Outer Banks Visitors Explore the Wild Blue Yonder

OUTER BANKS, N.C. - As the home of the first powered flight, the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a place where history was made in the air 100 years ago. Today, visitors to the coastal destination are making a little history of their own, as they take advantage of the area's ideal conditions for aerial tours, hang-gliding and other air activities.

Air tours provided by local pilots allow visitors to experience the natural beauty and sites of the Outer Banks from a unique perspective. Flights depart from Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo, N.C. Air tours highlight the Outer Banks' historical attractions and landmarks, such as the dunes of Kill Devil Hills, where Wilbur and Orville Wright made their monumental flight.

Air tour participants can soar over the beautiful beaches of Nags Head, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Jockey's Ridge State Park with its 90-foot-high icon sand dune, the tallest on the Atlantic Coast. The Outer Banks' four historic lighthouses - Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke, Bodie Island and Currituck - offer spectacular scenery from the air.

Several companies on the Outer Banks offer group and customized air tours. Dillon's Aviation Inc. in Manteo offers "sky surfing" air tours that accommodate four to nine passengers. Visitors also can rent aircraft, receive flight instruction and charter air service through the company. For more information, call (252) 475-1279 or (252) 473-0318, or visit the Web site at www.dillonsaviation.com. Kitty Hawk Aero Tours in Manteo offers half-hour scheduled air tours of the Outer Banks. Planes seat up to three passengers. Call (252) 441-4460 for reservations and more information.

For those with a penchant for adventure, hang-gliding can be a thrilling way to enjoy the beaches of the Outer Banks. The steep dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park offer ideal conditions for first-time hang-gliders learning to fly. The qualified instructors at Kitty Hawk Kites in Nags Head offer lessons for dune and tandem tow gliding. Tandem hang-gliders are towed by a small plane and released to soar up to 2,000 feet over Currituck Sound. Hang-gliding offers magnificent views of the Outer Banks, combined with the thrill of wind in your face and a peaceful, quiet flight. For more information, call (800) 334-4777 or (252) 441-4124, or visit the Web site at www.kittyhawkkites.com

Parasailing is another fun-filled way to get a bird's eye view of the Outer Banks beaches, marshes, islands and sound. Parasail flyers are seated in a secure parachute harness attached to a boat's towline. As the boat accelerates, flyers are hoisted from the boat's platform into the air up to 1,400 feet. Kitty Hawk Kites and Kitty Hawk Sports (252-441-6800, www.kittyhawksports.com) offer parasailing adventures for individual flyers and groups of up to three. Flyers can choose to remain completely dry or drift downward into the water for a dip.

About The Outer Banks The Outer Banks of North Carolina is a chain of barrier islands midway on the Atlantic Seaboard. Surrounded by 900 miles of water, the Outer Banks has the largest estuary system in the world. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau is a public authority and the lead marketing and promotional agency for Dare County's Outer Banks. The bureau's Web site is www.outerbanks.org.