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

Cow Pasture to Flight School

Photographed By Craig Swain, December 26, 2007

1. Cow Pasture to Flight School Marker

Inscription. 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 Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space.

Location. 39° 47.713′ N, 84° 5.321′ W. Marker is near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in Greene County. It is in Bath Township. Marker 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Biplanes to Rocket Science (a few steps from this marker); In Case of Floods ... (a few steps from this marker); In Commemoration of the Courage, Perseverance and Achievement of Wilbur and Orville Wright

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Final Honors (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Huffman Dam (about 600 feet away); Wright Field (approx. 0.8 miles away); Mormon Migration, Kirkland Camp / Facts About Kirkland Camp (approx. 0.9 miles away); Lockheed AC-130A (approx. 1.3 miles 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 photograph shows "Trainee Pilots at Huffman Prairie Flying Field," with the caption "In 1910 the Wrights returned to this same pasture to start their School of Aviation- the world's first permanent flight school. Many pilots, both military and civilian, who would shape the future of aviation first took to the air here."

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

Photographed By Craig Swain, December 26, 2007

2. Cow Pasture to Flight School Marker

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.)

Huffman Prairie Flying Field image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, December 26, 2007

3. Huffman Prairie Flying Field

Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,527 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 9, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.