DID YOU KNOW? North Carolina is “First in Flight” — and it all happened in 12 seconds.

DID YOU KNOW? North Carolina is “First in Flight” — and it all happened in 12 seconds.On December 17, 1903, at 10:35 a.m., Orville Wright lifted off from the base of Kill Devil Hill, near Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks, and flew 120 feet in 12 seconds — the first powered, controlled flight of an airplane.Why Kitty Hawk? Wilbur and Orville Wright were bicycle builders from Dayton, Ohio, and they picked the Outer Banks for its steady winds, soft sand for landings, and privacy. They’d been testing gliders there since 1900. That December day they made four flights in all, the longest covering 852 feet in 59 seconds. The site is now the Wright Brothers National Memorial — and “First in Flight” is still on our license plates.(Source: NCpedia, “Airplane, First Flight of”; National Park Service)