Public invited to First Flight ceremony at WPAFB

  • Published
  • By Derek Kaufman
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The public is invited to a First Flight ceremony at the Wright Memorial Hill here Thursday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. The event commemorates the 106th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first successful powered flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C. on Dec. 17. 1903.

Brig. Gen. Paul Sampson, mobilization assistant to the Aeronautical Systems Center commander, is the planned keynote speaker. Stephen Wright, the Wright brothers' great-grandnephew and Col. Bradley Spacy, 88th Air Base Wing commander, will lay a wreath at the Wright Brothers Memorial and a C-5 Galaxy flyover is planned, weather and mission permitting.

The Air Force's association with the Wright Brothers dates back to the early days of aviation. After Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully flew the Wright Flyer at Kittyhawk, they returned to Dayton and Huffman Prairie Flying Field - now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base - where they perfected their flying skills and made a number of incremental improvements to the aircraft in 1904 and 1905. 

The Oct. 5, 1905 flight at Huffman Prairie by Wilbur in the Wright Flyer III aircraft lasted 39 minutes - longer than all of the previous years' flights combined - and is recognized as the achievement of practical flight.

The Wright Brothers delivered their first aircraft to the U.S. military in 1909 and established a flight school at Huffman Prairie in 1910. Among their students was Lt Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, who would later serve as commander of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War Two and rose to five-star rank.

Gen. Arnold rejoined Orville Wright on August 19, 1940 when the Wright Brothers Memorial was dedicated on Orville's 69th birthday. The monument overlooks Huffman Prairie Flying Field and Wright-Patt's main runway.

The First Flight ceremony is outdoors, so event planners advise attendees to dress warmly. Hot beverages will be available inside the adjacent Huffman Prairie Flying Field Interpretive Center, part of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. The center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.