The Outer Banks is a 100 mile stretch of beach and sand dunes about 15 miles off the North Carolina coast. A 431-acre Wright Brother's Memorial at Nags Head honors the first flights of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Near the monument lies Kill Devil Hill, a 400 foot sand dune, the training hill for a local hang gliding school -- Kitty Hawk Kites. The school provides video tapes, ground and flight instruction, with a few hours of hang gliding at the big dune. Further south, Cape Hatteras National Seashore preserves 70 miles of unspoiled wilderness beach. South of Hatteras Island lies the historic village of Ocracoke Island where Edward Teach, the infamous pirate "Blackbeard," visited and was finally tracked and slain. Cape Hatteras is known to the fisher people as "the blue marlin capital of the world." The water temperatures in the sound are perhaps 10 degrees warmer than in New Jersey thus wind surfing and other water sports is most excellent here. There are numerous easily accessible summer activities available at reasonable prices. This is the most popular weekend adventure yet!

Executive Summary

We will depart Caldwell airport after work on Thursday and fly to Manteo airport on Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks and drive our rental van to a beach house in Kitty Hawk. We will eat dinner on the way. Each morning we will have breakfast and then go to wind surfing or hang gliding for either a half day or whole day. The beaches are within walking distance of each and only a few miles from our house. Next to wind surfing, there are rentals for jet skis, wave runners, catamarans, and day sailors. Bike rentals and scuba dive trips are available at a reasonable cost. Deep sea fishing can be arranged but is rather expensive. If you are interested in hang gliding then you should make reservations early because sometimes they are quite popular. We have the option of eating dinner out or cooking at the beach house. There are many excellent restaurants on the Outer Banks. We will return to Caldwell airport early on Sunday evening.

Feature Attractions

Hang Gliding is most exciting at Kitty Hawk Kites. After watching a brief video you will go to the equipment closet and get a harness and helmet. You will be in a group of pilots with similar experience. Your instructor will take you to one of the giant sand dunes will show you the parts of the kite and then demonstrate a flight. Next, you will attach your harness to the kite, check its security, lift the kite, and check the wind direction. With the wind in your face you will begin running downhill into the wind. In a few steps you will be lifted into the air and fly 10 feet above the sand to the base of the dune.

During your first five flights you will learn the fundamentals of control and, with a little luck, learn to land on your feet. You will control the kite by shifting your weight. Best of all, you will fly using nothing more than a kite and the wind. When you have mastered the basics, you will get a "hang 1" endorsement in your log book.

Lessons from Kitty Hawk Kites are $69 which includes five flights. Discounts are available for multi-lesson purchases. A tandem-tow ($69) is offered at a nearby private airport -- it will allow you and an instructor to be towed in a tandem kite to an altitude of about 1,000 feet where the instructor will let you fly for five to ten minutes. This is most excellent! The lessons take about three hours and are offered at 8 AM, 10:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 4 PM. (We prefer the 10:30 AM lessons.) Reservations must be made early. The phone number for Kitty Hawk Kites is 800-334-4777.

Wind surfing lessons are the most effective way of quickly learning the sport. Beginning with a video tape you will learn the basics and then practice on a ground trainer -- a sail board mounted on a swivel base. You will practice up-hauling the sail and maneuvering the board using the wind. Next, you will practice in the water on a beginner board with the instructor nearby for additional instruction. You will have time to practice on your own.

There are many small islands and beaches to visit and an easy channel to cross to reach the bigger islands. The practice area is 3-4 feet deep making it excellent to learn and practice water starts.

Expert board sailors will be pleased at the wide selection of short, high-performance boards and large sails. The late spring and early fall often provides some of the best sailing conditions and relatively warm water of the sound. It is possible to rent a board for a full day and sail for two half days (makes the price quite attractive).