Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

The first memorial to the Wright Brothers' (see them?) accomplishments was erected on the top of Big Kill Devil Hill. It's easy to guess when the design was authorized: 1930. It exudes the brutalism of the second industrial revolution: not light and airy like the flight itself, but dense and heavy. Conclusion: The designers were prisoners of their times. [2021]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

The "first flight" re-created on yesterday's post took place at this very location in 1903 when the tree-less landscape was nothing but shifting sand. Of the four flights that day (two for Orville and two for Wilbur), each one covered a longer distance. Takeoff is marked by the boulder; touchdowns are marked by four stones, the last one close to the trees. [2021]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

Life creates. We re-create. We know the first flight happened exactly this way because we have a photograph of it (below). It was the first re-creation of an event that changed the world. The sculpture above is one of the most recent re-creations. Orville is seen piloting, and Wilbur is seen running behind. The Wright Brothers made it happen on this day in 1903. [2021]

Lidgerwood, North Dakota, USA

What do we put on a pedestal in American culture? The Military. So, expect to find many a public park with aircraft, including helicopters, on display. The Cobra has become iconic of the Vietnam War. For Marines who were stationed there, an installation like this must trigger a lot of memories. [2007]

Moyock, North Carolina, USA

National unity followed the 9-11 attacks in 2001, and makeshift memorials sprang up all across the country. No such thing happened in 2020 following the ongoing coronavirus attacks even though the number of deaths has been 50 times higher. Why not? [2001]

Yocumtown, Pennsylvania, USA

Don't be a Wrong-Way Corrigan, expand your attic now by renting yet another storage unit for all the junk you will never use again in your life! Or, don't succumb to the hoarding gene and start watching The Minimalists podcast. They will help you change your ways. Be a Right Way Corrigan! [2005]

Spruce Pine, North Carolina, USA

When a Cessna Skyhawk crashed into the video store, so much damage was done that the entire industry shut down. Nevertheless, this particular store has bucked the trend and survived: perhaps because streaming doesn't compete so well in the mountains of western North Carolina. [2012]

Panacea, Florida, USA

Adjacent to the Wakulla County Airport is a housing development with a rather unique sales pitch. It's a development with fly-in homesites. However, there doesn't seem to have been much diffusion even though Tarpine and the idea of fly-in homes has been around for decades. [1995]

Shanksville, Pennsylvania, USA

A boulder has been moved in from the countryside to mark the point of impact: the very place where Flight 93 was brought down on September 11, 2001, less than an hour after two other hijacked airplanes plowed into the World Trade Center and one more struck the Pentagon. United Flight 93's speed at impact was 563 mph. All were killed. [2018]

The Rock, Gibraltar

If you are flying into Gibraltar, prepare to be agog when you see the famous rock, but also prepare for the experience of landing on one of the world's great tombolos: a sedimentary isthmus that connects The Rock to the mainland and offers enough flat land (a rarity in these parts) for airport runways. [2015]

Hato, Willemstad, Curaçao

The ABC islands have more to do with North America and Europe than they do with each other. In fact, it's a bit difficult to get from one to another. There is no ferry service and only two airlines. Between Curacao and Bonaire, the best connection is provided by DiviDivi Air. It's a 20 minute ride on a 9-passenger prop plane (or something even smaller!). [2017]

Camp Pendleton, California, USA

If you have been a U.S. Marine since World War II, you may have spent some time at Camp Pendleton. Not only has it served the defense needs of the United States, it has also had the effect of allowing nature to have her way with at least a small part of the Pacific coastline. Today is Veterans Day. [1992]

Nassawadox, Virginia, USA

Jump in the cockpit and take off. Don't expect a macadam runway, though. At the Eastern Shore's Campbell Field, their motto is "Come roll on the grass." No foolin'. [2007]