“Conceived by Genius”
““The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from seeking more knowledge rather than more power.””
The field at Kitty Hawk - An icon of American Innovation
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, I would argue to convince you that there’s no place more inspiring on the list of American achievement than the field at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Two brothers from Ohio tinkering with flying machines and closely watching the development of their aviation enthusiast counterparts in Europe, Wilbur and Orville knew they needed somewhere with reliable winds to test their concepts on manned flight. They started with what any reasonable American would do, by writing a letter to the National Weather Service requesting destination ideas based on predictable high winds. The response read as follows:
“Mr. J. J. Dosher of the Weather Bureau here has asked me to answer your letter to him, relative to the fitness of Kitty Hawk as a place to practice or experiment with a flying machine, etc. In answering I would say that you would find here nearly any type of ground you could wish; you could, for instance, get a stretch of sandy land one mile by five with a bare hill in center 80 feet high, not a tree or bush anywhere to break the evenness of the wind current.”
He continued on about where to find accommodation, and ended with this:
“If you decide to try your machine here and come, I will take pleasure in doing all I can for your convenience and success and pleasure, and I assure you you will find a hospitable people when you come among us”.
Achieving the dream of generations // Dec. 17th, 1903
On the morning of December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers were preparing for their attempt at powered flight. Orville Wright set up a camera on a tripod, intending to record the event. He instructed John T. Daniels, a member of the U.S. Life-Saving Service station at Kill Devil Hills, who had no previous experience with photography on how to operate the camera - a Gundlach Korona V view camera using a glass plate negative. This type of camera was typical of the period and required manual operation to capture an image. Sorta seems like he nailed it…
You’ve been everywhere else but here.
Innovation via continuous improvement
You really do have to give these boys a hand - at the time, half the daredevils in the world were experimenting with human flight and theoretically, they didn’t have a bat’s chance in hell. They were 38, and 42 years old and sold bicycles for a living. Apparently they didn’t get the memo they were unqualified. Their intense interest had begun with European tinkerers.
One of their icons, German glider enthusiast Otto Lilienthal over the years had designed and built more than a dozen flying machines. They followed his progress closely. He had one hell of a unique idea about how to steer an airplane - by constantly shifting his body weight around beneath the wings of the gliders he built. His approach to aviation was methodical and scientific. He documented his findings meticulously, significantly contributing to the understanding of basic aerodynamics.
As you can imagine, this fascinated Orville and Wilbur. You would think ole’ Otto would see the writing on the wall regarding the ever-reliable and consistently dependable force of gravity. He had already survived one near death experience, but he continued iterating and hurling himself off heights; becoming quite famous in the process. His writings detail his obsession with human flight.
“It must not remain our desire only to acquire the art of the bird, it is our duty not to rest until we have attained a perfect scientific conception of the problem of flight”
On August 10th, 1896, Otto was flying his glider near Berlin when a sudden and powerful gust of wind caused him to lose control. The glider stalled, and at an altitude of 50 feet, plunged straight to the ground. He was rushed to the hospital, but died of a broken spine the following day. Despite the news of Lilienthal’s death, the brother’s continued to be enthused. He HAD flown - despite a bad design and operating philosophy. They continued to study and photograph the flight of birds to determine the best path of approach. As their knowledge grew, they started gathering supplies to head towards the Outer Banks and dispatched Wilbur first to get set up and find a place to call home.
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A desolate, remote location at the time, the outer banks was nearly perfect to make camp in the dunes of Kitty Hawk, although I can’t imagine they were warm amongst the December weather in 1917. The Wright brothers barn was little more than a shed with a wooden stove they constructed upon arrival. Their airfield was right outside, and they had an additional hanger built to make incremental adjustments to their Wright Flyer.
Experiencing the field at Kitty Hawk
When you arrive here, you will recognize the entire operation as a national park. As a national monument, it’s the same Department of the Interior managing these national treasures so it’s actually a part of the national parks system. Once they collect the inevitable $10 per person over the age of 16, park your vehicle as close as you can to the giant hill. Most of the crowds head for the museum first over on the right, but I strongly urge you to experience the monument on the hilltop before venturing inside.
Walk along the paved sidewalk, and don’t stray from the pavement as it’s frowned upon to walk anywhere else. You’ll notice the ground is as much sand as it is a thin layer of grass and wouldn’t stand up well to the 450k visitors the park gets each year. As you look around and start pondering the idea of flying a machine through the air for the first time - something which only brought death to the pioneers they had studied for decades - you can appreciate the soft landing surface as the primary requirement.
As you zoom out and realize just how quickly the pace of innovation followed that historic day here in the outer banks, airplanes were deployed to the battlefield during WWI only a few years later. Proven incredibly useful at reconnaissance missions, their role began to quickly expand. Initially, pilot’s carried handguns or threw bricks and grenades at enemy aircraft.
Soon, machine guns were mounted on planes, leading to synchronized guns that could fire through propeller blades without causing damage. By the 1940’s, the concept of airborne forces - troops deployed by aircraft, typically by parachute - emerged as a significant military strategy in WWII, specifically during the D-Day invasion and Market Garden operation.
Personally, it was deeply impactful to recognize the location where so much of my travel has been made possible. The 33 countries I’ve been to have all been by air, and not for these brothers from Ohio none of us would have ever been anywhere. It’s only due to the unique liberties offered in America that created the circumstances for such innovation to take place.
In a time of deep uncertainty, it’s important to remember than in the United States of America, nearly anyone can do anything. And that means something, especially today. It’s perhaps an opportunity to look to the past, specifically the last set of roaring 20’s that occurred in America, to understand where and how to devote our resources going forward. If two middle-aged bicycle salesman from Dayton can change the world without a college education, it’s possible we’ve been going about this education business all wrong. Come to Kitty Hawk and see it with your own eyes. No telling what you could come up with if you don’t let “no” stand in the way.
