The Wright Brothers & Wright-Patterson AFB

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Aviation development in Dayton, Ohio began with the earliest efforts of Orville and Wilbur Wright. From 1899 to 1903, working out of their bicycle shop in downtown Dayton, they studied the principles of aeronautical engineering, aerodynamics, and propulsion that enabled them to design, build, and fly kites, then gliders, and eventually airplanes.

The Wright brothers first tested their theories on the Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, making the first flight of a powered aircraft on 17 December 1903. Three more flights followed that day before the aircraft was badly damaged on the ground by a strong gust of wind. The brothers returned to Dayton and in 1904 began their association with the site now occupied by Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

The Wright brothers' connections with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base include their use of the Huffman Prairie Flying Field in 1904-1905 and 1910-1916, Orville Wright's on going contacts with military officers at the installation up to his death in 1948, and the preservation of their memory through the Wright Memorial which overlooks the Huffman Prairie Flying Field site. The Huffman Prairie Flying Field now forms part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

For additional information on the Wright Brothers from other sites, see our Wright Brothers Links.

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Last Update: 29 Jan 03

Drawing of the Wright brothers copyrighted 1989 August Brunsman

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