Wright Brothers Memorial Pilot Facility grand opening next weekend

Final preparations are under way for the Pilot Facility Grand Opening and Fly-in celebration May 10 at the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Attending pilots will receive a special memento of the event and have a chance to win an AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes leather bomber jacket.

In addition to speeches, hot dogs, and tours, AOPA will also display the classic Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes UPF-7 Waco biplane for the first time in the Mid-Atlantic region.

As parking is very limited at First Flight Airfield (FFA), pilots may land at nearby Dare County Regional Airport (MQI) at Manteo and take advantage of the free shuttle bus service from the airport to the Wright Brothers National Memorial. (The limited parking spots at FFA will be available by reservation only beginning May 6 at 8:30 a.m.)

The actual ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 12:30, but the shuttle bus service from MQI begins at 7 a.m. At 1 p.m. free lunch service begins along with informal tours of the new Pilot Facility. A special guided tour of the national memorial and the Wright Flyer first flight site begins at 1:30 p.m. Bus service to return pilots to MQI will run until 5 p.m.

The all-new Pilot Facility is sponsored by AOPA on behalf of its members to honor the Wright brothers' accomplishments. It includes a computerized Meteorlogix MxVision AviationSentry weather briefing system and a second computer equipped with Jeppesen FliteStar route planning software and access to AOPA Online. The 900-square-foot facility is located adjacent to the 3,000-foot First Flight Airfield (FFA). It will be the only permanent structure built at the historic site to remain following the Wright Brothers' 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight celebrations this year.

03-2-064x_2