Bath Township in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The First Airport

Huffman Prairie Flying Field

— Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park —

The First Airport Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 27, 2025

1. The First Airport Marker

Inscription. If you walk into the field ahead, you can visit the cradle of aviation—84 acres of ordinary pasture where Wilbur and Orville Wright taught themselves to fly.

In 1904, the Wrights knew they had to coax more from their brainchild than their 59-second straight-line hop at Kitty Hawk. For aviation to take its next steps, they needed a convenient, private place - a flying field - closer to home.

It took eighteen months of bumps, crashes and creative problem solving here to learn how to safely launch, land, turn, and bank. By the end of 1905, the Wrights had a flying machine that was no longer a balky mechanical toddler, but a graceful, fully functional creature of the air.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 39° 48.378′ N, 84° 3.624′ W. Marker is in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in Greene County. It is in Bath Township. It can be reached from Pylon Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Pylon Rd, Dayton OH 45433, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Dayton Metro

and in the Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Corner Boundary No. 7 (a few steps from this marker); A Tough Start after Kitty Hawk (within shouting

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distance of this marker); Birthplace of Flight (within shouting distance of this marker); Miss that Tree! (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 'Higher, Orville, Higher!' (about 400 feet away); Those Daring Young Men (about 600 feet away); Later Test Flights (about 600 feet away); Flying Field to Air Force Base (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 27, 2025

2. The First Airport Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 141 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.