Wright Flying School
Encyclopedia
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company
from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.
at a site that later became Maxwell Air Force Base
. With the onset of milder weather that May, the school relocated to Huffman Prairie Flying Field near Dayton, Ohio
, where the Wrights developed practical aviation in 1904 and 1905 and where the Wright Company tested its airplanes. They also had a facility in Augusta, Georgia
run by Frank Trenholm Coffyn
.
Some of the earliest graduates became members of the Wright Exhibition Team
.
Wright Company
The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright Brothers, established by them in 1909 in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on their invention of the practical airplane. It maintained a...
from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.
History
Orville Wright began training students on March 19, 1910 in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
at a site that later became Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force installation under the Air Education and Training Command . The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, US. It was named in honor of Second Lieutenant William C...
. With the onset of milder weather that May, the school relocated to Huffman Prairie Flying Field near Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, where the Wrights developed practical aviation in 1904 and 1905 and where the Wright Company tested its airplanes. They also had a facility in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
run by Frank Trenholm Coffyn
Frank Trenholm Coffyn
- Biography :He was born in Charleston, South Carolina on October 24, 1878 to George M. Coffyn, a banker.He married Louise D. Adams around 1900 and had the following children: Nancy Lou Coffyn and Kingsland A. Coffyn ....
.
Some of the earliest graduates became members of the Wright Exhibition Team
Wright Exhibition Team
The Wright Exhibition Team was a group of early aviators trained by the Wright brothers at Wright Flying School in Montgomery, Alabama in March 1910.-History:The group was formed in 1910 at the suggestion of Augustus Roy Knabenshue....
.
Students
- 1st Lt. Henry H. ArnoldHenry H. ArnoldHenry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
- 1st Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling
- Calbraith Perry RodgersCalbraith Perry RodgersCalbraith Perry Rodgers was an American pioneer aviator. He made the first transcontinental airplane flight across the U.S. from September 17, 1911 to November 5, 1911, with dozens of stops, both intentional and accidental...
(1879-1912) started on June 5, 1911. Within a week, his instructor was letting him takeoff, fly, and land the airplane, but when he asked to be allowed a solo flight, the instructor said "no". Cal then bought the training airplane, a Wright Flyer Model B, the first to be privately owned. - Walter Richard BrookinsWalter Richard BrookinsWalter Richard Brookins was the first pilot trained by the Wright brothers for their exhibition team.-Biography:...
(1889-1953) - Philip Orin ParmeleePhilip Orin ParmeleePhilip Orin Parmelee was an American aviation pioneer trained by the Wright brothers and credited with several early world aviation records and "firsts" in flight...
(1887-1912) - Marjorie Stinson
- Eddie Stinson
- Arthur L. WelshArthur L. WelshArthur L. "Al" Welsh was a Jewish, Russian-born American pioneer aviator who became the first flight instructor for the Wright Brothers. He was killed in an aircrash in 1912.-Early life:...
(or Al Welsh) learned to fly and then in the summer of 1910 became an instructor at the Wright Company's flying school.