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

Flying Field to Air Force Base

Huffman Prairie Flying Field

— Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park —

Flying Field to Air Force Base Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 19, 2013

1. Flying Field to Air Force Base Marker

Inscription. The vast base you see all around you started in 1917 as a World War I Army Signal Corps post called Wilbur Wright Field. The installation grew through the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, matching the needs of the United States for aeronautical research, development, and logistics. Since the creation of a separate United States Air Force in 1947, the Wright brothers’ flying field and aviation school has been part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

More than anyone I have ever known or read about, the Wright brothers gave me a sense that nothing is impossible. I like to think—and during World War II, often did---that the Air Force has rooted its traditions in that spirit.
General Hap Arnold, Father of the Air Force.

Military Aviation Comes of Age over Ohio
Generations of American military aircraft—from flying machines of spruce and canvas to high-tech jets---have been tested and flown here, in the same airspace the Wright brothers worked.

Erected by National Park Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 39° 48.414′ N, 84° 3.754′ W.

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Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County. It is on Mart Road north of Springfield Street (Ohio Route 444). Visit the Interpretive Center first to get driving directions. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dayton OH 45433, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s 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: Trials in an Old Swamp (here, next to this marker); The First Airport (within shouting distance of this marker); A School for Flyers (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); Later Test Flights (within shouting distance of this marker); Those Daring Young Men

Photographed by Don Morfe, July 19, 2013

2. Flying Field to Air Force Base Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Huffman Prairie Flying Field (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 682 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 13, 2013, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Al Wolf was the editor who published this page.