Huffman Prairie Field

8/8/2019 Huffman Prairie Field

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WADC/WADD Digital Collection at the Galvin Library, IIT

From Huffman Prairie To The Moon

The History of Wright-Patterson Air force Base

From Huffman Prairie To The Moon - was divided into twelve parts due to

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have included a page to facilitate access to the other parts. In addition we

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http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc
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HUFFMAN RAIRIEWILBURWRIGHT IELOMcCOOK IELOFAIRFIELOVIATION ENERALUPPLY EPOTWILBURWRIGHT IR SERVICEEPOTAVlATlON ENERALUPPLY EPOT, AIRFIELD,HIOAIR SERVICEUPPLY ND REPAIR EPOTFAIRFIELOIR INTERMEOIATEEWTFAIRFIELOIR DEPOT ESERVATIONWRIGHT IELOPAllERSON IELOARMYAIR FORCESECHNICALASEAIR FORCEECHNICALASEWRIGHT PATTERSONIR FORCE ASE

CHRONOL

ml 1995 1910 1915 1920 1I

OrvilleWright

1st Lt. FrankStuartPatterson

INSTALLATION(HUFFMAN RAIRIEWILBURWRIGHT IEMcCOOK IELDFAIRFIELOVIATIONWILBURWRIGHT IRAVIATION ENERAAIR SERVICEUPPFAIRFIELDIR INTEFAIRFIELDIR OEPWRIGHT IELDPATTERSONIELOARMYAIR FORCESAIR FORCE ECHNIWRIGHT-PATTER


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IRFORCEASE ND TSANTECEDENTS

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1999 PRESENT

EPOT

AIRFIELO,HIOEPOTno.COILP 0.

OATE STABLISHED1994-1916)JUNE6, 1917OCTOBER3, 1917JANUARY , 1919JANUARY 0, 1919NOVEMBER, 1919SEPTEMBER0, 1920JANUARY 4, 1921JUNE22, 1927OCTOBER2, 1927JULY1, 1931DECEMBER5,1945DECEMBER.1947JANUARY 3,1949


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FROM HUFFMA N PRAIRIETO THE MOONThe history of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Lois E. WalkerShelby E. Wickam

Office of History2750th Air Base Wing

Wright-Fatterson Air Force Base

AIR FORCE LOGISTICS COMMAND
http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/i.html


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http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/ii.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/ii.html


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FOREWORDToday, supersonic jet fighters and giant cargo transports land on the modem runways at

Wright-Patte rson Air Force Base, passing within a few hundred yards of the Wright brothers firstlanding zone on Hoffman Prairie .

In May 1904, the Wrights made their first successful fl ights at Huffman Prairie , proving thatcontrolled, powered flight was not only possible to man, but was destined to change the worldsfuture. The Wright brothers made history that month on land that would eventually becomeWright-Patte rson Air Force Base. The aviation pioneers that have followed in their footsteps havebeen making history here ever since.

Beginning with World War 1, the seeds of Air Force logis tics and research and developmentefforts were planted here. Since that time, mil itary and civi lian logisticians, scient ists, andengineers have pioneered innovations that have kept this nation strong and free, highly capable ofdeterring any and all potential aggressors.

A glance through the pages of this book quickly illustra tes that many of the Air Forces finesthave passed through Wright-Patterson s gates. We are proud of that rich heritage. For nearly sevendecades, the base has served as a magnet, drawing the best aviation minds from across the nation,while capitalizing on the abundant human talent of the Miami Valley. This combination ofgreatness has resulted in Wright-Pattersons prominent position as a key element in our nationaldefense.

This book was written for the men and women of Wright-Patte rson Air Force Base, past andpresent, milita ry and civil ian. To all that have served here, we acknowledge their contributionsand salute their efforts. The tradition of excellence they represent has made Wright-Patte rson theoutstanding Air Force base that it is today.

Colonel, USAFCommander

,

_ -


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I 1
http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/iv.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/iv.htmlhttp://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/History/Huffman/iv.html


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn wr i t ing a book of this scope, we have become indebted to many people. Al though we have attempted here to remember

everyone, some have undoubtedly been forgotten. The fact remains that this book would not be what i t is without the assistance ofour many col leagues and fr iends. and we express our appreciation to them al l .

The Dayton area is home to a wealth of histor ical insti tutions and organizations, many of which provided source mater ialsthat helped shed l ight on hi therto forgotten chapters of Wright-Pattersons long history. We are particular ly indebted to Dr. Patr ickNolan and his l ine staff at the Wright State Universi ty Archives, to Mr. H. Eugene Knicss at the National Cash RegisterCorporation, and to Mr. Pdtr ick Fo ltr and Ms Judith Wehn at the Montgomery County Histor ical Society.

Many hours of research assistance were provided by the Research Division of the U.S. Air Force Museum. We thankespecial ly Mrs. Bobbie Bol l inger, Ms Kather ine Cass ity, Mr. Wes Henry, Mr. Joseph Ventolo, Mrs. Vivian White, and Mr.Char les W orman. A note of thanks is also due to the staff of the Navy and Old Army Branch of the National Archives forassistance in locating and photocopying numerous documents related to Wright-Pattersons ear ly history, to the staff of theArchives-Library Division of the Ohio Historical Society, to Mr. Duane Reed in the Special Col lections Division of the U.S. AirForce Academ y, and to the very helpful people at the Research Division of the Air Force Histor ical Research Center, Maxwel lAFB, who graciously f i lled our research requests and ver i fied innumerable detai ls in order to satisfy our demand for accuracy.

We also extend our thanks to the Air Force Logistics Comma nd Office of History, Mr. Bob Smith, Comman d Histor ian. andthe Aeronautical System s Division Office of History, Mr. Al Misenko, Division Histor ian. for permission to research and borrowextensively from their archives. Several outstanding l ibrar ies opened their faci l it ies to us as wel l , among the m the Dayton-Montgomery County Publ ic Library, the AFWAL Technical Library, the WPAFB Base Library, and the Greene County Distr ictLibrary.

For permission to repr int propr ietary infortnation and artwork we acknowledge especial ly Mr. Mike Peters of the DuyrmDui/y New and the publ ishers of A/R FORCE Mrrguzbw

Saving the most personal acknowledgements for last, we enter the close circle of people who worked most int imately withthis book . To Mr. Wul E. Bierley, our technica l advisor and aeronautical engineer extraordinaire, we cxten d our deepappreciation and the desire that we could do something more to repay him for his excel lent effor ts. WC also thank his wife,Paul ine, for her proofreading assistance. Mrs. Jean Cost is a second person that words seem inadequate to thank for many hoursof work, above and beyond her duties as edi torial assistant. Her professional capabi l it ies speak for themselves, but deservespecial mention nonetheless. This book, in fact, br idged the tenures of three editorial assistants. We wish to acknowledge alsothe very capable talents of Mr. Eugene Neal and Mrs. Jolynn Foster, who tackled the project with great enthusiasm and more thana l i tt le good humo r. As histor ians, we stand on the shoulders of many, and are obl iged to acknowledge not only the effor ts of ourpresent sta ff, but also those of the many men and women who have served as histor ians and editorial assistants for the 2750th AirBase Wing in years gone by. among them Mr. Ebert Smith, Ms Kather ine Cass ity, Ms Virginia Jul ian, and Mrs. P hyl l is Moore.

To the staff of the Base Photo Lab goes a special note of thanks for their t i reless effor ts in reproducing l i teral ly hundreds ofphotographs out of the History Office archives and those borrowed from numerous other histor ical agencies. A special thanks isextended to those wizards ofthe lens Mr. Wil l iam Ahem. Mr. R. Keith Cole. Mr. Rob Spr inkle, Mr. Char les Stout. and Mr. SteveTrego. and to their able assistants Ms Vicki Taylor and Ms Shel ley Towe.

To the staff of the Real Estate Section of the 2750th Civi l Engineering Squadron we send our special appreciation, with thereassuran ce that we will no longer b e deluging them with calls regarding the history of nearly every building on base . We thankespecial ly Mr. Keith M cMurray (who we hope did not retire b&use of us), Mrs. Ann Spivey, Mrs. Ve ma Finn, and Mrs. D ianeGreen.

The staff of the Bui lding IO Word Processing Center is credi ted with entering the enti re man uscr ipt of this book into theirmachines (port ions of i t several t imes) and turning i t into a professional product. A very personal note of thanks is extended toMrs. Barbara Quesinberry and her staff, Mrs. Kathy Anderson, Miss Theresa Lam bert, and Ms LaVemc Lawson. for theirextraordinary ski l l , patience, and perseverance. Miss Lambert and Ms Lawson also appl ied their enthusiasm to additionalproofreading of the typeset manuscr ipt, which we grateful ly acknowledge.


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The physical layout of this book is the product of Mr. Ron Schroeder and his staff at Eastpoint Studio, Dayton, Ohio. Theprofessional ism of his staff has made this volume what i t is . We acknowledge part icularly the outstanding talents of Ms MaryCal lahan and Ms Debi Whist ler.

Withou t the assistan ce of several people in base administrative channels this book could n ot have been published. Ourspecial thanks go to Mr. Cloyd Eastham, Mr. Dave Big1 and his staff , Mr. Bob Ki lcrcase, and Mr. Eugene Neal . We would alsolike to thank three very special gentlemen, no longer with the 2750th Air Base Wing, who provided encourag ement, support.and a concerted determination to see that this project reached fruition: Col. Leonard R. Peterson (USA F. ret.), former WingComm ander, Cal . Jay M. Strayer (USAF, ret.), former W ing Vice Command er, and Mr. Ralph Beaver, fomxr ExecutiveAssistant to the Wing Command er.

The following list of persons represents yet another group of people who had a hand in producing this book. They suppliedus with information, loaned us photograph s, lent their expertise in artwo rk or publishing, and assisted in proofreading variousstages of the manuscript. Our thanks to them one and all .

Dick BaughmanTom BrewerVanessa BrownBob CavanaghMarvin ChristianPhyll is A. ClineFrank Coll ins1st Lt. Clinton Coll insRuth Corinne ConnorDick Cul lCapt. Gcor&e Gul lyLt. Col . Al lan V. Cumm ingsMaj. Jan DalbyTed Dahl forsMaj. Donald D . Decker (USAF, ret.)D. Adam DickeyRonald I. FolianoDarlene GerhardtRobert Gett ierBob and Dott ie GheenDavid GoldLance M. GrollaEugene HarbrechtBrig. Gen. Harold R. Harris (USAF, ret.)J im HawleyMike HoeglerRoberta HoffmanMrs. Howel l Ja cksonMary Ann and Rich JohnsonCynthia D. KingWill iam KremerFrank I. Kul ishLaura LawsonClifford LloydG. All ison Long

Capt. Jackie L. LopezSusan K. LopezRussel l s . LyleGwen C. MarshHannah J. MassieR. D. McCaf fc r tyBi l l McNebbDr. Jerry MrycrJean MillerNorma J. Mul lennexRob OrlosRobert L. Pdrli, Jr.Florence PaxtonGene and Bonnie Phil l ipsAlfred J. PikoraRaymond Pil l ionHarry S. Price. Jr.Clem RainaldiLynne S. RanneyDon ReamDavid L. Shul trHoward B. SmithDoris SuesberryBernard J. TermenaMike ThompsonLt. Cal . Wi l l iam D. Thornton, Jr.Jane TrimmerWalter VanceRandall W;lketieldDonald R. Wi lsonNorma J . WoodA. F. Woodal lEd WozniakKen ZimmermanJ. P. Zook

Lest they be forgotten, we also pay special tr ibute to our fami l ies, Hisako Wickam and Bi ll and Betsy Wa lker, for seeing USihrough this project, the magnitude of which none of us could have guessed at the beginning.

LOIS E. WALKER SHELBY E. WICKAMWing Historian Historian Emeri tus

vi


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CONTENTS

I. HUFFMAN PRAIRIE 1904-1916. ............................................................ IHUFFMANPRAIRIE:ALOGICALCHOICE .................................................. 3THESIGNALCORPSMACHINE ............................................................ 5THOSEDARINGYOUNGMEN .............................................................. 10ENDOFANERA ........................................................................... 14

II. WILBURWRIGHTFIELD1917-1925 ....................................................... 17THE EARLY YEARS OF SIGNAL CORPS AVIATION, ......................................... 17COMBAT-ORIENTEDPILOTTRAINING ..................................................... 21DAYTON AS A FOCUS OF AIRPLANE PRODUCTION ........................................ 23ESTABLISHMENT OF WILBUR WRIGHT FIELD. ............................................ 25FROMTHEGROUNDUP ................................................................... 28FIRST FLYING SEASON .................................................................... 30AMAJORREORGANIZATION ........................................................... 36AVIATIONMECHANICSSCHOOL..........................................................4 0AVIATIONARMORERSSCHOOL ........................................................... 42TESTING .................................................................................. 43SPRINGFLYING.. ........................................................................ .44OVER THERE AND BACK .................................................................. 45

III. FAIRFIELD AIR DEPOT 1917-1931 ......................................................... 51WORLDWARIORIGINS .................................................................... 51POSTWAR DEMOBILIZATION AND REORGANIZATION. .................................... 54THE AIR SERVICE SUPPLY AND REPAIR DEPOT. ........................................... 56ENGINEERINGREPAIRSECTION ........................................................... 58THE FAIRFIELD AIR INTERMEDIATE DEPOT . .............................................. 59THE PROPERTY, MAINTENANCE, AND COST COMPILATION SECTION .................... 61THE1924ROUND-THE-WORLDFLIGHT....................................................6 3

LOGISTICAL SUPPORTPLANS. ................................................................ 65THE DOGLAS WORLD CRUISER .............................................................. 61WORLDFL~GHTCREWS......................................................................~ 9SUCCESS .................................................................................. 70

1924AIRRACES ........................................................................... 72THEMODELAIRWAY ...................................................................... 78CREATION OF THE FAIRFIELD AIR DEPOT RESERVATION. ................................. 79THE1931AIRCORPSMANEUVERS.. .................................................... ..8 0THEDESIGNATION OFPATTERSON FIELD ................................................. 82

IV. McCOOK FIELD 1917-1927 .................................................................. 85ATIMEOFCRISIS ...................................................................... ...8 5ANALTERNATIVETOLANGLEYFIELD....................................................8 7THE ESTABLISHMENT OF McCOOK FIELD. ................................................ 89

THE CONSTRCTION PROCESS. .............................................................. 91OPERATlNSBEGlN.........................................................................9 2i i


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McCOOK AFTER THE WAR. ..........................CONTROVE RSY WITH THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY ..........IN A STATE OF READ INESS .............................THE AIR SERV ICE ENGINEER ING SCHOOL ................

CREATION OF THE AIR CORPS MATERIEL DIVISION.A NEW HOME IS SOUGHT ............................

JOHN H. PAT TERS ON ..................................THE DAYTON AIR SERV ICE COMMITT EE. .................FROM DAYTON WITH PRIDE ............................

GROUND ISBROKEN ................................

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98YY

10 0. . ..lOI1010

. ..I0710I12

. ...114V. WRIGHT FIELD 1927-1948 ,117

THE DEDICATION OF WRIGHT FIELD ...................................................... II8MOVINGMcCOOKFIELD ........................................................ .......... 121CONDITIONS AT THE NEW WRIGHT FIELD ............................................... .I24THE MISSION OF THE MATERIEL DIVISION ............................................... ,127

PROCUREMENTSECTION....................................................................12 8ENGINEERINGSECTION ............................................................ ......... 130

Aircraft Branch ............................................................ ............... 130PowerPlantBranch........................................................................l3 2EngineeringProcurementBranch.............................................................l3 4Equipment Branch.. ....................................................................... 134MaterialsBranch.. ............................................................... ......... 137ArmamentBranch.. ......................................................... .............. 138ShopsBranch.............................................................................l3 9

ADMINISTRATIONSECTION.. .............................................................. ..13 9Flying Branch ............................................................................. 140TechnicalDataBranch......................................................................14 Public Works Projects .................................................................... ..I4 2

FIELDSERVICESECTION.....................................................................14 2INDUSTRIAL WAR PLA NS SECTION ........................................................... .I43WRIGHTFIELDANDWORLDWARII.......................................................14 5EXPA NSION AND REORGANIZATION OF THE MATE RIEL DIVISION .................................. I45PREPARING THE PHYSICAL PLANT ........................................................... ,148WARTIME ENG INEERING ACTIVITIES AT WRIGHT FIELD ......................................... .I55WAR TIME PRODU CTION ACT IVITI ES .......................................................... ,157MILITARY UNITS ASSIGN ED TO WRIGHT FIELD ................................................. .I61

THEENDOFTHEWARANDBEYOND......................................................I6 3LOGISTICS AND RESEARCH IN THE POST-W AR PERIOD ................................... .I71

VI. DEVELOPING AIR POWER 1917-1951. .................................................... .I77McCOOKFIELD 1917-1918 ...................................................

AIRPL ANE ENGINE DEVEL OPME NTS. ...........................................THE LIBERTY AIRPLANE. .....................................................NEW AIRPLANE DESIGNS .....................................................McCOOKFIELDl919-1926 ...................................................HEAVIER-T HAN-AIR DEVE LOPME NTS ...........................................

TheSperry Messenger .......................................................TheBaIling Bomber .........................................................TheFokkerT-2 .............................................................The de Bothezat Helicopter ...................................................

LIGHTER-THAN-AIR DEVE LOPME NTS. ............................................./II

.......... 17 7

.......... 181... ,182

.......... 183

........ ,.1X 7

.......... 190.. ..I9 6

.......... 197

.......... I99

.......... 201

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WRIGHTFIELD1927-1934..................................................................2 04STATE -OF-THE -ART ,927 .................................................................... ,204

TheBirdofPurudise ...................................................................... ,207EARLY WRlGHT FIELD DEVELOPMENTS. ...................................................... .209

Attack Airplanes ......................................................................... ,210Bombardment Airplanes ................................................................... .2 12Transport Airplanes ........................................................................ 216Observation Airplanes ..................................................................... ,218PursuitAirplanes..........................................................................22 0PhotographicAirplanes.....................................................................22 2TrainingAirplanes.........................................................................22 2

WRIGHT FIELD CONTRIBUTIONS TO WORLD W AR II 1935-1945 ............................ ,223PRlNClPAL DEVELOPMENTS. ................................................................ ,224

AttackAirplanes ........................................................................ ..22 4Autogiros and Helicopters .................................................................. ,224Bombardment Airplanes .................................................................. ..22 5Transport Airplanes. . .................................................................... ..23 6Observation Airplanes ................................................................... ...23 9PursuitAirplanes..........................................................................24 ITrainingAirplanes.........................................................................24 7

POST-WAR CONTRIBUTIONS TO AVIATION 1946-1951 ...................................... ,249

VII. PATTERSON FIELD 1931-1948 ,257THE PATTERSON NAME ..........................A LOGISTICS HERITAGE. .........................THE DEPRESS ION YEARS . ........................FAD ACTIVITIES DURING THE 1930s ..............WORLDWARII ....................................

MAJOR ORGA NIZATIO NS. ...........................MILITARY TRAINING PROGRAMS. ....................C,,LlAN TRAINING PROGRAMS .....................ASSISTING WITH THE CREATION OF NEW DEPOTS ......COMMAN D ASSK NMEN TS ..........................

PATTERSON FIELD AND THE END OF THE WAR ...

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VIII. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE 1948-1982. ,293THE 2750TH AIR BAS E WING. .........WRIGHT-PATTERSON IN THE 1950s ....

ATlMEOFTRANSITION .................THE 2750TH ABW SUPPORTMISSION ......ASSOC IATE ORGANIZATIONS ............A DECA DE OF GROWTH. ................ACTlVlTlES ...........................DISASTERS ...........................

WRIGHT-PATTERSON IN THE 1960s. ...ASSOC IATE ORGANIZATIONS ............GROWTH.. ...........................ACTIVITIES ...........................D lSASTERS ...........................

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WRIGHT-PATTERSONINTHE1970s.........................................................32 4ASSOCIATEORCANlZATIONS ............................................................... ..32 8GROWTH.. ............................................................................... ,330ACTIVITIES ............................................................................... ,333DISASTERS .............................................................................. ..33 7THE~~~OSANDBEYOND...................................................................~~ 0

IX. AIR FORCE LOGISTICS COMMAND ..................................................... ,348THE EARLY YEA RS ....................................................................... ,349

THEBEGINNINGS...........................................................................34 9SUPPLYBETWEENTHEWARS.................................................................34 9MAINTENANCE IN THE 1920s AND 1930s ....................................................... ,351EXPERIMENTAL ENGINEERING .............................................................. .352THE WAR YEARS ......................................................................... ,352AFRAMEWORKFORSUPPORT................................................................35 2THEMACHINERYOFSUPPLY.................................................................35 4THE WORKHORSE OF THE ARMY AIR FORCES .................................................. .356THEPOSTWARINTERLUDE................................................................35 8DISMANTLING THE MACH INERY OF WAR. ..................................................... .35XSUPPORTING THE PEAC ETIME AIR FORCE ..................................................... ,359THE ARSENAL OF THE AIR FORCE. ........................................................... ,359THECHALLENGEOFTHECOLDWAR.. ................................................. ..36 1THE LOGISTICIANS RESPONSE .............................................................. ,361THE NEW SHAPE OF LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT ................................................ ,362LOGISTICS ON A TIGHT BUDGET ............................................................. ,363THE CREATION OF THE AIR FORCE LOGISTICS COMMAN D ....................................... ,364LOGISTICSINTHE1960s...................................................................36 6BASE BUILDUP IN SOUTHEAST ASIA .......................................................... ,366SPECIAL TEAMS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ......................................................... ,366THE ELIMINATION OF FIELD UNITS. .......................................................... ,367DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMANDS DATA SYSTEM S ........................................... ,368MODERNIZINGTHECOMMAND...........................................................36 8DETERRENCE AND AUSTERITY .............................................................. .368REHABILITATING THE DEPOTS. .............................................................. ,369THE TECHNOLOGY REPAIR CENTERS ......................................................... ,369DATAPROCESSING..........................................................................37 0SPACELOGISTICS...........................................................................37 0THEVIEWFROMl980........................................................................37 0

X. THE AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS DIVISION .............................................. ,373PRELUDE1903-1947 .....................................................

THE CAS E OF THE B-29 SUPERF ORTRE SS ....................................FORMING THE WRIGHT AIR DEVELOPME NT CENTER 1944-1955. .......THE EXPE RIENC E OF GENER AL DYNA MICS CONVAIR D IVISION ................

MARKING THE NEW DIRECTION 1954-1959 .............................PLANNINGFORANEWCOMMAND ....................................

CREATING THE WRIGHT AIR DEVEL OPME NT DIVISION ........................THE AERONAUTICAL SYSTEM S DIVISION. .............................

THE CASE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL VEHICLES ................................INTRODUCING TOTAL PACK AGE PROCUREMENT ......................THE C-SA EXPERIENCE ...................................................

x

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THE WRIGHT LABORATORIES AND THE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING GROUPPROTOTYPES AND SYSTEMS ACQUISITION ................................

DEV ELOP ING THE A-IO THUND ERBOL T II ........................................THE CA SE OF THE F-16 FIGHTING FALCO N .......................................

FORECAST AND FULFILLMENT ............................................THE AERONAUTICAL SYSTEMS DIVISION COMES OF AGE .................

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.. . . . . . . . .39 4.. . . . . . . . .39 6

XI. THE AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. ,399AIR SERVICE ENGINEERlNG SCHOOL .........................................THE EARLY YEARS AT WRIGHT FIELD ........................................PRELUDETOWAR .............................................................REOPENING OF THE ENGINEERING SCHOOL ..................................A SOURCE OF STIMULATION TO THE IMAGINATION OF OFFICERS. .........YEARSOFDEVELOPMENT ....................................................PRESIDENT SIGNS DEGREE GRANTING BILL. ...............................BUILDINGASPACEAGECAMPUS ...........................................DRAMATICCHANGES................................~ .........................THEAIRFORCEENTERSSPACE.. .............................................YEARSOFEXPANSION1962-1965.. ............................................VIETNAMERAl965.1969.. ....................................................TOTHEMOON.. ...............................................................THEEXPLORATIONOFSPACE .................................................YEARSOFCONSOLIDATIONl969-1982 .........................................1982RETROSPECTIVE .........................................................

XII. ASSOCIATE ORGANIZATIONS ................................................THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MUSEUM ................................FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY DIVISION (FTD). .................................AIR FORCE AEROSPACE MEDICAL RESEARCH LABORATORY (AFAMRL)AIR FORCE HUMAN RESOURCES LABORATORY (AFHRL). .................USAF MEDICAL CENTER WRIGHT-PATTERSON. ...........................2046TH COMMUNICATIONS GROUP (2046TH CG) ..........................DEFENSE INSTITUTE OF SECURITY ASSISTANCE MANAGEMENT (DISAM)ORIENTATION GROUP, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE (AFOG). ...............906TH TACTICAL FIGHTER GROUP (906TH TFG) ...........................OTHER ASSOCIATE ORGANIZATIONS. .....................................

. . .401

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.,.41x. . .420. . .422. . .424. . .426. . .430. . .432

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. . . . . . . . . . .44644 8

APPENDIX 1: 2750TH AIR EASE WING AND WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB COMMANDERS .... ,453APPENDIX 2: PERSONNEL STRENGTHS. .................................................. ,458APPENDIX 3: SIGNIFICANT RECORDS SET BY McCOOK FIELD PILOTS. ................... ,460GLOSSARY.. ............................................................................ ..46 2NOTES .................................................................................. ..46 5BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................... ..413


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STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE AND FLYING MACHINES

Every June we heard the story.Mom made strawberry shortcakefor supper that night.It was that time of year whenthe sun went down late enoughthat we had a bit of evening to enjoyHarvesters line was steam powered thenAll the tools driven by overhead pulley.Man, we were tired!But we had to see if it was true.To Huffman Prairie in anold Model T.Only it was new then.And we saw itThose boys from the bicycle shopover in Dayton, they flew!Like one of Bens pigeons,they flew!Now you go down to Floridato see men go to the moon.But I, I saw the beginning of it.On Huffman PrairieI saw Wilbur and Orville Wright flyone June nightafter Mom made strawberry shortcake.

Ruth Anne Rizer(Daughter ofPaul L. Miller.who witnessedrhe Wrightflightson Hu&nan Prairie. 1904)

xi i


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To Wilbur und Orville.who made it all possible


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For borne years I hove beenafflicted with the belief thatflight is possible to manWilbur Wright, 1900

Newron D. Baker

More than anyone I have ever knownor read about, the Wright brothersgave me the senxe that nothingis impossible. I like to think-and during World War II-often did,that the Air Force has rooted itstraditions in that spirir.

Gen. Hemy H. Arnold


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I. HUFFMAN PRAIRIE 1904-1916

A small group of black and white cows and two brownplow horses standing in a small lot gazed across the barbed-wire fence and regarded with mild concern the odd con-traption nestled outside a small shed. The machine was toolarge to be a corn planter. Although steam-driven agri-cultural equipment often had small canvas covers to shadeoperators, this strange machine had two huge canvas coverson its body, at some distance from the ground. Moreover,the thing had an odd-looking beak and a ridiculous twintail. Its claws seemed to be missing. In general profile themachine resembled a big bird-many times larger than thefamiliar chicken hawk.As the animals watched, two men came from the openend of the shed where they had been awaiting the passage ofa brief but heavy thundershower. The rain had lowered thetemperature to 8 I degrees, but the humidity remained at 66percent. Swarms of mosquitoes and horseflies taunted andtormented their targets.It was the early afternoon of May 26, 1904.Despite the heat and humidity each man was dressed forbusiness, in heavy high-top laced leather shoes, dark wooltrousers, a white long-sleeved shirt with a high s tiff collar , avest, and a bow tie. One wore a derby. The other sported acap. Turning its visor rakishly to the rear, 33-year-oldOrv ille Wright wedged his lean body into a prone position

in the V-shaped cradle on the white muslin-covered lowerwing of a 700.pound biplane. He lay well forward of theleading edge of the wing, with h is face about 36 inchesabove the ground. His shoes pushed against a footrest onthe trailing edge of the left wing. He held tightly to theleading edge of the wing with his right hand while using hisleft to work the horizontal elevator out front. This positionwas awkward, uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous,hut it reduced wind resistance. W ithin a few inches of hisright ear, four cy linders of a modified automobile enginesputtered and crackled . The l&horsepower engine turnedtwo &foot counter-rotating pusher-type propellers set IOfeet apart. Sweat poured down Orvilles face. Every threadof clothing was soaked. He glanced to the left wing where37.year-old Wilbu r Wright gripped a strut to help steady thebiplane. Its 21.foot length was supported by wooden sk idson a yoke which ran freely on two small tandem wheelsalong a wooden monorail.Conditions at 2 p.m. were far from ideal; but there hadbeen enough delays. Orville nodded to Wilbur , whodropped his hand from the strut. The fragile biplanegathered speed as it wavered along the monorail.Orv ille s head and shoulders leaned forward over theedge of the wing like the bowsprit on a sleek sailing vessel.At the end of the monorail the airplanes speed was about 25
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miles per hour. The craft leaped upward fo a height of 8 feetand covered a distance of 25 feet before dropping to theground.It skidded over the sodden pasture, spraying its pilotwith black mud and brown muck. It landed with sufficientforce to crac k several of the 6-foot white pine spars thatseparated the upper and lower wings, and nearly catapultedOrville from his precarious perch.

Notwithstanding aching musc les and a sore neck, Or -ville smiled broadly and his blue eyes sparkled as heclimbed from the wing. Wilbur grinned with delight andrelief. They had flown again! They had established farbetter marks during their historic first flights at Kitty Hawk,but again they had prevailed. And a Huffman Pra irie tradi-tion was established.
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KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINAB&l - ilot m w

1 Orville 12 seconds 120 feet2 Wilbur 12 seconds 175 feet3 Orville 15 seconds 20 0 feet4 Wilbur 59 seconds 85 2 feet

Statistics of the bmtbers flights at Kitty Hawk, NorthCamlina, on December 17, 1903, show tlmt lint Orvi lle,then Wilbur, had made the worlds first free, controlled, andsustained lights in a power-drive, heavier-than-air ma-chine. Orvilles n itial flight of 120 feet matched the lengthof the 1982 SpaceShuttle Columbia.

HUFFMAN PRAIRIE: A LOGICAL CHOICEAccording to Fred Kelly, the Wright brothers closefriend and biographer, the pioneers initial incentive hadbeen to gain the distinction of being the first of mankind tofly. They had not envisioned any practical use for theirinvention. But after their success at Kitty Hawk, they hadbegun to think the airplane could be developed into amachine useful for scouting in warfare; for carrying mail toisolated places; for exploration; and that it would appeal tothose who could afford it for sport.But the airplane would require considerable refinementbefore production models could be manufactured and sold.They would also need a great deal more experience in actualflying before they could either demonstrate the machine ortrain pilots. Much practice would be required and thatwould mea more expense in proportion to income fo r theywould have less time for bu ilding and repairing bicyc les,their primary source of income.Thus financial circumstances dictated the need to locatea site for flying and experimental work c lose to Dayton. Thebrothers finally selected a ICKI-acre arm along the easternshore of the Mad River (a tributary of the Great MiamiRiver) in Greene County, about eight miles east of Daytonand two miles from the Village of Fairfie ld. Since Mr.Torrence Huffman, a prominent Dayton banker, owned theproperty, it was known as Huffma Prairie. Mostly flatland in the river bottom or flood plain, the pastures orth-

em border was the track of the Dayton-Springfield-Urbanaelectric interurban rail system (known locally as theDamned Slow and Uncertain). Trol leys stopped every 30minutes at the small depot known as Simms Sta tion. Sur-rounding the depot lay open farm country composed oflarge fields, most of them grassy and bordered by fencesand clusters of tall, spreading trees. Here and there, w idelyseparated, a house or a barn lifted a gray roof amid the lushgreenery.During Apri l and May 1904, the Wright brothers, natt ilyattired in business suits, commuted daily (but never onSundays) between their workshop in Dayton and SimmsStation, bringing lumber, airplane materials, and parts.When they finished the hangar that housed the Flyer 11, heyhad, according to one writer, erected the firs t airport in theworld .Comparative ly flat terrain and convenient, economicaltransportation were plus factors.* But the prairie, dottedwith 50-foot high trees, bordered on the north by poles andpower lines and on the west by a high b luff, was hardly aideal test facil ity. I a June 21, 1904, letter to the brothersmentor, Octave Chanute, Wilbur wrote?Wearc n a arge meadow ofabout 100 acres. t i s skirted onthe westand north by trees. This not only shutsoff the windsomewhatbut also gives a slight downtrend. However, thismatter WCdo not consider anything serious. The greatertroubles arc the facts that in addition to cattle there havebeen a doze or more hones in the pasture and as it issurrounded by barbwire fencing we have be at muchtrouble to get them safely away before making tria ls. A lsothe ground is a o ld swamp and is filled with g rassyhum-mocks some six inches high so that it resemblesa prairiedog tow. This makes the track-laying slow work. Whilewe are getting ready the favorable opportunities slip away,and we are usually up against a rainstorm, a dead calm. or awind blowing at right angles to the track.

*The major advantage o the sVugglig pioneerswas he rent-free useof the land. Mr. Huffmans sole equirement was that the Wrigh tsalways keep the fan gates closed to prevent the horsesand cattle from wandering away.
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HUFFMAN PRAIRIE 1904-1905Huffm an Prairie, 1904-1905, taken from an originalsketch by Orvi lle Wright. Hangar in top photo is at lower

tight in map . Wright brothers fl ight path (dotted line) wa sbounded by Yellow Spr ings Road, the l ines of the Dayton-Springfield-Urbana interurban trolley, and tall trees. Pres-em Wright Memorial is on high bluff beyond map range toupper left.

Progress was measured in seconds and in feet. On August4, for exam ple, Wilbur was airborne for 20 secon ds (includ-ing the run down the mono rail), and traveled 212 feet.6

In September, a new catapult launching device w as usedin order to increase l i f t at takeoff. The pyramidal tower, orderr ick to use Wilbur s term, con sisted of four 30.footpoles erected tepee-fashion at one end of the monorai l .Inside the tower a heavy weight was l if ted to the top and

linked to the airplane by a series of pulleys and ropes. Afterconsiderable exper imentation, a single weight of 1,600pounds was found to be the most effective. Fal ling some 16feet, the weight exerted a forward pul l equal to 350 pounds,enough to get the aircraft into th e air with a run of only 50feet even in a dead calm. When the catapult was used forthe f i rst t ime, Wilbur f lew over 2,000 feet.

Thus wel l and truly into the air , the brothers set aboutmaster ing f l ight dynam ics, and on September 20 madehistorys f i rst controlled circle.* By December 9, 1904,their record stood at 105 launches for a total f l ight t ime o f 50minutes, and a top landing speed approaching SO miles perhotrY

When the December f ly ing season ended, the Wrightsdisassembled the airplane, packed i t and al l the tools andgear into crates and boxes, and moved them into winterquarters in the Wes t Dayton bicycle shop. The vacatedhangar on Huffman Prair ie became a shelter for l ivestock.During the winter of 1904-l 905 , the aviation pioneers builtthe airplane that eminen t aviation historian Charles H .Gibbs-Sm ith called the worlds first practical airplane,the Flyer III .**

In the spring of 1905, a larger hangar was built onHuffman Prairie, closer to the Simms Station depot. Theflying season opened June 23, when Orvi l le f lew 272 feet in

EARLY WRIGHT AIRPLANESAll of the Wrights early pavered airplanes were namedFlyUS:

FIyerf(1903J was cal led the Kitty Haw k. After Wilbur sf inal Right the afternoon of December 17, 1903, a gustof wind upended the fragile aircraft. The wreckage wasdisassembled and the parts shipped to Dayton. In 1916,the components were reassembled, replacement partswxe inserted, and the restored Kitty Ha wk exhibi ted atthe Massa chusetts Insti tute of Technology. On January31, 1928, Orvil le shipped the machine to the ScienceMus eum in London on indefinite loan for exhibition. OnDecember 17, 1948, the 1903 airplane was instal ledformal ly in the Smithsonian Insti tution, Washington,D .C .Flyer I, (1904) was the f i rst airplane over Huffma nPrairie. In it the brothers execu ted the tint controlledcircles. After the 1904 f lying season ended, the engines.propellers, and other parts were used in the const~ ctianof the more powerful 1905 Flyer III .Flyer I II (1905) taught the Wrights the secrets ofpawred Right, according to historian C harles Gibbs-Smith. Disassembled after the 1905 season, i t was re-stored in June 1950 and placed on permanent exhibi t atthe Car i llon Park Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

*Wilbur f lew the f i rst ci rcle dur ing a f l ight lasting 1 minute 35% seconds on September 20. On November 9. he completed 4 circles,cover ing a distance of nearly 3 mi les in 5 minutes, 4 seconds. Orvi l le dupl icated the record on December I.Br i tish aviation historian Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith served, in 1978, as Lindbergh Professor of Aerospace H istory, National Airand Space Museu m, Smithsonian Insti tution.

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HUFFMAN PRAIRIE SITEOn Pylon Road in W PAF B Area C is a large concretemarker. An adjacent sign notes this as the site of theWrights original 1904 hangar.* The .52-acre site was en-teredon the National Registerof Historic Placeson May 6.1971, as a part of Huffman Fie ld worlds tint fl yingand landing field for airplanes.

9% seconds. Then, in landing, the left wing struck theground and cracked four corner ribs. This was hardly anauspicious start for a new campaign. But according toGibbs-Smith, with the 1905 Flyer 111 he Wrights finallylearned the secrets of powered Right and solved its basicproblem s.The pioneers learned to bank, turn. and makecircles and figure eights with ease. The longest flight of theyear occurred October 5, when Wilbur was airborne for 39minutes, 23 seconds. He flew over 24 miles at an averagespeed of 38 mph while making 29 circuits of the pasture.For the next three years , Dayton remained home base asthe brothers visited Washington and Europe and capturedthe attention of both. During this time the brothers geniusproduced both the vehicle and the spirit that launched theU.S. Army Signal Corps into heavier-than-air flight.

THE SIGNAL CORPS MACHINEOn February 10, 1908, the newly-established Aero-nautical Division of the Signal Corps accepted the Wrights

bid to provide the Army with its first heavier-than-air flyingmachine. The proposed machine was to weigh 1,100 to1,250 pounds and be capable of remaining in the air for atleast one hour carry ing two men, with a total weight of 350pounds. It would also ach ieve a speed of at least 40 milesper hour The price was to be $25,000, and delivery wasscheduled for August 28, 1908.
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The Wrights based their bid on the capabilities of their1908 model Flye r. Designed as a military vehicle for bothtraining and reconnaissance functions, the new airplanecontamed two major improvements over earlier Flyers, onein the engine and one in the airframe. The engine had fourvertical (rather than horizontal) cylinders, which raised itsoutput to 35 horsepower, continuous ly. The new airframeallowed for two people. And since, manifestly, for mili-tary purposes it was essential that both pilot and passengershould sit upright, the frame was fitted with two side-by-side seats. Thus, the new airplane was designed to flyfaster and longer, and to carry two people, upright, either ofwhom could control the aircraft.Before the Army would accept it, the airplane wouldhave to pass endurance and speed tests , set at Fort Myer,Virginia, in September 1908.The brothers decided that Orville would fly the tests.*After extensive spring practice at Kitty Hawk, North Car-olina, and summer refitting in Dayton, Orville shipped theairplane to Fort Myer in August.According to one observer, when the official flighttrials at Fort Myer began the public journeyed there by thethousands to see the mystery of flight disso lved and theskeptics at last proved wrong. Afternoon visitors fromnearby Washington, D.C., included President WilliamHoward Taft and many of the Cabinet members.At Fort Myer the starting track and wooden tower forhoisting the catapult weight were erected on the dri llground, surrounded by buildings and tall trees. These lim-

ORVILLE WRIGHT, FT. MYER, VIRGINIASEmEMBER 1908

& w B Dignitar ies inspect the Wright Flyer pr ior to the beginnin g of thetr ials. As noted on the photo, they included: t) Cot. Hatt ietd, 13Sept. 9 Flight I hr. 2 min, circling field Cavalry; 21 Secy Newberry, Navy; 3) Maj. Fournier, French Mil i taryEndurance 55 times at altitude of 80 Attach6; 4, IA. Sweet, USN; 5) Gen. Luke W right. ,miee ofthe] Sxyft of War; 6) Maj. Squier, Signa l Corps; 0 Lt. Crucy, Marine Corps; 8)Mr. Fanciutt i . Wri*hl Stale University Archives, Wri*hg BrodwrrSept. I, Flight I hr. 10 min. circling Cll~


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LT. THOMAS ETHOLEN SELFRIDGEThom as Ethole Selfridge (1882 -1908) graduated from

the U.S. Mi l i tary Academy at Wes t Point in 1903 and wascommissioned a l ieutenant in the Artil lery Corps.His interest in a&&m led him to col lab-xate with Dr.Alexander Graham Bel l and Glenn H. Cutt iss in 1907.They formed the Aer ial Exper iment Association to designand fly motor-drive aircraft. Selfridge designed thegroups first airplane, though he ever flew it. He did flytheir second airplane in May 1908, and thus became thefirst military man to pilot a heavier-than-air mach ine. Withhis fatal inj tuy at Fat Myer in September, he alsdbecamethe first military man to lose his life in one.He was buried w ith full military honors in ArlingtonCeme tery, just a shon d istance from F t. Myer, on September 19, 1908.Shortly after his death, the Aero Club of America erect-ed amemorial at the U.S. Mi l i tary Academ y. Its inscr iptionreads: In mem aiam, Thomaj E . Seffr idgt, 1st Lieutenant, 1stField Artil lery. who g ave up his life in the service of hiscountry at Ft. Myer, Va., Sept. 17.1908, in fal ling whh the6mgoemmetaeropla. .4geZ6years. .S.M.A 03.

The Army, however, was impressed with the airplanesoverall performa nce prior to the crash and granted an exten-sion of the contract del ivery date unti l the summe r of 1909.

The inter im was a productive per iod for the Wrights.Orville recuperated in Day ton through the holidays. IJanua ry, he and sister Katharine joined Wilbur in Europe.Wilbur had bee seeking European con tracts , flying inexhibitions, and training pilots in France and Italy. He flewbefore European heads of state, including King Edward VIIof England, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and King VictorEmmanuel III of Italy. Government and mi l i tary leaders ofevery major power took personal note.

The Wrights were celebrated and honored wherever theyappeared. Their return to the United States was marked byPresidential honors in Washington and the largest, mo stimpressive homecoming Dayton could arrange.

The celebrations did not stop their progress, however.June was spent in Dayton, testing propel lers to determinethe cause of the accident at Fort Myer and to precludesimi lar problems in the upcoming f l ight tests.

The Wright family returned in force to Fort Myer onJune 20, 1909, to resume fl ight tests. Wilbur was present,along with sister Katharine, but Orville did all of the flying.Presumably as a matter of pr ide, he wanted to f inish what hehad started the year before.

The Wrights brought with them a improved version oftheir Signal Corps mach ine. Overall design chang es in-cluded a combination of a front movable rudder w ith afixed horizontal plane in the rear of the machine in contra stto the front horizontal rudder of the 1903.1908 models.

Orvi lle f lew a ser ies of short test f l ights with the newmodel between June 29 and July 19, then prepared for thetwo crucial tests of endurance and speed. To demonstrateendurance, the aircraft had to remain aloft for one hourcarrying two persons. On July 27, with L t. Frank P. Lahmaboard, Orville flew for I hour, 1 2 minu tes, and 37%seconds, thereby exceeding the Army standard and sett ing anew world record. President Taft was among the 10,M)O

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+ DAYTON.OHlO. -:dUNE I?- 18- 1909.

cheering spectators as the airplane circled the drill fieldalmost 80 times at an altitude of 150 feet.0The second test was the speed test. On July 30, Orville,with Lt. Benjamin D. Foulois as passenger, flew for speedon a cross-country course between Fort Myer and Shut&(sometimes spelled Shooters) Hill, near Alexandria, Vir-ginia. This first-ever cross-country flight covered around-trip distance of ten miles.Seven thousand witnesses, again including the Presi-dent, cheered as the airplane lifted from the monorail at6:46 a.m., then watched as it twice c ircled the dril l field togain altitude. Cheers dissolved into hushed murmurs as theaircraft disappeared from view in the direction of Alex-andria. Even Wilbur and Katharine Wright were tight-lipped, although they had the utmost confidence in bothman and machine. The airplane popped up momentarily,then disappeared again between two ridges.When it reappeared heading stra ight for the dri ll field,the crowd waved hats, handkerchiefs, and anything else athand. The roar of cheers and applause was loud enough tobe heard by the two a ir trave lers despite the noise of theengine alongside them. The ten-mile flight was clockedat a speed of 37.735 mph outbound, and 47.431 mph on thereturn, for an average speed of 42.583 mph. They had flownmore than 2 miles per hour faster than their goal of 40 mph,and had done so at an altitude of 450 to 500 feet, anexceptional height.22
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On August 2, the Aeronautical Board formally acceptedthe Wright machine.* Upon payme nt of $25,000 for theairplane and a bonus of $5,000 for exceeding by 2 mph thespeci f ied minimum speed of 40 mph, Signal Corps Air-plane Number One entered the Army inventory.

To complete the terms of their contract. the Wrightswere required to instruct two men in the handling andoperat ion of their f ly ing machine. (No extra payment wasal lowed for this purpose.) Since the Fort Myer Com-mander insisted that his dri l l field be returned to its primarypurpose, the Army leased sui table acreage from the Mary-land Agricultural College at nearby College Park, Mary-land. Wilbur gave fl ight instruction to three Signal C orpsoff icers: Lieutenants Lahm and Foulois, both of whom hadflown with Orvil le during the acceptan ce fl ights, and Lieu-tenant Frederic E. Humphreys (on special duty from theCorps of Engineers).

When fl ight instruction ended on Novem ber 5, Wilburwa s ready to join Orvil le in a bold new venture.

Members of the Board of Off icers C onvened by Off ice Memorandum No. 18, Off ice o f the Chief Signal Oft icer of the Army, datedJune 21, 1909. for the Purpose fobserving Trials of Aeronautical Devices, E tc. , were appointed by Brig. Gm . James Al len, ChiefSignal O flicer of the Arm y:Major George 0. Squier. Signal Corps, President Lieutenant G. C. Sweet. U.S. Navy. MemberMajor C. McK. Saleman, Signal Corps, Member Lieutenant Frank Y Lahm, Signal Corps, MemberCaptain C. deE Chandler, Signal Corps. Member Lieutenant F. E. Humphreys. Corps of Engineers. Recorder

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i

THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN . . .Aviation became an industry in Dayton with the incor-poration of the Wright Company on November 22, 1909,with Wilbu r Wright as President and Orville as one of twoVice Presidents. The company listed a capital stock of $Imillion, a New York corporate office, and a planned Daytonmanufacturing facility. It was time. Since Wilbur s Eu ro-pean tour in 1908, Wright-designed and licensed airplaneshad been sold abroad by French, Briti sh, and German
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By November 1910, construction was complete on thefirst of two factory buildings in West Dayton, and thecompany was turning out two airplanes a month.A new hangar near Simms Station advertised to all thatthe Wrights had returned to fly over Huffman Prairie. Thishangar housed two branches of the Wright corporation.One, the Wright Exh ibition Company, tlew airplanes atcounty fain, two shows and exhibits, speed races, andother large public gatherings that permitted the display ofWright aircraft to potential cutotne~s.The second branch made Simms Station famous as thesite of the corporations School of Aviation, which operatedfrom 1910 through 1916.* The School advertised fourhours of actual practice in the air and such instruction in theptinciples of Rying machines as is necessary to prepare thepupil to become a competent and expert operator. Instruc-tion in these necessary principles occupied students formost of their 10 days of training, with 5 to 15 minutes ofeach day spent in the air.Tuition was $250 per pupil, payable at the time ofenrollment, and covered any incidental breakage to themachine. However, the airplanes used in training wereequipped with duplicate contro ls so that the instruc tor couldimmediately assume control should the student make anyserious mistake.*Other Wright schools or training operators were instituted at Montgomery, Alabama, (location oftodays Maxwell AF B) in ,910;at Augusta, Georgia, in 1911; and at Belmont Park , New York , in 191 .

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Diverse groups of students came to Simms Station:civilians learning to fly their own new purchases, Armyofficers heading for instructorships at Signal Corps AviationSchools like the one at College Park, and even officers fromthe Navy. (The brothers offered to train a U.S. Navy pilot ifthe Service would order a hydroplane from the WrightCompany. The Navy agreed; the airplane was deliveredJuly 15, 1911.) The May 191 I class included three civilianstudents and three military officers, Lt. John Rodgers,USN, and Lieutenants Henry H. Arnold and ThomasDewitt Milling, both of the Army Signal Corps.Any student at the Wright School of Aviation learnedabout the airplane from the inside out; how to maintain,repair, and modify his machine, as well as how to fly it.Exchanging aspiration for perspiration, Arnold, Mill@,Rodgers, and their classmates took off their coats andneckties, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work, skinningtheir knuckles and smearing oil, grease, and dirt on theirshirts, trousers, and shoes. After this indoctrination on thefield and in the West Dayton factory, the students knew thefunction of every part of an airplane and understood theprinciples followed in putting wood, fabric, and a source ofpower together in a combination that permitted man to leavethe ground and control his journey through the air.

Such familiarization was especially valuable to the mili-tary students. In his autobiography, Global Mission, Ar-nold commented, Milling and I were soon grateful for thedays spent in the factory, for in addition to learning how tofly we found we would h;rve to master the construction andmaintenance features of the Wright machine well enough toteach our own mechan ics the ABC of a ground crews jobwhen we went to our first station. There were no crew ch iefsnor aircraft mechanics in the Army in those days.The schedule for Arnolds training typified the AviationSchool pattern. On May 9, I91 1. Lieutenant Arno ld madehis first Right. The seven-minute lesson was given by chiefinstructor AI Welsh, who had earned his own wings just ayear earlier. By the nineteenth flight, Arnold could land theairplane without assistance. After 28 flights and acumulative flying time of 3 hours and 48 minutes, Arnoldwas graduated and certified as a qualified military aviator.The Wrights taught their students more than the me-chanics of flight; they imbued them with a can-do spirit.As Arnold wrote in his autobiography, More than anyone 1have ever known or read about, the Wright brothers gave methe sense that nothing is impossible. 1 like to think-and

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during World War II--often did, that the Air Force hasrooted its traditions in that spirit.6The brothers maintained an active relationship with theArmy Signal Corps aviation program, serving as con-sultants and teaching both pilots and instructors. Theseincluded Lieutenant Lahm and Capt. Charles deForestChandler, Commandant of the Signal Coma School at Col-lege Park.

LT. HENRY H. ARNOLDHenry Harley Arnold was born June 25, 1886, in Penn-sylvania.He graduated from the U.S. M ilitary Academy atWest Point in the Class of 1907 and was commissioned alieutenant of infantry. He received flight instruc tion at theWright Schoolof Aviation in 191 I, and while there formed

a lifelong friendship with the Wrights. When Arnold re-turned to Dayton in I929 asa major and Commander of theF&field Air Dept. Orville Wright was often a Sundaydinner guest of the family. While in Dayton, Arnold alsoserved as Executive Officer to the Chief of the MaterielDivision at Wright Field. In 1931, he was reassigned oMarch AFB in California.Arnolds commitment to military aviation carried him tothe five-star supergrade of General of the Army duringWorld War II.
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Although they did not know it, the brothers cxeer as ateam was drawing to a close. On May 2, 1912, Wilbur fellgravely ill with typhoid fever during a trip to Boston,Massachusetts. He returned to Dayton two days later andhis condition worsened. He died May 30, 1912, at the ageof 45.The entire nation mourned. President Will iam HowardTaft, in his message t the Wright family, eulogized Wilbu ras deserving t stand with Fulton, Stephenson, andBell in Americas Hall of Fame for inventors.

Orv ille succeeded his brother as President of the WrightCompany. He also carried on the tradition of invention withhis development of the automatic stabilizer. Using aspecia l experimental machine Model E with very thicksurfaces Orv ille demonstrated his automatic stab ilizer tothree officia l representatives of the Aero Club of America.Seven circ les of the Huffman Prair ie area with hands offcontrols earned him the prestigious Aero Club of AmericaTrophy of 1913 for this contribution t aviation.

Hawthorn Hilt, the Wright home in Oakwood, Ohio, a suburb of Orville Wright piloting the IV+,, Mode, E. The Mode, E carried theDayton, was me,irulausly ,,tanned by bath Orville and Wilbur, Lbaugb automatic stabilizer that earned Orville the Aero Club of AmericaWilbur did not live to see i, completed. Orville and Katharine wers~w thpby for ,9,X It also wz one tithe only two Wright mdets with aits mmptetio n in ,914. Orville resided there until his death in bnuary single propetter. cwrighf Srore univmiry hd~ivr~. wright Brorhers1948. Colkcrionl
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ENDOFANERAOrville continued his personal flying career for only six

years after his brother s death. On May 13, 1918, he f lewthe 191 I model Flyer one last t ime, alongside the f i rstDeHavi l land DH-4 manufactured by the Dayton-WrightCompany at Moraine City, south of Dayton.

It was the end of an era. The a viation pioneers no longerHew at Huffman Prairie. But their names are not forgotten.There were I I9 pi lots who earned their w ings at SimmsStation between May 1910 and February 1916. Althoughmost were civi lians, there were several U.S. Army, andeven U.S. Na vy, off icers in the cockpits. There were alsothree dar ing young wom en defying both gravi ty and con-vention. Marc than a third of the graduates were Canadians.(Eager for World War I duty, the y bypassed oversubscr ibedCanadian f lying schools to earn the wings required foracceptance into the Royal Flying Corps or the Royal Na valAir Service.)

Their names are embossed on one of the special plaqueswhich surround the Wright Memorial at Wright-PattersonAir Force Base. The Memorial is part of a 27-acre woodedpark known as Wright Brothers Hi l l in Area B of Wright-Patterson. It is located atop the 100.foot bluff which over-looks Huffman Prair ie and Simms Station. DedicatedAugust 19, 1940, the Memorial was conveyed to the U.S.Air Force on September 9, 1978.

According to popular accounts, the Simms Station hangar remainedstanding until the early 1940s: Gen. Henry H. Arnotd wrote, in 1949:The Simms Statim is gone today. I, wotd h ave been B tineexhibit in the midst of what is now sprawling Patterson Fietd. withWright Field just over the hilt-virtually in the center d the modernUnited S tates Air Forces technicat prvving ground.

PIONEER FLYERS TRAINED ONHUFFMAN PRAIRIEHenry H. Amold Louie Mitchel lFrank Labm 0. G. SimmonsJohn Rodgers C. L. WebsterKenneth Whiting Albert EltonA. Ray Brown Andrew DrewCharles DeE Chandler A. A. Merr il lThomas Dew. Mi l ling Phi lip W. FageGriffith Brewer George A. GrayCal P. Rodgers C. Coutur ierRobert G. Fowler Wil fred StevensWalter Brookins Arch FreemanRalph Johnstone I. G. KlocklerArch Hoxse y &unum T. FishDuval LaChappel le F. J. SbuthardA. L. Welsh Gmver C. BergdollFrank T . Cof fyn Charles WaldP. 0. Parolelee William KabitzkeJ. C. l lnpin M. R. Pr iestHowa rd Gill John A. BixlerL. W. Bonney Bernard L. Whelan0. A. Br indley Howard M. RinehanJ. C. Henning A. A. BressmanHarold H. Bmwn M. T. SchermerhomR. J . Armor R. M. Wr ightHarry N. Atwood W. E. BowersoxH. V. Hi l ls L. E. BrownA. B. Gaines Jr. K. E SaundersC. J. Peterson M. B. Galbrai thL. E. Norman W. J . SussanC. E. Ut ter C. J . CreeryC. A. Terrell John GalpinMm Richberg Hom sby Basi l D. HobbsC. LaQ. Day James L. GordonMarjorie Stinson Edward A. St&sonC. Ando M. C. DubucFrank Kitamura J. A. Shaw0. A. Danielson I? S. KennedyLyle H. Scott Lloyd S. BreadnerFerdinand Eggena W. H. ChisamRobert E. Lee Rober t McC. Wei rRose Dougan G. A. Magor1. M. Alexander N. A. MagorJ . A. McRae J . R. BibbyGoroku More G. S. HarrowerVerne Carter George BreadnerE. P. Beck-with C. E. NeidigT. D. PemLwton A. W. B&s8. B. Lewis H. B. EvansMaurice Coomb s A. C. Har landGeorge H. Simpson Harley SmithGordon E Ross 1. C. WatsonK. G. MacDonald S. T. EdwardsPercy E. Beasley Harry SwanA. Ct. Woodward L. B. AultA. Y. Wilks J. C. SimpsonPdul Gadbois C. McNicol lW. E. Orchard W. E. RobinsonJ. A. Harman M. S. BealT. C. Wilkinson C. G. BmnsonJ. G. Ireland
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IN COMMEM ORATION OF THE COURAGE, PERSEVERANCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF WILBURAND ORVILLE W RIGHT. TH ROUG H ORIGINAL RESEARCH THE WRIGH T BROTHERS ACQUIREDSCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPED THEORIES OF AERODYNAMICS WHIC H WITHTHEIR INVE NTION OF AILERON CONTROL ENABLED THEM IN 1903 TO BUILD AND FLY AT KITTYHAWK THE FIRST POWER-DRIVEN, MAN-CARRYING AEROPLANE CAPABLE OF FLIGHT. THEIRFURTHE R DEVELOPMENT OF THE AEROPLANE GAVE IT A CAPACITY FOR SERVICE WHICHESTABLISHED ,AVIATION AS ONE OF THE GREAT FORWA RD STEPS IN HUMAN PROGRESS. ASSCIENTISTS WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGH T DISCOVERED THE SECRET OF FLIGHT. AS INVEN-TORS, BUILDERS AND FLYERS, THEY BROUGHT AVIATION TO THE WORLD .

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WADC/WADD Digital Collection at the Galvin Library, IIT

From Huffman Prairie To The Moon

The History of Wright-Patterson Air force Base

From Huffman Prairie To The Moon - was divided into twelve parts due to

the large size of the document. At the beginning and end of each division we

have included a page to facilitate access to the other parts. In addition we

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