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Historical Highway MarkersOrville Wright's First Virginia FlightC-7
Orville Wright made his first heavier-than-air flight in Virginia at Fort Myer for the U.S. Army on 3 Sept. 1908. He flew the plane slightly more than a minute, reaching a speed of 40 miles per hour. During the next two weeks here, Wright broke world records for speed and time spent in the air for a heavier-than-air craft. On 17 Sept. 1908, however the plane crashed, killing Lt. Thomas Selfridge and injuring Wright. In 1909, the Wright brothers returned to Fort Myer. After additional flight tests, the Army bought their plane for $25,000 on 31 July 1909 for its first military aircraft.
Department of Historic Resources, 2000 Department of Historic Resources, 2000 See a problem? Report it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov. |
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References/Bibliographic Citation: Fred Howard, Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), 262-281, 299-306; Fort Myer Historical District, National Register of Historic Places Nomination File (00-04), DHR; “Wright Aeroplane Flies at Capital,” New York Times 4 September 1908: 1-2; “Wrights Get $30,000 For Their Airship,” New York Times 1 August 1909: 3; Francis Trevelyan Miller, The World in the Air: The Story of Flying in Pictures, 2 Vols. (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1930), 2:115–189. |