by Think Currituck, on 9/21/21 4:10 PM
It's really no exaggeration to say that airplanes and aviation have carried the Outer Banks off the map and into the history books.
To be precise, it was in Kitty Hawk where Orville and Wilbur Wright first successfully flew their motor-powered airplane on Thursday, Dec. 17, 1903.
Nearly 118 years later, flight will again be the focus in Northeastern North Carolina when Currituck County celebrates Aviation Day on Saturday, September 25.
A co-sponsor of the event is the Northeastern NC Women in Aviation Chapter. That group, which was started by Robin Perry at Elizabeth City State University in 2014, will have an added observance of Girls in Aviation Day.
All this will happen at the Regional Aviation and Technical Training Center, which is next to the Currituck Regional Airport.
Families are encouraged to attend the event on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are no fees for admission or parking.
In addition to touring the airport terminal, visitors can view the displayed aircraft, and enjoy airplane rides, classic cars, fly-ins, live music, food trucks, vendors, children’s games and more.
The center is at 107 College Way, Barco, North Carolina; in case of rain, the event will happen on Sunday, Sept. 26. Still have questions? Call the airport at 252-453-8032.
CLICK TO VIEW THE AVIATION DAY EVENT FLYER
Aviation in North Carolina is Soaring
American aviation not only began in the Old North State, it has also been thriving here.
At the beginning of this year, the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation published its biennial report of how important the industry is to the state's economy.
Here are three key points to keep in mind:
1. Foremost, the state's 72 public airports have annually contributed $61 billion to the economy, supporting 373,000 jobs that create $15 billion in personal income and $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenues.
2. There are 14 commercial airlines using 10 commercial service airports that enable travelers to go to 187 places in the world. These airlines own more than $1.2 billion of property in the state, which generates significant tax revenues for both local and state communities.
3. The aerospace manufacturing sector in North Carolina grew by 13 percent from 2015-2019 on the strength of companies like Boeing, Cessna, GE Aviation, Honda Aircraft, Lockheed Martin and Spirit AeroSystems that call the state their home. Further, the 200-plus aerospace manufacturing companies employ 6,887 people.
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