Bath Township near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Cow Pasture to Flight School
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
Wright Patterson Air Force Base
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, December 26, 2007
1. Cow Pasture to Flight School Marker
Look two miles beyond this overlook to see a true cradle of aviation. The flags you see far below outline the pasture that became the first airport in history.
After their success at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers returned to Dayton, looking for a "flying field" closer to home, they relocated to the rough pasture of Torrence Huffman's farm in the valley below. In 1904-05, flying 40 feet high over Huffman Prairie Flying Field, the Wrights solved the complex problems of controlling a machine in powered flight: how to turn, bank, launch, and land.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space.
Location. 39° 47.718′ N, 84° 5.332′ W. Marker is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in Greene County. It is in Bath Township. It can be reached from Memorial Road. The memorial center is off Kauffman Avenue, off South Broad Street (CR 444). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2380 Memorial Road, Dayton OH 45433, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally,
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: In Case of Floods (here, next to this marker); Biplanes to Rocket Science (here, next to this marker); Mound Builders Era (within shouting distance of this marker); Original Hangar (within shouting distance of this marker); Wilbur and Orville Wright (within shouting distance of this marker); Wright Field (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Pioneer Flyers (about 300 feet away); Final Honors (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a photo of "The pasture where the world's first airplane pilots learned to fly."
A center
Photographed by Craig Swain, December 26, 2007
2. Cow Pasture to Flight School Marker
An overhead photograph of Huffman Prairie Flying Field shows it's location relative to the marker, "Look for the flying field between here and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's active runways you see in the distance. You may be able to make out the flags which show the flying field's historic boundaries."
Also see . . . Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park. Includes several locations within the Dayton area associated with the Wright brothers and aviation history. (Submitted on January 9, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Craig Swain, December 26, 2007
3. Huffman Prairie Flying Field
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,794 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on July 5, 2026, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 9, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
