DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is celebrating the 119th anniversary of the first successful airplane flight this week.
This morning, the base commemorated the flight at a special ceremony. In attendance were members of the Wright family, whose presence at the annual event has been a tradition since 1978.
On Dec. 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer.
The historic flight back in 1903 may have only lasted 12 seconds, but it had a monumental impact on the course of modern history.
The flight happened in North Carolina, but the Wright brothers called the Miami Valley home.
“We very much value our partnership with our friends in Kittyhawk, where this great event happened in 1903, and we do value that,” Col. Christopher Meeker of the 88th Air Base Wing and Installation Command said. “But I want to make it clear that it was here, in their hometown of Dayton, that Orville and Wilbur really learned how to fly.”
The remembrance event is traditionally held Dec. 17, which is the actual anniversary of the flight, however it was conducted a day early due to scheduling issues.
