National Museum
of the US Air Force
Wright-Patterson AFB
Dayton, OH
September 27, 2003

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Wright 1909 Military Flyer This airplane is an exact reproduction of the Wright 1909 Military Flyer. After being accepted by the Signal Corps at Fort Myer, Virginia, on August 2, 1909, the original airplane was redesignated Signal Corps Aeroplane No. 1, the world's first military heavier-than-air flying machine. It was used by Wilbur Wright in October 1909 for giving flight instructions to the Signal Corps' first three heavier-than-air pilots, Lts. Frank P. Lahm, Frederic E. Humphreys, and Benjamin D. Foulois, at College Park, Maryland. In 1910 it was used by Lt. Foulois at San Antonio to make his first solo flights and finish his training. By March 1911, the airplane was no longer suitable for flight and was retired. It is now on exhibit at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. This reproduction was constructed in 1955 by personnel of the U.S. Air Force Museum. It is equipped with an engine donated by the heirs of the Wright Estate.

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