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Library > Fact Sheets > Origin of Wright Field
ORIGIN OF WRIGHT FIELD
Posted 12/2/2008
Printable Fact Sheet
McCook Field was a temporary installation constructed in 1917. It was soon apparent that the field's 254 acres, hemmed in by rivers and residential neighborhoods, could not indefinitely accommodate the larger, more sophisticated aircraft that emerged after World War I. By 1920, larger airplanes had to be flight-tested at Wilbur Wright Field (now Area C). McCook Field's tight quarters produced a warning painted on its hangar roof: "This Field is Small, Use It All!" The field also lacked a rail line. Furthermore, the rent increased each year and the landowners wanted to convert their property to more profitable use.
When the Air Corps announced its intention to move McCook Field out of Dayton, local businessmen and citizens protested. The field provided a stable economic base for the community, attracted top scientists, engineers, and skilled workmen to the area, and was a great source of pride to the city that considered itself the birthplace of aviation and the center of aviation technology in the United States.
John H. Patterson, founder and Chairman of The National Cash Register Company, immediately took charge. He lobbied Congress to increase Air Service appropriations so the essential work done at McCook would continue and he negotiated with War Department officials to permanently relocate McCook activities to some other site near Dayton. When he died in May 1922, his son, Frederick Beck Patterson, assumed the lead. Frederick formed the Dayton Air Service Committee with fellow distinguished citizens who spent freely of their time and money supporting the project. By October 1922, they had convinced the Air Service to accept a new site near Dayton.
The Committee launched a massive public campaign on October 31 and November 1, 1922 to raise the funds needed to purchase the land. In 48 hours the campaign raised $400,000 for the land and an additional $25,000 to erect an official memorial to the Wright brothers (the Wright Memorial). The Committee purchased 4,520.47 acres of land northeast of Dayton, including the sites of Wilbur Wright Field (which was being leased by the government) and the Fairfield Air Depot, and presented the deeds to President Calvin Coolidge on August 17, 1924.
The entire acreage was initially designated Wright Field, in honor of both Wilbur and Orville Wright. The official dedication ceremonies for Wright Field were held October 12, 1927. Orville Wright attended and raised the first flag over the facility. (Wilbur had died in 1912). The Wright Field dedication established three precedents: the first Army installation named for two civilians who had never served in the military; the first installation named for a living individual; and the first time the honoree was present for his own Memorialization ceremony.
Prepared by the History Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, 1865 Fourth Street, Building 20014, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433-7126; (937) 255-2048; DSN 785-2048
Fact Sheet Point of Contact
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
(937) 522-3252
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