A ceremony celebrating the 109th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first successful powered flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., was held this afternoon at Wright Memorial Hill.

The roar of a 445th Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III could be heard as it flew over the wreath-laying ceremony as the National Anthem was played.

A crowd gathered at Wright Memorial Hill on Monday afternoon and listened to guest speaker Lt. Col. Eric Piel, 89th Airlift Squadron pilot, as he spoke about the beginnings of aviation and how the Wright Brothers' trials and errors led to where aviation is today.

"Compared to what the Wright Brothers went through, I've had it easy when it comes to the pilot training I've had. It's been a 'walk in the park,'" Piel said.

Following Piel's speech, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park superintendent Dean Alexander read the proclamation on the significance of the first flight on Dec. 17, 1903 and how two young men, Orville and Wilbur Wright, from Dayton, Ohio, changed the world with their invention of the airplane.

Amanda Wright Lane, great grand niece of the Wright brothers and Col. Cassie Barlow, 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Commander, laid a wreath at the Wright Brothers memorial in honor of the anniversary.