SIMPILOT FORUM FLIGHT RALLY #23

Sunday, December 28th, 2003
Time: 3:00pm EST (2000Z)


ID Elevation Latitude Longitude ATIS Freq.
KFFA +13 N36° 1.09' W75° 40.28' ******

 
Runway Length Surface ILS/LOC Freq. ILS ID
2 3000 Asphalt ****** ****
20 3000 Asphalt ****** ****

The destination for the SimPilot Forum's twentythird Flight Rally is First Flight Airport in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina USA!

First Flight Airport (KFFA) First Flight Airport serves Kill Devil Hills and Dare County in North Carolina and is currently owned by the United States National Park Service. The facility is at an elevation of 13 feet at a distance of about one mile from Kill Devil Hills, and was added to the National Park Service system in 1963. It is immediately adjacent to the Wright Memorial Shaft site atop Big Kill Devil Hill.

The Wright Memorial Shaft, a graceful and majestic 60-foot gray granite monument in the form of a triangular pylon, crowns the 90-foot dune known as Big Kill Devil Hill, the site of more than a thousand glider flights by the Wrights that preceded the first powered flight in history.

The four hills of Kill Devil are dunes near the village of Kitty Hawk, on that long thin spit of yellow sand known as the Outer Banks of North Carolina, separating the Albermarle Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. No airman , real-world or PC alike, can visit this hallowed ground without feeling a shiver, a choke, and a tear while contemplating what happened there on December 17, 1903.

A large granite boulder and a wooden launching rail mark the spot where the first four powered flights left the ground on December 17, 1903. Four numbered markers indicate the distance of each of the four flights. The first flight, with Orville at the controls, was airborne for 120 feet. The fourth flight, piloted by Wilbur, traversed an impressive 852 feet in 59 seconds. The Wright Brothers

After the fourth successful powered flight, Orville Wright sent the following telegram:

"SUCCESS. FOUR FLIGHTS THURSDAY MORNING. ALL AGAINST TWENTY ONE MILE WIND. STARTED FROM LEVEL WITH ENGINE POWER ALONE. AVERAGE SPEED THROUGH AIR THIRTY ONE MILES. LONGEST 59 SECONDS. INFORM PRESS. HOME CHRISTMAS."

The 1903 Flyer would never fly again. After the fourth flight, it was caught by a gust of wind, rolled over, and was damaged beyond practical repair.

Every real-world and PC aviator is obligated to make a pilgrimage to Kill Devil Hill, the site where on December 17, 1903 two well-dressed bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio quietly accomplished the miracle of powered and controlled aerodynamic flight for the first time, and changed our world and our lives forever.

There is scenery for this airport in Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" version 95 to 2004, subLogic's "Flight" and "Flight Light", Lago's "Airline Simulator", Nomissoft's "Airline Simulator 2", as well as subLogic's "USA East" scenery pack which can be used subLogic's "Airline Transport Pilot" and Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" 4.0b

Download the file KFFAKMQI.GIF in Files Section 3 (Navigation) for an aeronautical chart of the area.

Please join us on Sunday, December 28th for the twentythird SimPilot Forum Flight Rally, and be sure to visit Conference Room 5 (Fly Online/FS Rallies) after your flight to let us know all about it!


Download RALLIES.TXT or RALLIES.HTM from Files Section 11 (Fly Online/FS Rallies) for detailed information on the SimPilot Forum Flight Rallies. If you need any further info or help be sure to post a message in Message Section 11 (Fly Online/FS Rallies). We'll be looking forward to seeing you there!


Happy Holidays to all, from the SimPilot Forum staff!

Rich „Weeds„ Nagel
[CIS: 112615,1575]

CompuServe SimPilot Forum
[CIS: GO SIMPILOT]