Dayton-built Wright Flyer III nears designation as state’s official plane

Local lawmaker hopes to officially honor record-setting 1905 Wright Brothers invention
City of Dayton officials pose for pictures in front of the Wright Flyer III sculpture following the ribbon cutting ceremony at the intersection of Edwin C. Moses and West Third Street Wednesday 14, 2023. The sculpture was moved from Monument Avenue after a developer bought the land. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

City of Dayton officials pose for pictures in front of the Wright Flyer III sculpture following the ribbon cutting ceremony at the intersection of Edwin C. Moses and West Third Street Wednesday 14, 2023. The sculpture was moved from Monument Avenue after a developer bought the land. JIM NOELKER/STAFF
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Ohio moved one step closer to making the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer III the official state airplane Wednesday following a unanimous Senate vote.

Senate Bill 24, backed by local lawmaker Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, now heads to the Ohio House for further consideration.

The Wright Flyer III gained a place in history as the “world’s first practical, fixed-wing aircraft,” according to Kevin Boehner, the director of government relations for Ohio History Connection.

The Wright Flyer III was the most successful invention of Dayton-based Orville and Wilbur Wright following their 1903 proof-of-concept flight with their original Flyer aircraft in Kittyhawk, North Carolina.

The first Flyer, despite its accolades, “could not change its direction and was not controllable. It was also not possible for a pilot to conduct sustained flight, nor could it carry passengers,” Boehner told the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee in late January.

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It was the Wright Brothers' Flyer III that set flight duration and distance records near Dayton in 1905. The new-and-improved plane flew for 24 miles over the course of a flight that lasted more than 39 minutes. The Flyer III was steerable, controllable, and could carry a passenger.

Today, the Wright Flyer III is on display at Carillon Park in Dayton and is a designated National Historic Landmark.

“The 1905 Wright Flyer III is the world’s first practical airplane, capable of sustained and truly maneuverable flights,” said Brady Kress, president and CEO of Dayton History, which owns and operates the display. “With this flying machine, the Wrights truly taught themselves how to fly. Through the course of this process, they developed a useful, marketable invention that changed the world.”

The designation as Ohio’s official anything is purely ceremonial, but Kress said it would nonetheless be a fitting addition the the Wright Flyer III’s list of accolades.

“The Wright brothers significantly contributed to Ohio’s rich history and altered how the world views transportation ... the technology they developed here is worthy of statewide recognition,” Huffman said.

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