Of the many attractions along the Outer Banks, its not often the small airport behind the Wright Brothers Monment gets spotlighted. The airport along with a few Outer Banks businesses were highlighted in the article.
The Outer Banks: First Flight Airport
Read the welcoming sign post as we tied down the airplane and made our way to the Wright brothers’ memorial site. But I am getting ahead of my story. There were many hurdles to cross before we could be there to read that sign. This was one fly out I did not want to miss!
Two days prior to our planned flight the aircraft we had reserved was down for maintenance. Then the day before the flight, I found out I needed to do a checkout again in the carbureted-engine aircraft we had substituted as I had previously been checked out in the fuel-injected aircraft. The third and biggest hurdle was the weather. I was determined to not let anything deter me from this flight.
It was still dark and raining as I headed out to the airport. I could hear thunder and lightning off in the distance. If this were California, I would have likely canceled my trip and gone back to bed. But this was the east coast and weather patterns such as this were the norm. Forecast called for clear skies by 6:00 am. The skies were already clearing as I reached the airport. A quick spin in the pattern to demonstrate I knew how to operate the carburetor and I was cleared to fly!
Ian and I set off wary of the weather but still determined to make it to Kill Devil Hills, NC. First flight airport (KFFA) is tricky airport to identify when heading from the north and west. A row of trees border the runway, making it hard to locate, when flying downwind. A good option is to overfly the airport first before setting up for landing. This should also enable checking the winds and preferred direction to land. Incidentally the Wright brothers chose this particular location for their test flights because of the regular breezes and sandy beaches.
Posted by Mike Bishal on
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