First in Flight

The Wright brothers’ first powered flight took place on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The very first flight, piloted by Orville Wright, lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet. They made three more flights that day, with the longest—flown by Wilbur Wright—lasting 59 seconds and covering 852 feet. What made their flight special is that they intentionally banked the plane and turned to the left. It was the first pilot-controlled flight.

Now First in Flight is the tagline on our license plates.

First in Flight 
 
I’ve lived in Carolina long enough to stay,
And I think I’ve earned the right to say—
First in Flight is more than a line,
It’s a story that’s yours, and now it’s mine.
 
Two brothers on a cold December shore,
Built something the world had never seen before.
Not drifting with the wind, not tossed about,
But turning on purpose—leaving all doubt.
 
The critics laughed, “If God meant you to go,
He’d have given you wings, you’d already know.”
But God gave us something far more true—
A mind that imagines, and hands that do.
 
Eight hundred fifty-two feet became the sky,
Then cities, then nations, then stars way up high.
And from that height, we learned to see,
The beauty of Earth, in its majesty.
 
But not every flight is wood and wire—
Some are born of hope, some burn with fire.
Each act of courage, each word you speak,
Is the lift your restless soul will seek.
 
So bank. Climb. Turn on the air.
The wings you need are already there.
God placed them deep—heart, mind, and spine.
Now take the wind… and make it yours and mine.