Downtown in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

1905 Wright Flyer III

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

1. 1905 Wright Flyer III Plaza

Inscription. This sculpture represents the third Flyer that the Wright Brothers constructed to continue their flying experiments at Huffman Prairie, east of Dayton, within the boundaries of what is now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Flyer is piloted by Wilbur Wright while his brother Orville watches from the ground. With this Flyer, which Orville considered the most important of the Flyers that the brothers built, they learned to control their aircraft and made practical manned flight a reality. In 1947 Orville Wright assisted in the salvage and reconstruction of the original Wright Flyer III, which is on display at the Carillon Historical Park in Dayton. Dedicated May 2001 Larry Godwin, Sculptor

Erected 2001.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1947.

Location. 39° 45.842′ N, 84° 11.41′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in Downtown. Marker is on East Monument Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Monument is found between St. Clair and Jefferson Streets. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 130 E Monument Ave, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Benjamin Van Cleve (a few steps from this marker); John Van Cleve (within shouting

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distance of this marker); The Birth of Aviation (within shouting distance of this marker); Newcom Tavern (within shouting distance of this marker); Van Cleve Park (within shouting distance of this marker); The Engineer's Club Of Dayton (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles F. Kettering (within shouting distance of this marker); The Great Dayton Flood of 1913 / And The Rivers Flowed Through The City (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

2. 1905 Wright Flyer III Plaza

1905 Wright Flyer III Plaza Inscription Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

3. 1905 Wright Flyer III Plaza Inscription Paver

Orville Wright 1929 Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

4. Orville Wright 1929 Paver

"Aviation has gone beyond my dreams."

Orville Wright Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

5. Orville Wright Paver

"Flight was generally looked upon as an impossibility and scarcely anyone believed in it until he actually saw it with his own eyes."

Orville & Wilbur Wright Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr.

6. Orville & Wilbur Wright Paver

"The engine is put in motion and the propellers in the rear whir... The machine lifts from the rail like a kite supported by the pressure of the air underneath it. The ground under you is at first a perfect blur but as you rise the objects become clearer."

Wilbur Wright 1903 Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

7. Wilbur Wright 1903 Paver

"Mr. Chanute says that no one before ever has tried to build a machine so close to calculation. He says that nevertheless he has hope of our machine going. He seems to think we have luck and that we are pursued by blind fate from which we are unable to escape. We do not think it is luck."

Wilbur Wright Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

8. Wilbur Wright Paver

"I love to scrap with Orv. Orv is such a good scrapper."

Wilbur Wright 1900 Paver image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

9. Wilbur Wright 1900 Paver

"For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man."

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

10. Wilbur Wright Paver

"The problem was so vast and many-sided that no one could hope to win unless he possessed unusual ability to grasp the essential points and to ignore the nonessentials."

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

11. Orville Wright Paver

"Learning the secret of flight from a bird was a good deal like learning the secret of magic from a magician after you know the trick and what to look for. You can see things you didn't notice when you did not know exactly what to look for."

1905 Wright Flyer III Sculpture Detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., February 14, 2009

12. 1905 Wright Flyer III Sculpture Detail

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,777 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. submitted on July 12, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.