100th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers Flight in France
Published April 15, 2008 by Sabrina GordonIn May of 1908 Wilbur Wright went over to Europe and captured the attention of the French with the power of flight. When the Wright Brothers had little success with promoting their flying machine in the United States they took their invention over to France.
With the 100th anniversary of the Wright’s flights in France coming up the Wright Brothers National Memorial and Coulaines have exchanged kites. The city of Coulaines, France has hosted the Coulaines Kite Festival for many years and this year they focused on the Wright’s European achievements. Both kites were flown on March 15-16, with the Coulaines Kite flown on the spot where the world’s first powered flight took place in Kill Devil Hills, NC.
In 2005, a delegation from Coulaines, France visited the Outer Banks to exchange ideas and resources for the preparation of the French centennial of flight. The town of Kitty Hawk even established a partnership with Coulaines and became a sister city. Kitty Hawk was the name of the town back in 1903 before it became Kill Devil Hills.
The Coulaines kite is still on display at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills and is open from 9a.m. to 5p.m. daily with entrance fees of $4 per person with children 15 and under free. For more information call (252)441-7430.
Enter Your Comments Below
