On a nice day in Dayton took a roughly 30 mile ride in the morning to Huffman Prairie. After Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers went to this field to perfect their invention. They went from the Wright Flyer (though a new version the first plane having been destroyed after they flew it) to the Wright Flyer III. It was also home to one of the first flying schools, and the test area for their Model B aircraft.
These are recreations of the original structures. The building at left was the Hangar. Read that they had to partially dissemble the aircraft and put it in sideways. The catapult was used to launch the planes. Lacking the winds of Kitty Hawk, the catapult took them to flying speed.
First flights with the 1904 Flier started on May 23, 1904. While that plane was better, it was the Wright Flyer III which made long flights possible. In fact that aircraft is on display at Carillon Park in Dayton and is considered the first practical aircraft.
It was a fun visit to this historical area and in fact a very fun motorcycle ride. Traffic was light before noon and the ride was trouble free.
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