September 2009
I
n 1909, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright
set out to construct the first American mili-
tary airplane. The aircraft had a four-cylin-
der Wright 30.6-horsepower engine, had a
36.5-foot wingspan and weighed 740 pounds.
In late June, the brothers headed for Fort Myer,
Va., to demonstrate the Military Flyer for the
Army. The trials drew crowds, including mem-
bers of Congress and aviation pioneer Glenn
Curtiss.
Orville Wright flew the speed trial on July 30
with Lieutenant Benjamin D. Foulois on board,
climbing to 400 feet -- a record. As soon as he
saw the Fort Myer parade ground, he nosed
the aircraft down slightly and began to increase
his speed. Foulois stopped his watch as Or-
ville shot past the launching derrick. He flew
a victory circle around Arlington Cemetery and
landed. He had averaged 42.583 mph -- sur-
passing the Army's 40 mph requirement and
breaking yet another record. The Wrights quali-
fied for a $5,000 bonus by flying two miles per
hour, bringing
the total cost
of the first
U.S. military
airplane to
$30,000.
The 1909
Wright Flyer
was formally
accepted on August 2, 1909, and was desig-
nated Signal Corps Airplane No. 1, becoming
the United States' first military airplane.
On October 8, Wilbur Wright began giving fly-
ing lessons to Lieutenants Frank P. Lahm and
Fredrick E. Humphreys. Wilbur Wright had in-
stalled an additional set of levers on the plane
next to the student seat so that he could control
the plane. The flights were quite short, although
by October 21, the newspapers reported that
Wilbur Wright had taken Humphreys up for 27
minutes and Humphreys had handled the plane
for most of the time.
Humphreys soloed on October 26, flying for
two minutes and becoming the Army's first
pilot. Lahm soloed soon after on a seven-min-
ute flight.
--Information compiled from
centennialofflight.gov
ORIGINS
1909: The military
gets its wings
Orville Wright, Lt. Frank P. Lahm and Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois at Fort Myer, Virginia, on July 27, 1909.
Photos from Air Force Historical Research Agency
Orville Wright flying over Fort Myer, July 27, 1909. Wright plane seats and controls, Fort Myer, Va, 1908
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