http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1411/975054654_db3e3696fb.jpg Memorial.jpg This is the first KAP shot I have sold. This is the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina that I took last year. The memorial doubles as a lighthouse which you can see at its top. Thanks to Scott Haefner for helping me with some touch ups on this one. Picture is taken from a camera on a kites string. Sculpture.jpg Overhead view of the Wright Brothers sculpture I took last year. This sculpture doubles as a playground for kids and is a reenactment of the historical day in 1903 when man first flew in a powered heavier than air, craft. This view is with the Wright Airplane coming toward you just as it lifts from the launch rail. The 1903 Wright Flyer made four flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, the best covering 852 feet in 59 seconds. It was the first heavier-than-air, powered aircraft to make a sustained, controlled flight with a pilot aboard. The Wrights used their proven canard biplane configuration which was rooted in their initial 1899 kite design. Key to the Flyer's success was its three-axis control system, which featured wing-warping for lateral balance, a moveable rudder, and an elevator for pitch control. The right wing was four inches longer than the left to compensate for the engine being heavier than and mounted to the right of the pilot. The wings were rigged with a slight droop to reduce the effects of crosswinds. Gift of the Estate of Orville Wright http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, they developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made mechanical fixed wing flight possible. The brothers' fundamental breakthrough was their invention of "three axis-control," which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard on fixed wing aircraft of all kinds.[1] From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on unlocking the secrets of control to conquer "the flying problem," rather than developing more powerful engines as some other experimenters did. Their U.S. patent 821,393 does not claim airplanes in general, but rather claims airplanes that are controlled by what were later termed ailerons. Their careful wind tunnel tests produced better aeronautical data than any before, enabling them to design and build wings and propellers more effective than any before.[2] They gained the mechanical skills essential for their success by working for years in their shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles in particular influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle like a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice.[3] The Wright brothers' status as inventors of the airplane has been subject to counter-claims by various parties. Much controversy persists over the many competing claims of early aviators. FirstFlight.jpg First flight of the Wright Flyer I, December 17, 1903, Orville piloting, Wilbur running at wing tip. Photo by John T. Daniels of the Kill Devil Hills Life Saving Station, using Orville's tripod-mounted camera Directions, etc. http://www.nps.gov/wrbr