The Wright Brothers Flying School

The Wright Brothers Flying School. . On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air human flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Over the next seven years, the brothers continued to develop their flying machine and had several breakthrough inventions, which significantly improved the success of their aircraft. In hopes of retaining a share of the newly emerging aviation market, the brothers formed a touring company to conduct flying exhibitions to promote the sale of their airplanes, train pilots who would fly in exhibitions, and teach buyers how to fly. In February 1910, an acquaintance suggested Wilbur Wright visit Montgomery, Alabama, which he described as having "mild climate and flat farmland". After arriving in Montgomery, Wilbur visited several sites before selecting an old cotton plantation owned by Frank D. Kohn as the site for the Wright Brothers first civilian flying school in the United States. The Commercial Club of Montgomery led the effort to construct a hangar and make improvements to the flying field using donations from local businesses. On March 26, 1910, Orville Wright made the first powered airplane flight in Alabama from the newly opened flying school. Walter Brookins and Arch Hoxsey, members of the Wright Brothers' exhibition team, made the first airplane night flight in history from the Wright's Montgomery airfield, which later became Maxwell Air Force Base, home of the Air University.