The 1909 Wright Military Flyer is the world's first military airplane. In 1908, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sought competitive bids for a two-seat observation aircraft. Winning designs had to meet a number specified performance standards. Flight trials with the Wrights' entry began at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 3, 1908. After several days of successful flights, tragedy occurred on September 17, when Orville Wright crashed with Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, the Army's observer, as his passenger. Orville survived with severe injuries, but Selfridge was killed, becoming the first fatality in a powered airplane. Highlighted in this image are the wings of the 1909 Wright Military Flyer. Created by Mark Avino Date Created 02/01/2018 Source Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Keywords Aircraft; Aviation; Inventors; Military; People; Pre-WWI Rights and Restrictions CC0
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.