Muslims have Mecca, Jews have the Western Wall and Christians have the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The aviator’s holy site is First Flight Airport (KFFA) containing the Wright Brothers Memorial. The memorial is a 60-foot granite pylon sculpture sitting on a star-shaped base at the top of a lush green hill. It’s the place honoring the Wright Brothers and their 1903 first sustained heavier-than-air flight. Every pilot should take the pilgrimage at least once and what better time to visit than in December, the anniversary month of Orville and Wilbur’s historic accomplishment.
The approach to the uncontrolled First Flight Airport takes you down the coast and out over the Outer Banks and Albemarle Sound. Don’t let the gorgeous ocean view and the sun glistening off of the visitor’s center roof mesmerize you into complacency. Be vigilant. Trees flanking the airstrip on downwind and base obscure the runway until turning final. Additionally, banner towing airplanes, unexpected wind shear and an occasional deer hanging out perilously close to the touchdown zone make this 3,000-foot runway dangerous. Judging by the various skid marks it seems a number of aviators needed to call their insurance agents.
