Historic Aircraft Recognized as the First ‘Practical’Airplane

Ohio has officially designated the 1905 Wright Flyer III as the state’s official airplane, further reinforcing Dayton’s role in aviation history. The bill was passed on March 19 in the Ohio House of Representatives with strong support from local Reps Tom Young, Phil Plummer, and Bernie Willis.

“There is no prouder moment than today,” expressed Rep Young. “We will place the Wright Flyer III permanently on display. This is a profound moment for who we are and how we will be remembered in aviation history. The Wright brothers changed the world.”

The Wright Flyer III was the first fully controllable, practical airplane. It was the brothers’ third creation and took flight for the first time on October 5, 1905. Wilbur flew it at Huffman Prairie for 39 minutes and 24 seconds, covering 24 miles—longer than all of the Wrights’ previous flights combined.

The aircraft shared several design and performance characteristics with the older two planes, though it had a new airframe, an upgraded engine, and significantly larger control surfaces due to previous stability issues.

Only one Wright Flyer III was built, and it remains the only airplane to be designated a National Historic Landmark. After sitting in storage for years, it was restored between 1947 and 1950 under Orville Wright’s supervision. Today, it is on display at the Wright Brothers Aviation Center in Dayton’s Carillon Historical Park.

The Wright Brothers were just the beginning of an impressively long list of aviation accomplishments to take shape in Ohio. Just over a century after the first pilots took flight there, the state has transitioned into a major hub for electric aircraft innovation.

“Now, the future of aviation is in Ohio with Joby Aviation’s electric aircraft factory construction in Dayton, Beta Aviation’s Alia electric aircraft stopping through Ohio on cross-country flights, and Anduril investing $ 1 billion in autonomous military aircraft production right here in Ohio,” explained Rep Willis. “Recognizing the Wright Flyer III as our official state aircraft is a natural course of action to solidify Ohio as the birthplace, history of, and future of aviation.”

FMI: www.daytonhistory.org