Huffman Prairie Flying Field: then and now

1904 vs 2016 · Dayton, OH

NowThen

Then, 1904Wilbur and Orville Wright with the Flyer II at Huffman Prairie in May 1904. A wooden shed stands behind it.Photo: Unknown (NASA) · Public domain · Source · resized

Today, 2016A National Park Service sign at the edge of the field, with short grass and a paved path behind it.Photo: Pi3.124 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · resized, cropped

The story

Dayton banker Torrence Huffman owned this field and let the Wright brothers use it starting in 1904. They tested the Wright Flyer II here from April 1904, and made about 150 flights in 1904 and 1905.

One timed flight is on record. On November 16, 1904, Orville flew about 1,760 feet in just over 40 seconds. The 1905 Wright Flyer III came out of this work. The Wrights thought of it as the first practical airplane.

In 1910 the Wright Company moved here and ran the Wright Flying School, which trained more than 100 pilots, including Hap Arnold. The Army bought the field in 1917. In 1948 the area joined Patterson Field to form Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Huffman Prairie became a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Did you know? The Wrights flew about 150 times here in 1904 and 1905.

Historians argue about this. Many people think the Wrights learned to fly only at Kitty Hawk. Wikipedia says the Flyer III, which they considered the first practical airplane, grew out of testing here.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidHuffman Prairie became a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
Wikipedia: designated June 21, 1990.
Not trueThe Wrights first flew at Huffman Prairie in 1903.
Their work at Huffman Prairie began in 1904.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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Next: Wright Flyer III. Written from the cited sources, not yet walked on site unless noted.