With Orville Wright at the controls, the first test of the Wright Flyer traveled just about 120 feet. That isn’t even far enough to cover the nose-to-tail length of most modern airliners, yet it was an astronomical distance for 1903. By 1939, the influence of that first controlled flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft was such that President Franklin D. Roosevelt established National Aviation Day each year on Aug. 19—Orville Wright’s birthday. It’s a great day to reflect on the legacy of the Wright Brothers since that famous day in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and once you’re ready to explore further, consider a trip to one of the country’s aviation museums to fill in the rest of this incredible story.
AIRLINERS & AVIATORS
There’s no place more appropriate to start with than the home of the Wright Flyer. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., is hard to beat in terms of sheer volume of historic air and spacecraft. Indeed, the entire history of aviation is told here, from the first airplane to the Apollo 11 command module that carried astronauts to the moon. And don’t miss the museum’s annex in nearby Chantilly, Virginia: The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center contains some of the most iconic vehicles in history, including the Space Shuttle Discovery, the Enola Gay B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb over Japan, and the Concorde supersonic airliner.
Out west, the Seattle metro area is best known to aviation enthusiasts as the home of Boeing, and you can tour the aviation giant’s factory in nearby Everett. Many historic Boeing aircraft, including the first-ever 727, 737, and 747 also are on display in the city at The Museum of Flight. In one of the largest collections of historic aircraft in the world, visitors also can see the first-ever jet to serve as Air Force One and three military bombers.
WARBIRDS & WINGMEN
For those who are especially interested in military aircraft, the National Museum of the United States Air Force is a must-see. Located in Dayton, Ohio, on the grounds of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, it is the largest military museum in the world. Visitors can explore 350 vehicles and missiles across 19 acres of indoor exhibits. And best of all, admission is free.
The airpower of the U.S. Navy is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. In addition to exploring more than 150 historic aircraft, you might even be lucky enough to catch a practice routine from the world-famous Blue Angels. There is no charge for that experience or for admission to the museum, and young visitors can even get autographs from Blue Angels pilots.
Main Image: The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington; Credit: Adobe/Dzmitry
