The Monument to a Century of Flight was dedicated in November of 2003, just before the First Flight Centennial “in celebration of the soaring of the human spirit.” Fourteen steel wing-shaped structures reach from 10 to 20 feet, circling 120 feet, the distance of the Wright brothers' first flight. The pillars have engraved granite panels that chronicle the 100 most significant events in the history of aviation. They begin with the first flight in Kitty Hawk by the Wright brothers in 1903 and go on to list such achievements in flight as the first solo flight across the Atlantic, made by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1947 and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in 1969. The monument ends the celebration by stating, “Humankind is a continuum of pioneers sharing timeless dreams and the boundless possibilities of vast unexplored world.” Standing high on a sand dune, among the wing-shaped pillars that reach for the sky, you look out at the Atlantic and can't help but agree.
Featured for Your Visit
