Existing comment:
Wright Aeroplane Hangar -- 1909:
In early September of 1909, a 160 acre field in College Park was leased for the training of two officers to learn to fly the government's newly accepted Aeroplane -- The right Model A. A small shed was constructed to house the aero and to serve as the living quarters of the enlisted men assigned to the Aeronautical Division. Two officers were selected for flight training as part of the government contract with the Wright brothers. They were Lieuts. Frank P. Lahm and Frederic Humphreys. Lieut. Benjamin Foulois was originally to have been selected for instruction; however, at the last minute, he was sent to Nancy, France to attend an Aeronautical Exposition.
Flying began on October 8th the newspapers all over the country reporting on the exciting events at the College Park Airfield. Wilbur Wright took up each of his two pupils in successively spectacular flights, until each began to gain more and more confidence in the handling of the machine.
After only three hours, four minutes and seven seconds of instruction, Lieut. Humphreys made his first solo flight -- this made him the first military pilot to fly a government aeroplane. He succeeded Lahm by only a few minutes. When Lieut. Foulois returned from France, Wilbur agreed to give him flight instruction as well, even though it was not in his contract to do so. He received over three hours of instruction, but never got the chance to fly solo. On November 2nd, Wilbur made his final flight with Frank Lahm, and one of the last flights he was ever to make in public. Three days later, as new pilots Lahm and Humphreys were making their first flight together, they caught the wing tip of the plane on the ground while turning, causing minor damage to the plane. Thus ended the flights for 1909 and the Wrights' military contract. However, this was only the beginning for the College Park Airfield. |