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

Those Daring Young Men

Wright Exhibition Team 1910 - 1911

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 27, 2025

1. Those Daring Young Men Marker

Inscription. Danger was in the air when daring men began to compete for high-dollar prizes in these new machines. Before 1910, the Wright Brothers themselves had exhibited their airplane for kings and emperors, congressmen and generals. Now that "aero meets" were making front-page news in Los Angeles, New York, and Montreal, it was time to turn the demonstration flying over to a new generation, all trained on Wright aircraft. Aviation meets let millions of Americans thrill to what the boys from Dayton had done.

Would-be civilian pilots came from all across the country to the Wright School of Aviation to learn to fly. Each of the boys received a few hours of hands-on training here at the flying field. Nine who soloed successfully were hired for the new Wright Exhibition Team.

They thought you were a fake, you see. There wasn't anybody there who believed an airplane would really fly. In fact, they'd give odds. But when you flew, oh my, they would carry you off the field.

Beckwith Havens, early exhibition pilot

The new "flying circuses" were deadly. From May to December 1910, the Wright team suffered seven crashes, and two

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dare-devils died. Losing interest in this costly aerial show business, the Wrights dissolved their team in November 1911.

In all, five of the first nine Wright exhibition pilots were killed in accidents during their first two and a half years of flying.

Erected by Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 39° 48.389′ N, 84° 3.754′ W. Marker is in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in Greene County. It is in Bath Township. It can be reached from Marl Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Marl 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

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 27, 2025

2. Those Daring Young Men Marker

Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Later Test Flights (here, next to this marker); A School for Flyers (a few steps from this marker); Flying Field to Air Force Base (within shouting distance of this marker); Trials in an Old Swamp (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Airport (within shouting distance of this marker); Huffman Prairie Flying Field (within shouting distance of this marker); Corner Boundary No. 6 (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Huffman Prairie Flying Field (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 124 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.