Brothers were the first to distinguish the 3 axes of motion that are still in use in modern airplanes - pitch, roll, and yaw. Research the theory of flight, including those 3 axes and what is used to control them, the 4 main forces involved in flight (lift, thrust, drag and weight) and Bernoulli's Principle, which explains lift scientifically.
Basic Principles of Flight explained
Try folding your own paper airplane and watch Bernoulli's Principle in action. http://www.josephpalmer.com/planes/Airplane.shtml
Read -Wilbur and Orville Wright: Young Fliers (Childhood of Famous Americans Series.) by Augusta Stevenson.
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We're excited to be able to partner