Kill Devil Hills

Black text above and below an illustration of a brown plane over yellow circles on a yellow background

The Wright brothers tested the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve piloted flight on December 17, 1903 between Kill Devil Hills and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The aircraft was named the Wright Flyer and had four successful test flights, the longest lasting 59 seconds. The Wright Flyer is exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

From the Wright Flyer, the Wright brothers created a series of flyers used to perfect the flight control possible because of their rear rudder deflection technology—discovered in 1902—that is used on modern aircraft. This patent caused an American and European patent battle that eventually led to all U.S. military aircraft design originating from the French and British in World War I.