ADA Compliance at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Big Kill Devil Hill North Carolina
Recently Richard Acree of ADA Inspections Nationwide, LLC, visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial [Memorial] in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and observed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance at this facility. Management of the Memorial is covered by the US National Park Service. The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The NPS manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations. The photo below is from the Memorial website and shows the famous image of the first flight.
Wright Brothers First Flight at Kill Devil Hill
By visiting this site and Memorial you can see firsthand where the first flight happened and how it was accomplished. From the website for the memorial, “Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of scientific experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights on December 17, 1903.” This is where mankind flight in winged aircraft began. The photo below shows the sign as you arrive at the museum.
Kill Devil Hills is in the Outer Banks of North Carolina near Albemarle Sound. See the map below, green arrow. Although most of the preparation for the first flight took place near Dayton, OH, this site was chosen because of the reliable wind needed to help launch the aircraft and the terrain that supported the launch. This site is just north of Nag’s Head Island.
Map of Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina
The graphic below shows a site map for the Memorial. The key installations are the Big Kill Devil Hill where the flights were launched from [green arrow], the flight path route to the 4 landing areas [red arrow], the Visitor Center and Museum [yellow arrow], and the paved runway for KFFA [blue arrow], the small airstrip for use by general aviation.
Site Map of Wright Brothers Memorial
Visitor Center
Upon arrival at the Memorial, accessible parking is located near the Visitor Center and Museum. In the Visitor Center you can see models, tools and machines used by the Wright brothers during their flight experiments. A life-size replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer is located in the Visitor Center. The original Flyer and a full-scale model of the 1902 glider are on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Access for individuals living with a disability to and within the Memorial Visitor Center is excellent. The photo below shows the Visitor Center and Museum.
Wright Brothers Memorial Visitor Center
Inside the museum is the complete story about the Flyer and the Wright Brothers at Kill Devil Hill. Of course, a full size replica of the Flyer is there. See the photo below.
Wright Brothers Flyer at Kill Devil Hill
The photo below shows a view of the replica from the rear, where the elevator is visible. Access around the display is excellent.
Wright Brothers Flyer Elevator
Hangar and Living Quarters
Near the routes of the four flights are located two wooden structures that are replicas of the airplane hangar and the living quarters for the Wright brothers. See the photo below. The hangar is on the left.
Wright Brothers Memorial Hangar and Dwelling Space
The buildings above are accessible using a paved pedestrian route from the Visitor Center.
Big Kill Devil Hill
Prior to the first manned flight of a powered aircraft, the Wright Brothers conducted experiments using gliders launched from the top of Big Kill Devil Hill, or other hills in the area. These “hills” are actually sand dunes that have grown vegetation over the years. On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers completed the four flights of the powered aircraft from the base of Big Kill Devil Hill. The hill can be reached using pedestrian walking paths that connect the hill to the Visitor Center, flight routes, the hangar, and the KFFA airfield. There is also a road that connects the parking area near the Visitor Center and Museum to the parking areas at the monument on Kill Devil Hill, and the KFFA airfield. At the site you can walk along the actual routes of the four flights, with small monuments marking their starts and finishes. See the photo below. The blue arrow shows the living quarters and hangar and the green arrow shows the monument on Big Kill Devil Hill. Pedestrians are encouraged to not walk on the grassed areas or on the road.
View of Wright Brothers Memorial, Dwelling and Hangar
The “runway” and flight path of the gliders are marked; however, the pedestrian path to the landing areas is a deteriorated composite mesh that has excessive abrupt change of level exceeding 1/4 inch in some locations. See the photo below.
Pedestrian Route to Wright Brother Landings at Kill Devil Hill
Display boards at the site are at a level that is easy to read for individuals living in a wheelchair but the clear space below the exterior displays is commonly turf that is not firm, stable or slip resistant. The photo below is representative.
Display Board at Wright Brothers Memorial at Kill Devil Hill
The photo below shows a replica of the monorail used to launch the Flyer from the bottom of Kill Devil Hill. Maneuvering around this display is difficult because of the landscaped surface and the soft sand near the display. This surface is not firm, stable, or slip resistant.
Replica of the Metal Rail for Flight Launch at Kill Devil Hill
Wright Brothers Monument
On top of Big Kill Devil Hill is a monument to the Wright Brothers. The monument is sometimes referred to as the tower. At the base of the monument is the phrase "In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright conceived by genius achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith." On top the monument is a marine beacon like those found in lighthouses. See the photo below. Getting to the top of this hill is difficult for individuals living with a disability. The paths are paved, but the run slope is steep, and there are no level landings for every 30 inches of vertical elevation change.
The Wright Brothers Memorial monument at Kill Devil Hill
The photo below shows the view from the top of Kill Devil Hill to the landing areas below. The hangar, dwelling, and Visitor Center are toward the top/right in the photo.
A View from Top of Kill Devil Hill at the Wright Brothers Memorial
KFFA Airfield
KFFA Airfield consists of a paved 3000 feet long and 60 feet wide public-use paved airstrip and parking area, with a pilot building including restrooms. See the photo below. According to the KFFA website, deer are often observed on the runway. A good practice would be to first buzz the runway to frighten them away. Night takeoffs and landings are prohibited. Fuel is not available at KFFA but Dare County (MQI) in Manteo is a 3-minute flight away. Check NOTAMS to make sure they are open. There are usually plenty of tie-downs available at KFFA but aircraft parking is limited to 24 hours. AOPA just put up a new facility there for pilots. The entry code is the VFR squawk code. See the photo below, taken from the monument on Big Kill Devil Hill.
KFFA Airfield as seen Big Kill Devil Hill
The photo below shows the “Pilot Facility”. Note the ADA ramp leading to the level of the facility, including two ADA toilet rooms [not observed].
KFFA Airfield Pilot Facility Building
The sign on the Pilot Facility is shown below.
KFFA Pilot Facility Signage
The photo below shows the aircraft ramp next to the 3000 foot paved runway.
Aircraft on the Ramp at Wright Brothers Memorial